Had Tonks mentioned that she hated Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody recently? Because she did. With a passion. Because he was annoying and bossy and lazy and domineering and bossy. Had she mentioned that he was bossy? Yes, she had. Twice. Which meant that he was doubly bossy. Obviously.

Yep, he was bossy, which was to no one's surprises, let's be honest, but she had decided that he was also very lazy. Today anyway. Not a word you would usually associate with Alastor Moody but today she was.

You see, today he had decided that she was his own personal messenger girl and that she would have to fetch all of his files and notes and message and Merlin knows what else. He had, surprisingly, yet to ask her to go and get him some coffee but she suspected that that was coming soon.

But for now, she had a stupid number of files stacked in her arms that she had to fetch all the way from the other side of the building. Why they had been on the other side of the building? She didn't know. All she knew that they were there and she had been ordered to go get them. There were so many papers that she had to use magic to put them neatly on a stack and make sure that they stayed in a stack. Which meant that there was too many, in her option. What was Moody doing with all this paperwork anyway? Was this What she had to look forward to? She hoped not. Because that would just be depressing.

She could even levitate them through the corridors because one, she had been stupid and not found something to tie the stack together so it would be considered one object by a spell, and two, the corridors were pretty busy today and she didn't want to risk hitting someone with the stack. Somehow, she didn't think that it would be appreciated.

And it was hard work dragging these through the building. Well, that's what she was claiming anyway. It was more to do with the fact that she was bored and annoyed.

Deciding that she deserved a break, she dumped the pile of files onto a very nicely placed windowsill. It was even out of the way, in a little alcove. Perfect. Now she could catch her breath for a moment without getting in anyone's way. Perfect.

Of course, things couldn't go that simply for her. Of course, they couldn't. Because the files didn't do what they were supposed to do and sit on the windowsill. Oh no. They simply couldn't. Because why on earth would they do that? Nope, I stead they slid off the windowsill and scattered themselves across the floor. Thankfully the alcove was narrow enough that she blocked the way and stopped them from flying out into the corridor. She did not want to make herself the laughing stock again, chasing after bits of paper. That would be just too embarrassing.

Tonks swore quietly to herself as she stooped down to start picking them up. Now some of them were out of order. Fantastic. Just fantastic. Moody was not going to be happy with this at all.

It was when she was trying to figure out whether two bits of parchment were a part of the same documents or something else entirely that she heard her name.

"Did you see that Tonks girl earlier? Moody was running her ragged."

Tonks couldn't help but snort to herself. When wasn't Moody running her ragged? If he wasn't, she was going to have to assume that he was ill or something. He never let her have an easy day. It was a bit weird hearing other Aurors comment on it though. She never really thought how it looked like to other people. Her fellow Trainees never said anything because of their own training and they were still amazed that Moody was actually a Mentor. Yes, even after nearly three years.

"Did you really expect Moody to be anything other than a slave driver?"

"The man is insane with himself. Of course, he was going to be like that with a Trainee."

Yep, see? Nothing was strange when it came to Moody. Because he was strange. Tonks bet none of these Aurors would ever say that to his face.

"I don't know. It can't be good for that slip of a girl to be with Moody."

Tonks bristled at that and almost burst into the room on them. Slip of a girl? Slip of a girl? Who even said things like that and what were they doing saying it about her? Yes, she could hear their murmurs of agreement. How dare they! She was no slip of a girl! Sire, she might be short and kind of slim but she wasn't a slip. That made her sound like she was fragile and whimsical or something like that. Lile people had to be careful around her. None of those things were true about her at all! She was tough. She was strong. How dare they. Slip!

"She's a strange thing, isn't she?"

"Thing, really?"

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"I'm pretty sure she's a person."

"Oh, shut it Calvert."

"I mean, creatures can't exactly be Aurors, you know. There are rules against that."

"Didn't I just tell you to shut it?"

It turned out even old Aurors acted like normal people around each other. Who would have thought? They sounded like her and her friends at school.

"I doubt she's any good. Have you seen how clumsy she is?"

"Everyone has seen how clumsy she is. It is rather amusing."

Tonks felt her face heat up at that. Had everyone really seen her fall over her own feet by now? Is that how people already knew her? That was just humiliating.

"Well, her exam results will demonstrate how good he is," one of them said derisively.

It was the same voice that called her strange earlier. Tonks decided that she didn't like him. It was like he wanted her to fail! Oh, how she wished that someone would say his name so she knew exactly who she was supposed to be hating.

"Maybe she'll surprise everyone and get good results."

Wait, people didn't think she was going to pass? They thought she was going to fail? That hurt more than she expected. Okay, sure she might not be the best in her year, as small as it may be. But she certainly wasn't the worst. And she had been pretty sure she'd been demonstrating a high level of abilities. For a Trainee, at least.

Or maybe they thought that Moody was a rubbish teacher? That he couldn't teach?

"And maybe I'll be the Queen of England when I grow up," that horrible man said mockingly.

"I doubt Moody even knows how to teach. I don't even understand why he was allowed to."

"Have you ever seen anyone say no to that man? I definitely wouldn't. And neither would you before you say anything."

"Look, he already left once because he couldn't hack it. Who's to say he won't do that again?"

Seriously, this man needed to shut up.

"I suppose it is not good for her education to be disrupted," another man mused.

"Should we tell someone? Get her someone proper to teach her?"

"A bit late for that now. She's in her final year. No, she'll either pass or she won't."

Then Tonks was going to make sure that she passed.