Tonks entered the Quill, disheartened to see it filled with more patrons than she'd ever seen—and unfortunately it seemed that very few of them were there as potential Death Eaters. She scanned the room quickly as she walked through the pub to the bar. There was a table filled with Hags drinking wine in the corner booth, a group of three shabbily dressed men sitting at the table where Lucius' gang usually sat, a table with a small group of unsavory Knockturn Alley petty criminals, and a few people sitting at the bar.
Just as Tonks was wondering whether the Death Eaters were even going to make a presence, she recognized Lucius from the back by his long blond hair. He was standing at the bar, speaking with Quigley, who was sliding a glass of Firewhisky across the bar to her uncle.
Quigley looked to Tonks once she'd rounded the bar. "You're late."
"Am not," Tonks argued before she could stop herself. She pulled back her sleeve to glance at her watch. Even if she'd dreaded her mission for the evening, she would never have been late. "I'm actually five minutes early."
"Never mind," Quigley growled. "Get to work."
Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Tonks removed her robes and tossed them over the stool behind the bar and picked up the tray resting on the counter to begin serving drinks. She wended her way through the tables, leaving Quigley to serve the wizards sitting at the bar.
Two hours later found Tonks serving yet another bottle of wine to the Hags—after having to endure opening the door to the creepy cellar to fetch something that wasn't Firewhisky—more whisky to the Knockturn Alley blokes, and bringing a full bottle to the table where Lucius sat after he'd snapped his fingers at her again to get her attention.
She sat the bottle on the table—saying a quick prayer of thanks that it hadn't toppled to the floor as she'd thought for a second it would—along with fresh glasses. It had taken her a few minutes, but Tonks had guiltily realized that one of the men sitting with Lucius wasn't from an Auror case she'd worked, but was the werewolf Remus had been sitting with at the bar when she'd scoped out the Quill with Dung. Tonks decided that the other two men were werewolves as well, given his company and their similar state of shabbiness.
She picked up the dirty glasses slowly, making her way around the table to pick up each glass, rather than reach across, in order to linger as long as possible. Surreptitiously, she eyed the men, taking in their threadbare robes and boots that looked even more worn than the ones Remus wore. She felt a pang of sympathy for all three men, knowing that they were likely as unlucky as Remus was at finding regular and well-paying work.
As she slowly walked around the table completing her tasks, Tonks listened intently to their conversation over the din of other customers. There seemed to be one man doing the talking for the three of them—the one who'd met with Remus.
"It don't matter none to my alpha what your boss thinks," the man said to Lucius. He leaned closer and practically snarled, "He answers to no one."
Tonks fought a shiver at the man's' tone and glanced over at Lucius as she picked up his glass and replaced it with a clean one. The expression on his aristocratic face didn't falter as he stared back at the werewolf. "There will come a day when everyone answers to my boss."
Startled at the werewolf's sudden burst of rough laughter, Tonks nearly dropped the glass in her hand, but quickly recovered.
"If he ever comes out of hiding, we'll see about that," the werewolf said as he abruptly picked up his glass Tonks had placed in front of him and tossed back its entire contents. "See what promises he makes our lot this time."
"Promises he intends to keep, I assure you," Lucius said coolly.
Not daring to linger any longer now that her task was finished, Tonks heard the werewolves chuckle as she turned to walk toward the bar, feigned indifference written across her face. Frustrated that she couldn't hear the rest of their conversation, she told herself she would at least be able to pass along to Dumbledore that, in addition to giants, the Death Eaters were courting werewolves as well.
With a quick glance around the shabby pub to make sure there weren't any new customers in the last few minutes, Tonks drew her wand and Levitated the tub full of dirty glasses to the back to begin washing. After filling the sink and adding the dirty glassware, she shook her head at her dismal attempt at a Dishwashing Charm, thinking she needed to corner Emmeline the following week to get the older witch to teach her the charms she'd seen her perform. As she was attempting to keep the soap bubbles from slopping over the side of the large sink, Quigley stepped through the swinging door to the back room and looked critically at the mess that was ready to spill onto the floor. He drew his wand and flicked it wordlessly at the still-growing mass of bubbles and water, shrinking the mass by half.
"Don't they teach you girls the basic domestic charms anymore?"
Tonks furrowed her brows at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm good at householdy charms."
Quigley walked past her and took a rag from a hook on the wall, laying it out on the counter. "I'll finish this. The hags want to settle their tab."
She was surprised—and a little disappointed—to see that Malfoy had left and the only people left were the hags that were gathering their cloaks and the group of Knockturn Alley crooks that now included Mundungus. Stopping first to gather payment from the now-tipsy Hags, she gave them their change before turning to the table of men.
Surveying their nearly empty glasses, Tonks asked," All right, boys?" and hoped they didn't ask for another round—an early night would be welcome.
"Ain' you pretty," said one man, who with the same stringy hair and disheveled clothing, looked like he could be Dung's brother.
Tonks nearly smiled when Dung replied, "Too pretty for you, she is."
"Like she i'n't too pretty for you, too," the man retorted.
"I ain' the one that called her pretty," Dung said indignantly.
Although their exchange was humorous, Tonks was impatient to speed them along now that nobody of note was left in the pub. "Any of you need a drink, or not?"
"Don't let that lot fool you," Quigley said as he emerged from behind the bar. "They haven't the gold for another round."
The men grumbled, but began sifting through their pockets for enough money to pay for their drinks. Tonks nearly smiled at the random items that came from their pockets in addition to the few coins: small potion vials, little sacks that likely contained items that had restrictions on trading and selling, and a couple of small Muggle items that she would bet were illegally enchanted in some way.
Once the wizards had pulled together enough money to pay for their drinks, they collected their items scattered across the table and left. With a sigh, Tonks dropped her tray on the bar and began Levitating chairs to rest on the table tops so she could sweep. It was no wonder Severus had questioned her need to be there every Friday night; now that Lucius had left—having only brought in a small group as it was—and the little bit of business Quigley got on a Friday night had left, the pub was quiet. She was hopeful that nobody else ventured in; if there were no patrons, surely she could manage to try some of her password ideas on the hidden room.
As she was reviewing the combinations in her head and sweeping the floor—along with thinking her mother would be disappointed to see that Tonks couldn't command a broom to do her bidding the way she'd attempted to teach her—Quigley emerged from the back room and sat a small sack on the counter Tonks guessed held her pay and said, "Likely won't be any more coming in tonight. You can go once you're done."
Tonks nodded and Vanished the small pile of dirt she'd swept up.
"Don't worry about locking up," he called over his shoulder as he turned to go. "The wards will let you out even after I've set them."
Once Quigley had passed back through the door, Tonks quickly set the broom against the nearest wall, crossed the pub and rounded the hall, stopping in front of where she knew the door to be. Heart pounding at the thought that she might actually achieve her goal, she drew her wand and tried two of the password combinations with no luck. She realized with a start that she had never checked to see if the room was empty before attempting to open the door. Remembering Severus' comment that she was never careful, she whispered, "Homenum Revelio", relieved when the spell revealed the room was empty.
With a deep breath—and keeping up the appearance of cleaning up, Tonks walked back to the bar and wiped down the surface as well as the counter and small sink behind before returning to the hallway. Listening briefly for footsteps, Tonks tried two more combinations and muttered, "bugger," under her breath when they didn't work. Knowing there was only so much cleanup she could linger over without seeming suspicious, Tonks returned to the bar and gathered the rags she'd used for the night to deposit by the backdoor and stopped once again in front of the blank stretch of wall with a small huff of frustration.
Wryly thinking that there likely wasn't a Rune for 'ponce', Tonks traced a new combination on the wall and froze when a shimmering outline of a door appeared, its shape solidifying seconds later. She threw a swift glance over her shoulder before turning the knob and slipping quietly inside. A cursory look around showed the wooden table covered with files and scrolls, haphazardly stacked. Not wanting to waste time—and knowing she had to focus since there was only so much time she could spend without rousing suspicion with her absence—Tonks flicked her wand to set a timer to alert her to leave before she lingered too long.
A quick Detection Spell told her that the table and its contents weren't warded in any way. She went to work immediately, willing her hands to remain steady as she opened files and scanned their contents. She searched the table frantically, hoping for blank parchment to utilize a Copying Spell to take documents without disturbing the originals. Ministry files on Order members she tossed aside, as well as a directory of Ministry staff. She copied an entire file labeled 'blood status', as well as a file labeled 'Hogwarts staff' thinking Dumbledore would want to know what the Death Eaters thought they knew of his professors. Another stack of parchment revealed detailed reports of recruits—she copied the entire stack.
Giving a low growl of frustration—and then quickly covering her mouth, hoping Quigley wasn't walking by at that moment—Tonks realized she was running out of blank parchment. She muttered the incantation for a Replicating Charm and her nearly-gone stack of parchment doubled. As she picked up a file from the next stack, Tonks froze. The file was simply labeled 'Tonks'. Eyeing the large scrolls that she desperately wanted to open, her gaze fell back to the file in her hand and she opened it, hurriedly shuffling the parchment. Her shaking hands flipped through piece after piece of parchment detailing her parents' life: copies of their NEWT's scores, their marriage certificates—magical and Muggle; how they'd obtained a copy of a Muggle marriage certificate, she couldn't fathom—a copy of her mother's Ministry Women's Guild application, her father's employment contract with the Wizarding Wireless Network.
The chirping of her wand tore Tonks away from the frenzied reading of her parents' personal information. She set the file aside and gathered the ones she'd copied, shrinking them down to the size of a board game tile before stuffing them into one of her boots. Putting aside whether it was the right thing to do, Tonks grabbed her parent's file and—without copying it first—shrunk it and pushed it into her boot with the others.
Tonks opened the door a small crack and listened. Hearing nothing, she exited and pulled the door closed, taking a shaky breath of relief that she'd made it in and out undetected. She looked up and down the short corridor before turning to quickly consider the still-visible door. The time she'd seen Quigley exit, he'd traced a pattern and the door had disappeared. Wanting to conceal all evidence of her entry into the room, Tonks retraced the Runes she'd used to enter.
As the door faded from view, an arm grabbed her roughly around the shoulders from behind as a hand clapped over her mouth to muffle her cry of surprise. Desperately, she clutched the arm around her body and twisted back and forth, trying to break free. She felt herself being pushed forward and planted her feet fruitlessly; whoever had ahold of her was much bigger and stronger. Terrified that she would be taken out the back door into the alley where her attacker could Apparate, Tonks released her grip on the man's arm and reached wildly behind her, attempting to grab whatever she could to injure him: his hair, his eyes, whatever she could reach. The growl of frustration that came from her ruthless assault on the man's eye was satisfying, but her small victory was short-lived as she realized that one of her feet had faltered because it had slid on her wand lying on the floor.
Relashio! The Revulsion Jinx she'd chanted in her head threw Tonks to her hands and knees and her attacker sprawling behind her. Sucking in a welcome deep breath—the hand clamped over her mouth as she'd struggled had left her breathless and slightly dizzy—Tonks clambered in the dark corridor toward her wand. Her heart thundered in her chest, and relief flooded through her as her hand seized the smooth length of wood.
Before she could fire a spell, Tonks looked up to see Quigley just as he grabbed her roughly by one arm and dragged her to her feet, surprisingly pushing open the door to the ladies' loo rather than the back door. Tripping over her feet as he shoved her hard into the small room, Tonks lost her balance and crashed into the smooth hard surface of the porcelain sink on her way to the floor. Pain shot through her side as she felt and heard the cracking sound she recognized as at least one rib from her previous injury being rebroken. Ignoring the pain, Tonks rolled deftly and raised her wand and shouted, "Protego!"
Both breathing heavy, they stared at one another before Quigley raised his wand and said, "Colloportus," locking the door.
"If it had been one of them that found you and not me, you'd be dead right now, girl," he said gruffly, his normally disheveled brown hair even more so after their scuffle. "Give me one reason I shouldn't march you out there and turn you in!"
"I was finishing cleaning up," Tonks said, covering her wince with a scowl as she attempted to take a deep breath.
"The hell you were," Quigley spat. He paused for a moment, still catching his breath, and eyed her critically. "Maybe if I turn you over, they'll be off my back."
"I just wanted to know what was in that room." Tonks pushed her long dark hair out of her face and glared at Quigley, thinking frantically of what to say. Remember that he'd shoved her into the loo, she said, "If you'd really wanted to turn me in, you'd have done it already."
"That so?"
"You 'old loads meetings in the ladies, do you?" Tonks asked defiantly, raising her eyebrows in question.
"Just because I don't like what you're up to doesn't mean I want to see you dead," he replied. He paused for a few moments and took a deep breath, staring at her through narrowed eyes. "I can't quite figure you out."
"I'm complicated like that," she bit back
To Tonks' astonishment, Quigley nodded slowly, eyeing her thoughtfully. "You do impressive magic for a girl who failed her NEWT's."
Blocking out the throbbing in her chest as she tried to breath normally, Tonks was determined to maintain her role as Piper. She would give nothing away. Knowing that Quigley hadn't seriously harmed her even though he'd had the chance, she glared up at him and said, "Just because I hate to study doesn't mean I can't cast spells." She knew it was going to hurt, but Tonks took a deep breath and pushed herself to a sitting position, her wand still pointed at Quigley. "I'm going to stand up now." Fighting the instinct to stand up gingerly to avoid hurting her ribs further, Tonks scrambled to her feet, not wanting to show Quigley she was injured.
"Wandless and nonverbal magic isn't just casting spells," he said before raking his hand through his hair as his breathing returned to normal. "And I haven't had a fight like that in years."
"I can take care of meself," Tonks replied, keeping her Shield Charm up.
Quigley took a step toward her and Tonks raised her wand in warning. He put up his hands and placed his wand in the pocket of his faded black robes. "Don't you know who these men are?" he began in a low voice as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That they'll kill you at the first sign of trouble? And that Avery? The big one who's taken an interest in you? One of the worst there is."
Desperately not wanting this mission to fail, Tonks unflinchingly held Quigley's gaze and said, "I'm not afraid of any them. And I need this job."
He looked at her for a long moment. "I'm not goin' to take your job. Not just because I don't think I ought to—I like having the help. But know this, girl," he said, uncrossing his arms to point a threatening finger at her. "I've warned you plenty about what they'll do if they find you snooping around. You wind up dead, it's not my fault."
"Understood," Tonks said as she nodded. The adrenaline from their fight was wearing off and she was starting to feel dizzy from the pain in her ribcage. She dared to take a deep breath and fought to keep her face neutral as pain shot through her side. Trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, she said, "I'll see you next week, then."
Quigley nodded, watching her face. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You didn't," Tonks said stubbornly.
"I shoulda known you'd fight. If you weren't so small, I reckon you'd have had me," he said with a huff.
Tonks lowered her wand, although she cautiously kept her Shield Charm up. Feeling like she'd bungled the night terribly already, she decided to take a chance with Quigley. If nothing else, he was unarmed and she could Stun him in an instant if necessary and modify his memories if he reacted unfavorably to her questions. "Are you with them?" she asked, watching Quigley's face carefully.
"I'm not with anyone," he said levelly. "They're not a group you say no to, so I let them meet here. You're here because I'm an old man, and I can't mind the bar and serve drinks at the same time like I used to."
Tonks had a pang of guilt thinking she was only there, possibly making things worse for him, because she'd put this mission into motion. She nodded and left it at that, not wanting to push him too far and also feeling like she needed to get out of there and back to Headquarters so Mad-Eye could look at her injury—it was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable to breath.
Quigley drew his wand and unlocked the door, holding it open for Tonks. "I'll walk you to the alley again."
They walked silently through the pub, and Quigley once again held the door before walking Tonks around the corner. She Apparated immediately after entering the alley, gasping and immediately falling to her knees as she landed near Grimmauld Place; the trip through space hadn't helped her injured ribs. She sat on her heels and scrubbed her shaking hands over her face as she took some shallow breaths and fought to keep her emotions in check. Frustrated with herself that she'd fallen over her own feet, Tonks blinked away the tears that stung her eyes. She hadn't fallen prey to her own clumsiness on a mission in ages. Quigley hadn't helped the matter, of course, but she likely wouldn't have hurt herself so badly had she not tripped. Tonks bitterly thought that she wouldn't have been caught in the first place if she'd used her head and cast a Disillusionment Charm before exiting that room—the trace of shimmer the charm left would have been easy to overlook. She'd let finding the file on her parents get to her. Instinct had taken a backseat to emotion; something Mad-Eye had constantly drilled her not to do during her training.
Tonks wasn't sure how long she sat in the alley; she only knew that she needed some time to catch her breath and sort out her thoughts before facing Mad-Eye's wrath that she'd injured herself. The chill of the late-night air causing her to shiver and the dizziness she was still feeling finally prodded her into motion. After closing her eyes to morph her features, she slowly stood and walked toward Headquarters, her side aching more with every step. Taking extreme caution that she didn't trip over the wretched umbrella stand or over her own feet again, Tonks made it through the entry hall and gingerly down the steps, pushing open the door to the kitchen once she'd reached the bottom.
Mad-Eye looked up from the collection of parchment he was sifting through. "Not as late as Albus said you'd be." Tonks braced herself for what was to come next as Mad-Eye snatched his reading glasses from his face and flung them onto the table. "You look like shit!" he barked.
Relieved to see a friendly face—at least friendly to her—Tonks replied, "Thanks for that," with a half-hearted laugh, sucking in a quick breath and wincing at the pain that shot through her side.
With the agility of a much younger man, he stood quickly and crossed the kitchen, his wooden leg thumping rapidly over the stone floor. Tonks steadied herself with a hand on his shoulder as Mad-Eye drew his wand and muttered low incantations as he moved his wand over her body, focusing on her side once he'd reached her injured ribs.
He stopped his exam and patted the table roughly. "Sit."
"Can't I sit in the chair?" Tonks complained, not wanting to climb up on the table.
"I'm too old to get up and down from the floor, so you'll sit where I tell you," he said over his shoulder as he stumped over the the cupboards.
Tonks reluctantly backed up to the table and stood on her tiptoes, using her hands to help push herself to sit on the surface as she groaned in objection to the jostling. Mad-Eye opened the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a box before walking back to where Tonks sat. He sat the box on the table next to her and pulled out a chair, levering into the seat with a sigh.
Tonks heard the tinkling of glass vials as Mad-Eye rummaged through the box and pulled one out. "Molly keeps us stocked with basic potions," he said as he held out the vial. "Drink this."
Following Mad-Eye's orders, Tonks tipped the contents down her throat and shuddered at the taste of the pain-relieving potion.
"Accio," Mad-Eye commanded, and a glass flew from the cupboard into his hand. He filled the glass from his wand and snatched the empty vial from Tonks' hand and thrust the water at her. "All right, lass, let me see."
Annoyed that the potion had yet to take the edge off her pain, Tonks dutifully drank the water and set the glass aside. She pulled her arm from her sleeve and pulled her jumper up, shoving it over her shoulder. Pulling up her black camisole to reveal her injury, Tonks fought to keep her face neutral when her fingers brushed over her likely already-bruised skin.
Mad-Eye grunted his disapproval. "Looks like hell already." His good eye flitted up to stare at her face while the magical one examined her side. "You gonna tell me what happened?"
"I tripped."
"Bollocks," Mad-Eye growled as he moved his wand over her once more. "You've cracked one rib and the other is broken. Reckon it's the same ones you broke before."
"How'd you—"
Both eyes looked up to Tonks, the good one glaring. "Poppy told Albus that Lupin healed your ribs. That he'd managed cos they were only cracked." Mad-Eye heaved himself up pulled a folded sheet of parchment from inside his robes. After he'd scanned whatever mad notes were listed on the page, he walked to the fireplace at the other side of the room and lit a fire before throwing in a pinch of Floo powder. "Hogwarts Headmaster's office!" he bellowed.
"Might as well tell him to come on through if he's there," Tonks said, scrunching up her face as she spoke—the aching from the bruises and throbbing pain in her side as she tried to breath really should have been eased a little more with the potion. "I've got some things he'll want to see," she gasped out. "Bugger it all, are you sure Molly's potion hasn't gone bad?"
"Whatever you got, he can wait to see it after you're looked at," Mad-Eye said sternly as he bent down and yelled, "Albus!" into the fire.
Tonks closed her eyes and tried her best to breath slowly and steadily. She vaguely heard Dumbledore's voice from the Floo sharply asking what Mad-Eye needed.
"Get a message to Jones to come to Headquarters," Mad-Eye said. "And tell her to light a fire under her arse!" Tonks opened her eyes just as he extinguished the fire. She chuckled—her grin turning quickly into a grimace—thinking that Mad-Eye likely closed the Floo connection so Dumbledore wasn't able to inquire any further and delay his request.
"Why can't you just heal it?" Tonks asked as Mad-Eye took up his position again in the chair.
"Cos one's broken, not cracked like the other. There's something going on a Healer needs to see. One of the worst injuries I ever had was when a broken rib punctured—"
Tonks would have groaned if she hadn't been afraid of the pain. "All right, all right, I get it."
She heard the tinkling of glass and saw Mad-Eye pick up another potion vial, examining it closely. "Molly's listed the dates on here, and the potion's not expired." He opened the vial and took a suspicious sniff. "Doesn't mean it's not been tampered with."
"By who? Headquarters is under a Fidelius Charm," Tonks said shakily as she leaned her head forward and breathed slowly through her nose.
"The Burrow's not," Mad-Eye mumbled as he tapped his wand to the vial.
Tonks was ready to tell her mentor to stop being so bloody paranoid as she brushed her long hair behind her ear, but froze once her fingers touched the dark strands. "Damn it, I forgot to morph my hair," she said as she closed her eyes and morphed her hair to its natural mousy brown state. Having known since she was a small child that potions and healing treatments weren't as effective if she wasn't in her natural state, Tonks blew out a puff of air in frustration. This night just keeps getting better and better.
"At least we know the potion isn't compromised," Mad-Eye said as green flames sprung to life in the fireplace.
Hestia stepped out of the fireplace and Tonks had to close her eyes and fight not to laugh. Her curly black hair was tied up in a messy bun and she wore a purple dressing gown over a Celestina Warbeck concert t-shirt and bright pink pajama bottoms patterned with purple unicorns. She marched over to the table, stopping right in front of Tonks and set a small black bag next to her.
"Here," Mad-Eye said, handing Tonks the vial of pain-relieving potion he had inspected.
Hestia plucked the vial from Tonks' hands and said in a manner much more authoritative than her attire portrayed, "That won't be necessary, Alastor. I like to give potions from my own stores." She drew her wand from the deep pocket of her purple dressing gown and began a series of complicated wand movements. She waved her free hand at her black bag a sheet of parchment floated out and unrolled itself on the table. As she completed each wand movement, she tapped the tip of her wand to the sheet and written notes appeared. "I need to know what you've given her since she arrived, and Tonks, dear, remind me of any details I need to treat a Metamorphagus."
"Well, for start, I'm an idiot and didn't follow rule number one," Tonks said, cringing as Hestia gently guided her arm out of the way of her injury.
"Which is?" Hestia asked.
"That potions and healing spells don't completely work if I'm not in my natural state."
"She had a vial of this," Mad-Eye said, holding up the potion Hestia had handed back to him. "By the looks of her, it didn't make much difference."
"Hmm, yes, but we'll need to give it a few minutes," Hestia said as she tapped her wand lightly to a spot just below Tonks' armpit. "Even if it's effect is lessened by your being morphed, it's active ingredients are still in your bloodstream. We need to see if you get any relief before we redose you, otherwise you could become as silly as Molly after two glasses of wine."
"That sounds like promising entertainment for ladies' night," Tonks whispered. A cool sensation—like winter air rushing over your face when you step outside in January—ran down her side, easing some of the burning discomfort. "Ah, thank Merlin, that feels a little better."
"One of my favorite charms," Hestia said with a quick smile. "Now, while we wait to see if that potion is going to do any good, I need you to tell me how you sustained these injuries if I'm to treat them properly."
Tonks bit her lip and looked up, her gaze flitting to Mad-Eye before coming back to rest on Hestia's face. "I—"
She knew Hestia would see right through her "I tripped" explanation as easy as Mad-Eye did, and Tonks didn't much feel like enduring Mad-Eye's protective nature. For once, Tonks was relieved that Remus wasn't there; he would likely be able to smell Quigley all over her after their fight and would track the man down by his scent.
Hestia held Tonks' gaze for a moment before saying sharply, "Alastor, would you kindly update Dumbledore on the situation?"
"He can wait," Mad-Eye said, glaring at Hestia.
"Then update Remus," she said briskly. "Reassure him that I'll have Tonks fixed up in a trice." Tonks was impressed that Hestia didn't quell under his glare. "Last I saw, he was nearly being physically restrained in the Headmaster's office. Now go, so I can properly treat my patient. I'll open the Floo when you may return." Mad-Eye slowly stood and looked down at Hestia, who continued to cast what Tonks assumed were Diagnostic Charms, ignoring his forceful glare. "There was a time, Alastor, when you would have scared the pants off me, but that time has long since passed."
Mad-Eye grumbled under his breath, but stumped back to the Floo and shouted his destination.
"That was impressive," Tonks whispered, her breathing becoming shallow.
Hestia smiled. "Believe me, when I first joined the Order, I'd have peed myself if he'd looked at me that way."
Tonks attempted to grin, but couldn't quite do it. "How long until I can have something else for the pain."
"I don't need the where or the who—I know this mission of yours is secret—but I need to know what happened before I give you anything. Where you cursed? Tortured? Forced any potions?" Hestia rapidly fired off questions as she flicked her wand at her bag, retrieving a few vials as they sprung from inside.
Tonks shook her head. "It wasn't that complicated. I tripped and fell against a sink in the loo."
Hestia stopped for a second to eye Tonks before going back to gathering her supplies. "One rib is cracked, one is actually broken, and your lung is bruised. The area surrounding your lung is swollen—getting more swollen by the moment, actually. I'd say you had a little help with your fall."
Tonks let her head fall back with a sigh as Hestia renewed the cooling charm. "I did."
"Here." Hestia handed her a potion vial. "It's for the swelling. And I know it's going to hurt, but I need you to lie down and lift your arm over your head." She raised her wand, and within moments two musty pillows from the drawing room sofa flew through the door, landing on the table. "If I don't stop the swelling, it could collapse your lung."
As Hestia was helping Tonks—who was muttering "bugger" constantly under her breath as her body protested the movement—swing her legs on the table and settle on her side, the kitchen door opened.
"Give back my pillow, old man, or—Tonks!" Sirius said before stopping abruptly, taking in the scene in the kitchen. "What the—I thought Mad-Eye was taking the piss—Bloody hell!"
"I don't need any interruptions, Sirius Black." Hestia said mildly. "Either calmly help, or go back to the drawing room."
Sirius stared for a moment before drawing his wand and giving it a flick, tying his long black hair back from his face. "All right, tell me what to do."
"Get a rag, wet it, and charm it to stay cool," Hestia replied, completing another series of movements with her wand. "When I hand you a potion, you need to help Tonks drink it."
Tonks closed her eyes and let them work, allowing Hestia's efficient wand work to take effect and feeling Sirius' steady hands help her drink a couple of potions. She had no sense of time as they worked, but gradually the pain in her chest eased slightly—just enough that her breathing returned to normal. Finally, Tonks felt the tip of a wand and heard Hestia murmur the spell to mend her ribs.
"How are you, kid?" Sirius asked as he brushed her hair back from her face.
Tonks opened her eyes and smiled at her cousin addressing her the way he had when she'd been young enough to still demand him to play the part of unicorn in her games. "Better, I think. It still hurts like I've been trampled by your Hippogriff, but at least I can bloody breath."
"You're going to feel a bit light-headed for a while. I had to clear away a fair amount of blood surrounding your lung," Hestia said as she looked over the last results printed on her parchment. "I gave you a Blood-Replenishing Potion and a potion for dehydration." She looked at Tonks with an authoritative look, the effect of which was somewhat diminished by the haphazard bun atop her head. "You'll need to take it easy for a few days and rest."
"Because I do taking-it-easy so well." Tonks sighed and grimaced once more at the still-present pain in her side. "This still hurts like hell. Can't I have anything for pain yet?"
"It hurts because of all the spell work I had to do internally," Hestia replied kindly. "But I waited to give you anything because it's going to have to be a stronger potion and it will make you silly and sleepy." She stopped and eyed Tonks seriously. "I'm hoping you have a reason to meet with Dumbledore after all the trouble you went to tonight receiving this injury."
Having forgot about the files she had tucked into her boot, Tonks made to push herself to a sitting position, but was stopped by Hestia placing a gentle hand hand on her shoulder.
"Neither one of them is going to like it," Tonks began as she rested her head back on the pillow, "but I need a few minutes with Dumbledore without Remus and Mad-Eye."
With a decisive nod, Hesta said, "Sirius, you can get her settled on the sofa after I bind her ribs, and I'll fetch the Headmaster."
Hestia helped a cringing Tonks sit up and said, "Ferula." Bandages wound snugly around Tonks' torso, providing some relief for her discomfort.
After Hestia had helped her adjust her black camisole and pull her jumper over her head, Sirius stepped forward, and Tonks eyed him warily. "I don't fancy my head being knocked into a wall, so be careful with your Levitation Charm."
"Oh, no, love," Sirius said as he bent and looped one arm under Tonks' legs and the other around her shoulders. "We'll do this the old-fashioned way."
"Lie her on the non-injured side," Hestia said as she walked to the fireplace.
"You know," Sirius said with a grin as he lifted Tonks from the table. "You should tell your friend how helpful I was tonight."
Hestia paused and turned after she'd lit a fire. "Perhaps I will," she said, her dark eyes sparkling with a suppressed smile.
With a surprising display of strength given his thin frame, Sirius carried Tonks up the two set of stairs to the drawing room and Summoned the pillows left in the kitchen before setting her gently on the sofa.
"All right?"
Tonks closed her eyes against the throbbing and nodded. "Unlace my boot and get the shrunken documents for Dumbledore."
Tonks felt Sirius pull the laces of her boots as he said, "I agree with Jones." He pulled the boot off her foot. "At least you got something for your trouble." Sirius pulled the boot from her other foot. "And it seems like you put up one hell of a fight."
Fight.
Tonks' eyes flew open. "Where's my wand?" She grimaced at the deep breath her words caused her to draw.
"Sitting on the kitchen table."
"Be a good pooch and cast a Cleansing Charm," Tonks whispered, holding Sirius' gaze. The last thing she needed was for Remus to see her before she had a chance to shower away the smell of the pub and Quigley that was no doubt all over her after their scuffle.
Sirius nodded with a grim smile and drew his wand. Tonks closed her eyes as her cousin muttered the spell a few times.
The whooshing sound of flames appearing in the fireplace caused Tonks to open her eyes. She groaned when Severus stepped out after Dumbledore. "Did you have to bring him along, sir? I'm not much in the mood for a scolding."
"What happened to vigilance?" Severus asked coolly.
Sirius stood from his seat on the coffee table. "Reckon it was one of your lot that roughed her up, so why don't you shut it, Snape."
"Enough," Dumbledore said sharply, taking a seat in one of the wing-backed chairs. "Sirius, the gentlemen in the kitchen could use some tea, I think."
Sirius stopped scowling at Severus and smirked. "I wonder if I could sneak a Calming Draught into Mad-Eye's tea. I bet he could use it."
"You'll never get it past him," Tonks murmured from her spot reclined on the couch, resting an arm over her eyes—as much from trying to calmly suffer through her discomfort as to avoid Severus' glare.
"Indeed." She could hear the slight smile in Dumbledore's voice. After Tonks heard the door shut, he said, "I've been told, quite directly I might add, that I only have five minutes until Hestia needs to perform another exam. I assume these are for me?"
Tonks slowly raised her arm to her forehead and opened her eyes to see Dumbledore restore the documents to their normal size. "It's all I had time to copy. There's more, I just...didn't think I should press my luck."
"You call whatever happened lucky?" Severus said with a scowl as he sat in the opposite chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
Closing her eyes and taking as deep a breath as she dared, Tonks answered, "Lucky it was Quigley who caught me leaving and not someone else."
"He is the one responsible for your injury?" Dumbledore asked, looking up from his perusal of the sheets of parchment in his hands.
Tonks grudgingly went through the events that lead her to her current position. Thankfully, a knock kept either of the men from commenting on the disastrous ending of her mission.
"I have more to report," Tonks said, thinking of the snippets of overheard conversation between Lucius and the werewolves and the rest of the documents she hoped to gather as Hestia entered the room.
"Surely you can hear the rest tomorrow, right, sir?" Hestia said to Dumbledore as she placed her black bag and roll of parchment next to her as she sat on the coffee table.
"I'm sure you're right, Miss Jones," Dumbledore agreed. "I shall return tomorrow morning, Nymphadora."
Tonks gratefully swallowed the potion Hestia handed her, hoping it was the stronger pain-relieving potion she'd mentioned earlier. "Why does she get 'Miss Jones' and I'm stuck with 'Nymphadora'?"
"Nymphadora is quite lovely," Hestia said as she tapped her wand to the parchment, the results of her scan scrawling across the sheet as if written by an invisible quill.
"I quite agree, Miss Jones," Dumbledore said as he rose from his seat. "As unique as the witch who holds the name."
As she fought the urge to roll her eyes at their exchange, Tonks felt a feeling of utter relaxation seep through her body. If her injury hurt—and she distantly thought it didn't as she reached a hand across her body and gingerly ran her fingers over the bruised skin—she couldn't find it within herself to care. Feeling like she was happily floating on a warm cloud, Tonks wasn't troubled in the slightest when she heard herself say, "Flattery will get you nowhere, sir."
"Will it not?" Dumbledore asked mildly. "I've been operating under the assumption for nearly a century that women enjoyed flattery."
Hestia smiled and turned to the Headmaster, giggling as she spoke. "You should go, sir. Her conversation until she falls asleep is likely to be...entertaining."
Tonks smiled at Hestia as Dumbledore and Severus made a retreat—hasty on Severus' part. She eyed the older witch, who was looking down at Tonks with an amused expression. Hestia had removed her purple dressing gown at some point and Tonks got a good look at the Celestina Warbeck t-shirt she was wearing and realized it was the same concert tee her mother wore when she was doing a particularly vigorous cleaning session on their house.
"Celestina Warbeck's music is absolutely barmy, don't you think?" Tonks asked, unable to stop herself and only vaguely wondering if she'd offended the pink-cheeked witch.
"Without a doubt," Hestia answered conspiratorially, her grin widening. "All those rubbish lyrics about how a wizard 'charmed the heart right out of her' and 'stole her cauldron'. But her music is my guilty pleasure. I love it almost as much as good gossip." She handed Tonks another vial of potion. "This is another Blood-Replenishing Potion."
Tonks tipped back the potion and began drowsily singing the lyrics to one of Warbeck's most popular songs. "Don't you be afraid, come and take a sip. Of this steamy, tasty treat!"
Tonks hummed the tune, forgetting some of the lyrics, as Hestia giggled and raised her wand, sending a Patronus on its way. "I've told Remus he can come up."
Nodding happily as Hestia performed another scan, Tonks hummed along for a few more beats before she patted Hestia on the hand and said, "Here's the best part—Oh, come and stir my cauldron. And if you—did you say Remus is coming up?"
Hestia grinned widely and nodded her head, the haphazard bun on her head wobbling.
"Gods, isn't he handsome?" Tonks asked with a sleepy smile, feeling even more warm and tingly than she had before she'd begun her song. "Oh, come and stir my—"
Tonks stopped mid-lyric when the drawing room door opened and Remus burst through, striding to where she was now resting comfortably, sprawled on the sofa. "You see?" Tonks drawled, looking up at Hestia, who was writing notes on her parchment. "He's so bloody handsome." Tonks' eyes got heavy as she wondered aloud, "Where was I? Oh yeah—come and stir my cauldron. And if you do it right…" Tonks' singing faded back to the her lazily humming the tune.
Hestia stood, allowing Remus to take her place sitting on the coffee table. He reached out and let his fingers twirl a lock of her brown hair before letting it fall back to the pillow.
Tonks gave a lopsided grin when her gaze focused on Remus' face. "Want to stir my cauldron, Professor? I bet you'd do it brilliantly."
Remus looked to Hestia, his eyebrows raised in question, as a familiar loud bark of laughter rang through the room. Hestia's shoulders shook in silent laughter as she looked down at Tonks.
Tonks yawned widely and then smiled dreamily up at Hestia. "He does the most amazing things with his—"
"What in the name of Merlin did you give her?" Remus interrupted, eyeing Tonks amusedly.
"Why'd you interrupt?" Sirius asked, his voice shaking with laughter. "It was just getting good."
Hestia winked at Tonks and before she looked to Remus. "She was in quite a bit of pain and required the strongest classification of pain-reliever to get relief," she said, her voice still holding a trace of laughter. "Also, she's a bit dehydrated from the blood loss, so the potion may...have a stronger effect."
"Mad-Eye said she re-injured her ribs," Remus said with a frown as he knelt down next to the sofa. "Why was there blood loss?"
Tonks looked up at Remus' face and gave a long drawn-out sigh. "Uh-oh, Miss Jones, now you've done it," she began, not even attempting to stifle her giggles. "You've angered him. S'all right, really, since he looks so sexy when he's all intense," she said as she reached her hand up to brush the hair off Remus' forehead. "Would it help if I sang some more, Professor?"
"Yes!" Sirius said from where he'd draped himself on one of the chairs.
"As...entertaining as your singing is, dear," Hestia said with a mischievous grin, "I think I'll help you to the loo and then you should really rest."
Scrunching up her face as if in deep contemplation, Tonks thought for a moment before announcing, "You're absolutely right. I desperately need to have a pee."
Sirius sniggered from his spot on the chair.
Tonks' head was getting fuzzier as sleep tried to overtake her, but Hestia managed to get her to the loo and back—with some assistance from Remus—with no issue.
As Remus was helping her settle back onto the sofa, Tonks felt her hair being pulled to the side and opened her eyes to see Remus' head dip to her exposed shoulder. She closed her eyes and murmured, "I know what you're on about, Professor."
"Do you?" he whispered.
Even with her potion-induced state of sleepiness, his hoarse voice whispering in her ear sent a shiver through her body. "Mmm hmm." Tonks sighed and fought to get her words out before falling asleep. "Your pooch was very helpful—you won't be able to figure it out."
"We'll see about that."
If she'd had it in her, she would have teased him, but, as it was, Tonks was rapidly losing the battle for consciousness. She vaguely overheard snippets of the discussion between Remus and Hestia as they argued over Tonks sleeping on the sofa rather than in a proper bed. Hestia apparently won the argument since Tonks was aware of her head lying on an old throw pillow rather than a soft pillow that smelled like Remus. Even though she was too knackered to keep her eyes open any longer, she knew it was Remus' fingers that softly caressed her cheek as she drifted off to a welcome sleep.
A/N: I was going to post this chapter tomorrow, but thought, why wait? You all deserve a huge thank you for hanging with me for so long! Our adventure began a year ago this month, and whether you've been with me since the beginning, or you're just picking up Jinxed Hearts, I truly appreciate each and every reader—reviewers, lurkers, and followers alike!
I hope you all enjoyed drugged-up Tonks:). I drew inspiration from my recent surgical adventure...Anesthesia notoriously drops my body temperature and leaves me extremely shaky and chilled. Apparently after the nurses covered me in ten warmed blankets and my temp was still cool, I—much to their amusement, I'm told—suggested that they "let my husband crawl under the blankets with me, because he usually keeps me warm in bed". At least I only have a vague recollection of embarrassing myself!
Enjoy the end of your week!