Tonks really hoped that no one noticed what had just happened. She really didn't want any attention drawn to it. Merlin, she didn't even want to acknowledge that it happened. Mainly because she didn't know how to stop doing it except for just letting her body rest. Which was working but it wasn't working quickly enough. There was nothing else she could do for it, however, hence why she just needed it to be ignored. It wasn't like it was a big deal anyway. Technically.

"Is there a reason why you are twitching, Nymphadora?" Andromeda asked with a raised eyebrow. "I understand that you have a difficult time sitting still but this is a bit much, even for you."

Dammit. Of course, her mum noticed it. When had she ever not noticed something? Never. Never ever. She really should have known better. She should be able to play it off. Hopefully. Yeah, no, that was probably wishful thinking. Wasn't going to stop her from trying though.

She quickly thought about trying to smile as she tried to deflect but almost instantly dismissed that for two reasons. One, it would look so fake and pasted on that it would definitely raise even more suspicion. And two, she didn't think she could pretend to smile because everything damn well hurt!

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth and tried to tense her arm so that it didn't move.

That had the opposite effect and just made her arm spasm more violently. Great. Just great. Because that didn't make her look suspicious at all. Also, that had hurt. Your muscle definitely wasn't meant to work this way.

"You are obviously not."

"I'm fine."

Could her mother just leave her alone? She was fine. She really was.

"You are not."

"I'm dealing with it, okay?"

Surely that would get her off her back? Her mum was still staring at her in that disapproving way of hers so probably not.

"Then it is not helping and you need help."

"I don't!"

Tonks felt a bit guilty when she noticed that it wasn't actually a disapproving look, she was getting but a worried one.

"Look, it's nothing to worry about," she amended.

Because it really wasn't. Sure, she was a bit sore and twitchy but it was really nothing. Her parents didn't have to get all worked up.

"Ted?" Andromeda said expectantly, ignoring Tonks.

"Already on it," he replied, getting out of his chair.

Tonks eyed him warily as he approached her.

"Arm," he said, holding his hands out expectantly.

She hesitated for a moment and her mum snorted.

"Do as you're told, Nymphadora."

"Andromeda!"

"She needs to stop being ridiculous about this."

"I'm not being ridiculous!" Tonks exclaimed and then hissed as a bolt of pain shot down her arm.

Okay, maybe this wasn't so normal but it wasn't like her parents could do anything about it even if they could know what was going on. Which they couldn't. Look, of it still went on like this after this weekend then she'd go and get it checked out in the Academy. They would know what to do, hopefully.

Her parents looked at each other and Ted reached over and grabbed her arm before she could do anything. Why did she always forget that he was used to dealing with unruly patients and had a firm grip?

He carefully straightened her arm out and began twisting it this way and that. Tonks was careful to keep her face still, knowing that her parents would be looking for any sort of untoward movement, any flinch or wince. Which she wasn't going to give them. Well, she was going to try because the way her dad twisted her arm there hurt.

"Ah ha!" Ted said triumphantly.

"That would have hurt anybody," Tonks insisted. "You've literally twisted my arm."

"I wasn't talking about your yelp; I was talking about your arm!"

"That you twisted!"

"It spasmed," he continued as if she hadn't spoken. "In a way that suggests you've strained or damaged a nerve."

"Hey!" She yelped when he twisted a little bit too hard yet again, this time in the other direction.

"Roll your sleeves up," he asked, ignoring her.

"I'm fine."

"You aren't," Andromeda said sharply.

"She isn't," Ted confirmed as she twitched again and nearly slapped him in the face.

"What is it?" Andromeda asked anxiously.

"I'm right here, you know?" Tonks said, trying to wave but her arm refused to cooperate and just made this jerky movement.

Dammit, she thought that she was better. That's why she hadn't cancelled her visit in the first place.

Anyway, why did people always insist on talking over her? Was she really that easy to ignore? She liked to think not.

"Nymphadora, you obviously know what is causing this so just tell us so we can help you," Andromeda said in exasperation.

"I'm already dealing with it," Tonks said through gritted teeth.

"Not very well."

Mother and daughter glared at each other, neither wanting to give in. Ted coughed pointedly.

"It's fine," she tried to try again.

All that was met with was two equally stern looks. She gulped. One parent giving her that look, she could deal with. Most of the time. But both of them? Not a chance.

"It's just a part of my training," she tried to say as dismissively as possible. "It really is fine. Just hard."

And that was the truth. Kind of. They didn't need to know that it wasn't a part of the actual curriculum for Trainee Aurors and Moody had to get special permission and then she was dragged into a meeting with Auror Taylor and a Healer to make sure she understood exactly what she was getting into. Oh, and to reassure her multiple times that she did not have to do this and it definitely wouldn't count against her if she didn't.

But she did. She wanted to impress Moody. He'd been so happy when she said she would do it. Well, as happy as he could get which wasn't much but she would take it. And she wanted to see if she could, do it? Because it would be really cool if she was someone who could throw off the imperious curse. Granted, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone she would be able to if she managed it but still. It wasn't something he wanted to brag about, not to others, just himself.

Her parents looked at each other and did that weird communicating without words thing again.

"Look, I can't tell you even if I want to," she said before they could come up with some sort of United front argument thing they did.

And she definitely did not want to tell them, even if she could. They would just blow it all out of proportion.

"You wouldn't anyway, would you?" He dad guessed suspiciously.

"Nope."

There wasn't any point in lying to them, was there? And she was being honest, she couldn't tell them. It had been on all those forms that she'd had to sign. It basically couldn't leave her and Moody and Head of the Auror Academy that this was happening. You couldn't just go around saying that someone in the Ministry was casting the Imperious Curse willy nilly even if it was for training purposes.