You know what? Screw the life skills and everything to do with them. She had magic, she could learn household spells. There were loads of them. Of course, she was pointedly ignoring the fact that she had yet to be successful at casting any of them but that was a problem for later. She would figure them out eventually, she was sure. There were so many books on spells like that, she would figure them out eventually. All it would take was a little bit of practise and that was something she was good at. Probably a part of what made her a Hufflepuff, she wasn't afraid to put the work in. If all else failed, she knew how to scrub things, kind of. She had had to scrub cauldrons multiple times (thank you, Snape, not) so surely everything else was easily scrubbed in comparison. She would be fine. Seriously, she was going to be fine. And yes, Tonks was hoping that if she said that to herself enough that it would end up being true. It was going to be true. Because she couldn't fail at something so basic as existing. She was going to be fine. It was just because she was freaking out about the anticipation of things to come that she wasn't very confident in her household skills. When it got down to it, she would be fine. She hoped. No, there would be no doubts or negative thinking. She would be fine. She really would. She was going to get her results, pass and get into the Academy and everything would fall into place from there. That's how things were going to happen. She was doing all this fussing and faffing for nothing. So, there would be no more stress.

No, it was time to focus on other things. Things that couldn't be fixed with magic. Flat hunting. Tonks tried not to groan again. She didn't want to go Flat hunting but she did want to find a flat. Preferably before she entered the Academy because then she'd surely be too busy for flat hunting? Definitely too tired if what all the rumours were true though she wasn't sure whether she should believe the whole 'training will make you so tired that you won't be able to lift your foot up a curb' rumour because that just seemed ridiculous. Definitely overexaggerated. But still, she should definitely try and get a flat before she started because that just seemed like common sense, you know? It would make everything easier.

And yes, she was aware that after all this thinking about it and flicking through ads that she could have actually done something about it by now. But she hadn't and now she was. That's all that mattered, that she was doing something right now.

She threw the papers aside. Oh, but it was just so boring. Why did it have to be so boring? Floor space, storage space, neighbourhoods. All this information that she had to think about and none of the ads even had most of that information anyway. She was just trying to guess based on what little information the ads provided. And she could be wrong! Did that mean she had to go and see all of them? Did it even matter? She wasn't exactly going to be in her flat a lot what with the Academy. She just needed a bed and somewhere where she could try and cook for herself. Which should make things easier but still didn't give her any motivation to actually do anything. Maybe she should take up her parents' suggestion of not moving out until she was finished or part way through the Academy. She wouldn't have to think about it, at least.

"Come on," Ted said, poking his head around her door.

She looked up in confusion, having not even heard him coming up the stairs

"What?"

"We're going to be late."

Tonks got to her feet and straightened her top, still confused.

"And I repeat, for What?"

"You'll see."

"Um, okay?" She said to her now suddenly empty doorway.

She walked out of her room and spotted him going down the stairs.

"Dad?"

"Come on!"

So, she followed him outside.

"Take my arm," Ted said, extending his arm.

"What?"

She was saying that a lot.

"We need to apparate to where we're going and you aren't allowed to apparate yet. Take my arm."

"I can apparate."

"Not without a licence you can't. Arm."

"Fine."

Was she allowed to be grumpy that she still needed to Side-along with someone to get anywhere? Yes. Yes, she was. Her test was so soon. She would fully qualify in a little under a week. Six days. Just under a week sounded better.

So, she let herself be sucked through the studio, tight tube and stagger away from her dad when they arrived. Where they had arrived, she wasn't sure but it was somewhere in London. That was a London bus she just saw go past. But that didn't mean much.

"What's all this about then?" She asked when she got her bearings back.

"You were getting overwhelmed with all things to do with a flat so I thought I'd help out a bit. Give you a push."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "And setting up a viewing is 'giving a push' to you?"

It was more of a jump or a massive leap in her book.

He shrugged at her. "You don't have to rent the place just because you viewed it, you know."

She knew that. She did. Just the idea of telling someone 'No' and then having to explain herself made her feel kind of uncomfortable. It was why she had wanted to do all that research beforehand. She would have a better chance of saying yes. And surely that was a good thing? Less traipsing around all these different flats.

"Thanks," she said finally.

He nodded. "This way you won't have your mum breathing down your throat either."

"She's not that bad," Tonks protested but she giggled at the end.

Ted just gave her a look. "I love her but she likes to have everything organised. Sometimes you just need to go with the flow."

"You organised this, though," Tonks felt she had to point out.

"Hush, you."

She giggled again and he rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he said, gesturing down the street. "Let's get out of here before someone thinks we're doing something dodgy down here."

"Dad!" But she ran after him.

[xxxxxx]

Tonks left the third flat exhausted. She wasn't sure what the agent was trying to do but he certainly wasn't trying to rent her an apartment. Well, that's what it felt like anyway. Did people seriously rent flats with visible mould all the way up the kitchen wall? Or with a knife sticking out of the front door? Her dad had quickly walked her away from the second flat as soon as they had noticed that. Didn't even bother going inside. Merlin knows what they would have found if that's what they considered acceptable to view. Granted, the man had looked a little bit shocked at that as well. They'd left him staring at it as they made a quick getaway.

Was this supposed to help her with her flat choices? Help her narrow them down? Because she was pretty sure that it had had the opposite effect. She didn't know what to think. None of them had everything she wanted in a flat and she had thought her wants and needs were pretty basement. Why did most of them smell all fusty?

"Well?" He said hopefully as they returned home, apparently dome for the day.

Well, she wasn't about to say all that to him, was she? Not when he had been so earnest about helping her. So, she put a smile on her face.

"I think I have a better idea now."

And, you know what? She did.