Tonks smiled at Remus as another knock to her door echoed through her tiny flat. "You're sure you wouldn't rather finish what we're doing here?"
The inopportune arrival of her friend, Lucy, was making for an unfortunate ending to a very pleasant snogging session on Tonks' couch, and she had half a mind to leave Lucy standing in the hall as punishment. The relatively quiet week in the midst of the usual chaos of their schedules had been a blissful time of shared dinners followed by kissing—something Tonks didn't want interrupted, even to introduce Remus to her friend.
"Of course I would, but that would be rude," Remus replied with a grin.
Tonks sighed when Remus removed his hand from the back of her shirt and stood up, extending his hand to help her up. "I told you I was bloody well tired of being interrupted," she grumbled.
Remus chuckled. "At least it's not me doing the interrupting this time."
Unable to help the smile that broke across her face, Tonks said, "That's true." She stood on tiptoes to kiss the underside of Remus' jaw. "I'm sad I won't get to find out just what you were planning next, Professor."
"We'll have to make sure there's time for me to show you this weekend."
"Deal," Tonks said with a smile before pressing her lips to Remus' one last time. Another knock at the door had Tonks pulling back and calling, "Hold your Hippogriffs!"
Tonks reluctantly turned from Remus and opened the door, raising her eyebrows at Lucy standing with her hands on her hips.
"About bloody time," Lucy said impatiently as she bent down and picked up her large work bag.
Tonks stood aside as Lucy pushed past her saying, "I was beginning to think you were having it off—"
With a smile, Tonks shook her head at her friend's lack of verbal filter, not surprised when she didn't look even slightly apologetic or flustered over her words.
"Oh," she said as she set her bag back down and stepped forward, extending her hand to Remus. "You're the mystery man, I presume?"
Remus smiled and shook Lucy's hand. "Remus Lupin."
"Lucy Hale."
"It's a pleasure to meet one of Nymphadora's friends," Remus said.
"Nymphadora?" Lucy asked incredulously as she crossed to the armchair and sat, smoothing the front of her black pencil skirt. "She must really like you."
"I certainly hope so," Remus replied with a grin.
"Comfortable?" Tonks asked Lucy with an arched brow. As much as she'd love to catch up with her friend, the thought of picking up where she'd left off with Remus outweighed the appeal of chit-chat.
"Why? Am I interrupting?" Lucy asked with a cheeky grin.
"Yes."
"No."
Tonks and Remus had replied simultaneously.
Lucy smirked at both of them. "I think we at least have time for tea."
"Indeed," Remus said as he took a seat. "You can fill me in on some of the more humorous moments of your Hogwarts years. Nymphadora has certainly heard some of mine from her...ahh...a friend."
"Oohh, I'd love to," Lucy said, kicking off her heels.
Tonks rolled her eyes and turned and stalked to the kitchen. Annoyed as she was to have their evening activities interrupted, she had to admit she was thrilled that Lucy and Remus would have the chance to get to know one another a little—somehow it made their relationship official in her mind if Remus met people close to her that weren't involved in the Order.
When she returned to her sitting area, Lucy was laughingly telling Remus about the time Tonks had morphed into Professor Trelawney and how she'd done a spot-on imitation of the odd professor's voice.
"So," Lucy said, taking a mug of tea from Tonks. "I think we should double date just as soon as I snag a date with that bloke Hamish from the Sport's office. He's gorgeous by the way—certainly looks like he plays rugby in his spare time." Lucy took a sip of tea and told them about her scouting mission to the Sport's office.
Tonks giggled when Lucy had finished her tale. "So after all that you didn't even speak to him?"
"Gods, no," Lucy exclaimed. "I didn't want to chat him up about work and then have him recognize me as the mad witch who was spying on him."
"I think you underestimate a man's ego," Remus said with a wry smile.
"That so?"
Remus nodded. "I can't speak for all men, but most of us like to know we're sought-after."
"Duly noted, but I still think I'll wait to introduce myself until we are set up on a proper date," Lucy replied with a wink. "Now," she said as she stood, "I've interrupted and taken enough of your time for the night. I'll be off." She slipped her feet back into her shoes and looked to Tonks, who watched her with a bit of envy at her lack of klutziness as she stepped into her tall heels without so much as a wobble. "Are you off on your mad mission again tomorrow? Didn't you say your Friday nights are full?"
Tonks nodded and glanced at Remus, who looked to the floor, his expression suddenly tense.
"Can I bring dinner again so we can have a proper girly chat, or do you have plans?" Lucy asked as she slipped her arms through the sleeves of her robes.
Remus met Tonks' gaze once more, his tense expression fading into a slight grin. "I've occupied her time nearly every evening this week. Feel free to have your girly chat."
"Brilliant," Lucy said brightly. "I'm bringing Chinese again since that place down the street really is the best."
After Lucy had bid farewell, Tonks shut the door and turned to Remus with a tentative smile.
"I like her," Remus said, returning her smile. "She certainly has no trouble saying what's on her mind."
Tonks laughed and picked up her wand, sending their mugs Levitating to the sink. She turned to Remus, ready to ask if he wanted to resume their position before their interruption, but stopped when she saw him suppressing a yawn as he lowered himself back down to the sofa.
"Poor Professor," Tonks said as he swung his legs up to stretch out on the couch, his head resting on one of her throw pillows. Unable to stop herself from taking advantage of his position, she Summoned the blanket draped over the back of her chair and walked over to the couch. "Do you need me to tuck you in this time?" she asked as she spread the blanket over him and gently lied atop him, resting her head on his chest as he brought his arms around her.
"If you tucked me in right now, I'm afraid you'd have me sleeping on your sofa for the night."
"Something I'm certainly not opposed to," she replied. "I could sleep right here, and we could wake up like we did last week." With a sigh, Tonks closed her eyes before continuing. "Don't you wish we could wake up that way everyday?"
Her eyes flew open when she realized she'd pretty much just said, "Hey, wouldn't it be nice if you just moved on in?".
Bugger.
"I mean—I." Tonks cursed herself for her inability to control her words sometimes. "It was...nice waking up with you there."
Remus chuckled, the sound pleasantly rumbling against her cheek since she couldn't even think of raising her head to look him in the face at that moment.
"Don't worry," he said as he tightened his hold on her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I happen to agree."
"Sorry," she said, raising her head finally and giving him a sheepish grin. "I don't want to scare you off or anything."
Remus smiled down at her and said, "It'll take more than you admitting that you enjoy my company to scare me off."
"That's a relief," Tonks said wryly before leaning in to give him a grateful kiss she hoped would take them back to where they'd left off before their interruption.
.
The following day, after a boring day on surveillance duty for a case involving her long sought-after arrest of one of Dung's associates, Tonks opened her door at the knock that sounded and found Lucy on the other side holding bags of Chinese takeaway as she had the week before.
"All right," Lucy said as she set their food on the coffee table. "How long was it going to take you to tell me your mystery bloke was Remus bloody Lupin?"
Hoping Lucy was upset over the kept secret rather than her being involved with Remus, she crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Easy," she said warningly. "Don't unleash that Tonks temper on me. I hope you know me well enough by now to know I don't hold the same views as some of my shit-for-brains colleagues." Lucy began unloading the bag of food and peered at Tonks. "He's as cute in person as he is in pictures."
Tonks couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Gods, isn't he adorable?"
"How'd you meet?"
The forced casualness in Lucy's voice told Tonks that she had a suspicion in her mind already about how they had met.
Her smile faded slightly as she said, "I...can't really tell you."
Lucy eyed Tonks critically as she opened a carton of food. "I'm pretty sure I know what that means—would you give Professor Dumbledore my best next time you see him?"
Going about gathering plates and supplies for their dinner, Tonks chose to ignore Lucy's comment and continue with her task.
"Let's switch, then, to a topic I know you're allowed to discuss," Lucy said with an evil grin as she pulled an egg roll from its wrapper.
Sighing at the calculating look on her friend's face, Tonks asked, "Which is?" knowing full well that Lucy was going to ask about whether she'd shagged Remus yet.
"Have you shagged his adorable arse yet?"
"None of your business," Tonks replied tartly.
"Which means no," Lucy said as she accepted the plate Tonks had filled, quelling slightly at the glare she received. "Which isn't a bad thing, I was just curious. Let's just hope he's not as much as a knob-head as that last bloke you dated—who's hopefully still trying to counteract that hex you sent his way after he hinted how much he fancied the tits of that Muggle actress."
Tonks stabbed a piece of chicken with her chopstick at the thought of the woman's cascading blonde hair and bits much larger than her own that had attracted the eye of the wizard she'd dated a couple of years prior. Unfortunately, she hadn't hexed the man so badly that he wouldn't be recovered by now.
"I think Remus likes my body just as it is," Tonks said, wanting to shake the thought from her head that maybe he didn't and that's why they hadn't seen each other naked.
Lucy giggled and said, "From the state of his hair and how long it took for you to answer the door yesterday when I arrived, I'd say he fancies your body just fine, which he should since you have lovely tits."
Shaking her head at her friend's not-surprisingly frank statement, Tonks couldn't help but be cheered by her words. "Thanks. Now, are you done being nosy?"
"Of course not," she said around a bite of rice.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "I'm sure not, but wouldn't you like to hear what I've learned about your potential next date."
As they chatted over their food—Tonks eating surprisingly little as her nerves were making her stomach twist the closer she got to having to leave for the Quill—she filled Lucy in on the little bit she'd learned about Hamish from her colleague Henry Williamson. What she'd found out—after convincing Henry that she wasn't finally asking for herself—was that he was definitely still single, didn't mind dating a younger woman, and wasn't opposed to a blind date.
Her smile at learning the dirt on Hamish quickly turned into a frown when Lucy looked down at Tonks' nearly still-full plate. "Are you not feeling well?"
Tonks shook her head and said, "I'm fine," even though she felt like her food was battling against the butterflies in her stomach. "Come on," she said as she stood from where she'd been sitting cross-legged in front of her coffee table. "Make me some tea before I have to go to this mission."
Lucy obliged and made tea, sitting on the bed as she had the week before as Tonks dressed in a pair of fitted black denims that had various rips up the legs and her black, sleeveless mock turtleneck. Trying all the while not to let her mind travel to thoughts of Lucius sodding Malfoy and whether or not he was now on to what Piper was really doing at the Quill, Tonks listened as best she could while Lucy described an ongoing case she was working that involved a wizard, a set of enchanted drapes, and the wizard's unsuspecting Muggle neighbor.
"So the neighbor went to his local police jurisdiction and filed a report that the wizard had slipped him some sort of mind-altering substance, which got the Obliviators' knickers in a twist, and—are you sure you're all right?"
Lucy stopped her explanation and looked at Tonks with raised eyebrows
"Fine," Tonks said with a shrug. "I was listening—mind altering substance and Muggle police."
"Do you want me to go with you on this mission tonight?" Lucy asked with a smile. "Hold your hand?"
Tonks rolled her eyes and looked at the clock sitting on her bedside table, realizing that she couldn't put off leaving much longer. "I don't need anyone to hold my hand."
Lucy grinned and stood from her spot on the bed, saying, "Good—I want to go home and put my feet up."
After saying goodbye to Lucy, Tonks searched her flat for her set of plain black robes and came up empty. She rummaged through her laundry, trying to remember if she'd had them at Headquarters—and who knew, really, with the pain-relief potion Hestia had given her that had made her sing Celestina Warbeck songs while she lounged on the couch. With a sigh, Tonks prepared to leave her flat for Knockturn Alley, hoping she'd left her robes and the small sack holding her pay behind the bar the previous week.
With a dramatic sigh and her heart pounding quicker than she'd like, Tonks pulled open the door to the Quill with her wand in her hand. Even if she didn't really think that Quigley would turn her over, she didn't want to let Mad-Eye down with any lack of vigilance if Lucius Malfoy was waiting for her to arrive.
The pub was nearly empty when she entered—a small group of patrons was sitting in the corner booth, and a handful of her least-favorite wizards occupying their usual table, heads bent and speaking in low voices. The sight of them speaking privately caused her to grip her wand tighter and hurry to her spot behind the bar; she would have much preferred if the group had been in the middle of raucous bought of laughter.
Ignoring the group for a moment, Tonks poked around behind the bar—even checking the hooks next to the sink in the back room—but found that her robes weren't anywhere to be found. Knowing she couldn't dawdle for too long, she vowed to ask Quigley if he'd moved them once she saw him.
She didn't have to wait long; Quigley was rounding the bar when she pushed through the swinging door leading back to the pub.
"Saw you come in and got these for you," he said, holding her robes out to her.
"Thanks," Tonks said, taking the bundle.
"You ought not leave those here. I wouldn't put it past one of them to try and track you," he said in a low voice. Quigley eyed her for a moment before saying, "I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't showed up tonight. All right?"
"I told you I was fine when I left last week."
"Right. That group's in a foul temper tonight," Quigley said, jerking his head toward the table that held Avery, two Death Eaters she recognized from Mad-Eye's files, and a handful of men Tonks didn't recognize. "You'd do well to watch yourself."
Tonks nodded and turned to gather a tray so she could get to work—the sooner she could out of there that night, the better. As she served drinks to the table full of berks and the handful of others around the pub, Tonks kept an eye out for Severus, who she knew would be there lurking in the pub somewhere based on what he'd told her at the Order meeting earlier that week.
As Tonks worked, she tried to keep an ear open for what Avery was discussing with the men sitting with him, but, for once, he spoke quietly as she moved around the pub and stopped conversation altogether when she refilled their drinks. The night wore on and Tonks became frustrated that her evening was becoming a waste; as relieved as she'd been that nobody had questioned her presence in the pub that evening, her relief was quickly turning into annoyance.
"Y'look like you're buggered by something," Quigley said as he pulled a fresh bottle of Firewhisky from the shelf behind the bar.
Tonks shrugged as she pulled the tap to fill a pint glass with ale. "I'd be in a better mood if that lot tipped better," she said, nodding her head toward Avery's table. At Quigley's harsh burst of laughter that reminded Tonks of Mad-Eye's rarely heard laughter, she started and nearly dropped the glass from her hand.
"It'd be a miracle if that lot paid me for any of what they drink," he said as he handed her the bottle of Firewhisky and took the ale from her hand. "Speaking of them, take this fresh bottle over."
Trying her best not to sigh loudly at Quigley's request, Tonks loaded a tray with fresh glasses and the bottle of whisky and grudgingly walked over. As she was circling the table and placing a fresh glass in front of each of the men, Avery glared at the man sitting across from him and leaned forward so he was staring him down.
"My boss doesn't react kindly when people don't do what they've promised."
Tonks suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down her spine at Avery's words and held her breath as the man shrank back in his seat and hastily shoved his hand inside his robes, pulling out a few rumpled pieces of parchment and sliding them across the table.
"That's more like it," Avery said, snatching the parchments from the table and placing them in the pocket of his robes that he'd draped over the back of his chair. "Now we can toast to a job well done."
Taking a quick glance around the pub to see how many patrons were left, Tonks saw there was only a pair of older men in the corner booth and two men at the bar with their backs facing her; she made a quick decision. Rounding the table to stand next to Avery, she let her tray tip as she reached for his dirty glass, allowing the glasses on her tray to slide to floor with an impressive crash.
"What the—"
Tonks cut off Avery's angry exclamation by dropping to a crouch next to the chair he'd scooted back from the table, saying, "Bugger—shit—" She sat the tray on the table and slipped her other hand into the pocket of his robes. Praying to Merlin she could distract him, Tonks looked up into Avery's angry face and placed her free hand on his knee as the hand in his pocket clutched the parchment he'd placed there moments before. "I'm so sorry," she said, plastering a grimace across her face. She watched with barely concealed horror as the anger left his face to be replaced with a sickening grin.
"It's no matter," he said, covering the hand she'd placed on his knee with his.
Tonks looked down with what she hoped was a display of demur embarrassment, but, in reality, it was because if she had to look at his disgusting grin a second longer she'd likely spit in his face. She chanted a spell in her head to shrink the parchment in her hand and withdrew it from his pocket, keeping the documents concealed in her fist.
"I really am sorry, i-it just slipped and—let me clear this away," Tonks said, standing so she could pull her hand from his and draw her wand from its spot in the pocket along the outer seam of her black denims. She Vanished the shards of glass and said, "I'll run and get you a fresh glass."
Tonks turned quickly and hurried to the bar so Avery couldn't argue. Ignoring Quigley's perplexed look he threw her as he settled the tab of the men sitting at the bar, Tonks pushed through the door to the back room and opened her palm to return the parchment to its normal size. She crossed to the desk and searched for a clean sheet of parchment amongst the clutter and came up empty. Knowing she had no time to spare, she grabbed a sheet that looked like an order invoice and multiplied it. With a quick sigh of relief, Tonks watched as the information from the nicked documents sprawled down the duplicated papers after casting a copying spell. She closed her fist around the originals after shrinking them and shoved her copies into her back pocket before grabbing a clean glass from the few that were drying next to the sink.
She knew she needed to replace the documents to Avery's pocket so he wasn't suspicious and was hoping the distraction of her surprising display moments before was still enough to keep his focus on her and not his robes.
"I must be losing my touch, making a mess like that," Tonks said, setting the glass in front of Avery and pouring him a healthy measure of whisky. She glanced at him and saw he was watching her with a smirk. "Let me make sure I cleared all that glass away—I wouldn't want any of it to be stuck in your robes."
Feeling Avery's eyes on her, Tonks decided to continue to take advantage of his interest in her and—knowing that if Severus was still in the pub either disguised or Disillusioned, he was probably furious with her—made a show of shaking out the hem of his robes as she crouched next to his chair once more, slipping her hand back in the pocket and depositing the parchment back in its spot before placing her hand on Avery's shoulder to push herself to standing again.
"Reckon you're all clear," Tonks said before grabbing her tray and turning to walk back to the bar. She hoped the men around the table resuming their conversation would be enough to keep Avery's attention away from her.
Thinking she didn't want to be stuck in the pub with Avery lurking while she cleaned up after the last customer, Tonks pushed through the door behind the bar and found Quigley sitting at the desk.
"I think there's only that Avery left out there—you mind if I skive off early?"
Quigley leaned back in his chair and and peered at Tonks through narrowed eyes before saying, "That's probably best. I'll let you know if you're needed next week."
Tonks turned and pushed through the door, grabbing her robes draped over the bar and balling them up to look like a pile of rags in her hands; a quick exit through the back alley door seemed the better escape over walking through the pub to the main door. Tonks didn't even wait for the door to shut behind her before she turned on the spot and Apparated to the Hog's Head. As she was morphing her features from Piper's back to her own, the crack of Apparition had her whirling toward the sound with her wand drawn in case Avery had managed to track her.
Severus stood before her, and, by the look on his face, he had seen her stunt with Avery and was indeed furious. Without a word, he grabbed her arm above her elbow and pulled her to the front door of the Hog's Head, pushing her through before guiding her to the fireplace. She knew their destination before he called it, and opened her eyes moments later to find herself in an office she hadn't seen since her student days.
"Ah, mission complete for the evening?" Dumbledore asked from where he sat behind his desk.
"Have you any idea what you've done?" Severus asked in a low voice, ignoring Dumbledore's greeting.
"I can take care of myself with him," Tonks said, wrenching her arm from his grasp and placing her hands on her hips. "And at least I got something out of it."
Severus turned to Dumbledore. "This mission needs to come to an immediate end."
"Says who?"
"I believe I just said so," he replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Dumbledore.
"There's no reason to—"
"The information you've gathered from your time at the Quill has been mediocre, and your resources could be put to better use."
"Don't be a git!" Tonks said, prompting Severus to turn toward her, his eyebrows raised as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Severus fixed her with the imposing stare she remembered from her student days that usually warned her that she'd earned a detention. But she wasn't his student any longer, and she refused to quell under his gaze. She mirrored him, crossing her arms over her chest and said, "What I've gathered could hardly be called mediocre, and it takes weeks of work sometimes to get a solid lead on a case."
"This isn't an Auror case that is going to trial in front of the Wizengamot. We don't have the luxury of time to gather evidence—we must act quickly. And Quigley is unreliable at best, and at worst will drunkenly spill information about you in a heartbeat." Severus' voice rose the more he spoke. "Not only do you underestimate that threat that Avery brings, but you're letting your ego cloud the fact that we should put this mission to bed and move on to something worthwhile."
"My ego?" Tonks shrieked, unfolding her arms and closing the distance between them so they were practically standing boot to boot.
"Do either of you care to hear my thoughts on the matter?" Dumbledore asked. "It is, after all, my office you're using for your argument."
They stared wordlessly at each other for a moment before the sound of Tonks' stomach churning filled the quiet office, it having chose that moment to voice its displeasure at the meager meal—well, meager compared to her normal standards—she'd eaten that evening. The anger in Severus' face faded as his eyes flitted down to her abdomen and back up to Tonks' face, one of his brows raised. He gave her an impatient look and strode to the fireplace, barking out "kitchen!" before stepping into the flames. Tonks stared at the floor for a moment before chancing a glance at Dumbledore.
"Neither one of you is wrong, I daresay." He gestured to the chair sitting in front of his desk.
"What exactly is he not wrong about," Tonks asked as she flopped into the chair the Headmaster had indicated and crossed her arms over her chest.
"We do not have the luxury of time to build a proper case—the information we gather needs to be done so efficiently."
"It's only been—"
Tonks stopped when Dumbledore held up a hand.
"I do not agree that we should abandon this mission immediately—despite what Severus thinks; although I will need to be informed of the reasons for his concerns—but we should weigh the benefits of the mission versus using your resources toward another venture." He paused and eyed Tonks over his spectacles. "I also disagree that your ego is clouding your judgement. I know you'd hate the considerable amount of time you've invested in this mission to be a waste."
Tonks thought that Dumbledore was being kind, especially since if she were being truthful with herself, she would admit that the lackluster results of her time at the Quill was definitely part of the reason why she was loathe to end the mission.
As Tonks was considering Dumbledore's words, a loud crack alerted them to the arrival of a visitor that wasn't a witch or wizard given the Anti-Disapparition wards on the castle. She smiled as she looked up to find Dobby standing next to her chair.
"Miss is hungry?" he asked, the broad smile that stretched across his face telling her that he was pleased to once again come to her aid.
"Starving," Tonks replied, unable to stop the grin that turned up her lips.
"Dobby is happy to help, miss," the elf said as he produced a tray and used what she guessed was a Hover Charm to allow it to float in the air next to the arm of her chair.
As Tonks was thanking Dobby and examining the contents of the tray—a sliced apple along with a few pieces of baguette topped with creamy cheese Tonks hoped was Brie—the flames in the fireplace leapt high as Severus stepped through. At the sight of the Potions Master, Dobby Disapparated after a swift bow.
"That's twice now you've chased him away—I like Dobby."
Severus scowled as he took the seat next to Tonks and said, "That elf has an odd affinity for Potter, and therefore I dislike him on principle."
"Thanks for the snack," Tonks said grudgingly, not forgetting the argument they'd been having just before he'd swept away to the kitchens.
"I thought perhaps you would see reason more clearly when plied with food."
Tonks snorted before popping an apple slice into her mouth. "Unlikely."
"Nymphadora and I were just discussing the merits of this mission and when it should come to an end." Dumbledore stopped and glanced at Tonks before shifting his gaze back to Severus. "What happened tonight that has you concerned?"
Severus described what he saw from his spot at a table under a Disillusionment Charm. As he spoke, Tonks shoved an entire slice of baguette in her mouth to keep from interrupting; she was sure Dumbledore wouldn't be impressed with further argument and decided to draw on her small amount of self-control and wait for him to ask her opinion.
When Severus had finished, Dumbledore looked to Tonks and said, "Nymphadora?"
"I can take care of myself where Avery's concerned."
Severus scoffed and shook his head. "You wear that statement like a bloody badge of honor—I've seen first-hand what you can do to take care of yourself, and I don't disagree, but the opening you've given that man tonight...he will do all he can to get what he wants from it."
"He's not always there," Tonks argued. "I'm sure your boss has more important things for him to do than to chase barmaids."
"One would hope," Dumbledore said, effectively cutting off the argument that was brewing once more. "Nymphadora, what did you gain in return for your exchange with Avery?"
Not knowing what it was she had copied from the parchment in Avery's robes—and desperately hoping she wouldn't be proved wrong by producing something of little consequence—Tonks stood and pulled the rumpled parchment from the back pocket of her jeans and unfolded it before setting it on Dumbledore's desk. She glared at Severus before settling back in her chair and helping herself to more of her snack.
"This appears to be a duty roster," Dumbledore began as he scanned the page. "From the names listed on this page, I'd say it's a schedule for the wizard employees of Azkaban."
"Information that it only marginally helpful since we learned weeks ago from that fool, Murphy, that these documents were being pursued," Severus said.
Dumbledore held up a hand to stop Tonks before she could respond. "Nymphadora has spent a considerable amount of time on this mission, and I agree with her that we shouldn't abandon without careful consideration. However," he said with a pointed look at Severus, who obviously had something to say. "I do not believe that it should continue indefinitely."
"How much time do I have?"
"A matter of weeks, during which time I will monitor your progress. I will let you know when I believe it's time to discuss an exit strategy."
Understanding the finality of Dumbledore's words, Tonks nodded and stood, heading for the fireplace. She turned to say goodnight before grabbing a pinch of Floo powder and found Severus' intense gaze fixed on her. Rather than try to discern what his expression could possibly mean, Tonks said a terse "goodnight" and called her destination, hoping Remus was waiting for her at Headquarters.
A/N: I didn't fall off the face of the Earth! I survived NaNoWriMo, and, just in case you're curious, I finished with 14 minutes to spare with 50,019 words-hooray! Hopefully, one of these days you'll see my book for sale on a shelf:) Needless to say, after working my *ss off writing 50,000 in a month that also included three kids' birthdays, a week-long family trip, Thanksgiving, and the usual chaos that comes with having five kids, I was tired. Which is why you had to wait until December 20th for an update. My apologies, and I hope you are all still with me! Let's get back to Remus and Tonks, shall we? If you'd like, tell me how angry you are for having to wait for an update in a review;).