It ended up being surprisingly easy to capture Lupin and Tonks. After Ron had been informed that arrangements had been made, it was then just a matter of waiting for the right time. That came on New Year's Eve.
Ron and Harry were playing a game of wizard's chess in the living room, when Remus walked by. Harry jumped up to speak with him. Ron remained seated, content to let Harry do the work for him. For the first time in his life he was thankful for how nosy Harry and his family were. It allowed him to gather information more efficiently without bringing attention to himself.
"Where's he going?" Ron asked when Harry returned.
"He said he needed to see Tonks about something," he responded.
Promising, Ron thought. Draco had made it clear that the Dark Lord wanted the two of them caught together. If people suspected that they had run off together, there would be less of an effort to find them. "Will they be back for the party?" he asked after making a move. "Mum's expecting them both to be here tonight."
"Remus said they'd be back before it starts. He said your mum asked him to pick up the champagne while he was out. So, I guess he asked Tonks to come along," the other boy responded.
"Cutting it pretty close, isn't she?" the ginger said while studying the board. "Where is he going to find champagne this late?"
"Well, she did have some, but the twins blew half of it up in one of their experiments. She managed to find a little shop in Godric's Hollow that still had a supply and flued over an order," Harry explained.
"Well, that's good. We don't need her any more mental than she already is," he snarked. He grabbed his note book and pretended to study the board for a minute more before he started to write.
*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*
Draco ran through Malfoy Manor. He dodged house elves furiously working to ready the manor for the evening's ball and later revel. He made it to the Dark Lord's study and took a second to catch his breath before knocking. Pettigrew opened the door. "Tell our Lord that I have urgent information for him," he said breathlessly. Instead of relaying his words, he simply opened the door wider and ushered the boy inside.
He crossed the room with purpose and knelt at his master's feet. "Draco," the dark wizard hissed. "What do you have for me?"
"My cousin," he spit the word out like a curse, "and the dog are in Godric's Hollow alone. If we hurry, we may be able to apprehend them," he said.
"Excellent!" Voldemort cheered. "Perfect timing. They'll be able to join the celebration tonight."
"I'll prepare to leave, my Lord," the boy replied eagerly.
"No, Draco. You must remain here," the dark wizard started. Seeing the boy's disappointment, he added, "I know you are eager, son, but I cannot risk you being recognized or captured before your mission is complete. As a Malfoy you also have duties here tonight," he soothed. Oh, the eagerness of youth, the Dark Lord mused, as Draco left to tell his aunt that her surrogate would soon be arriving.
*D*D*D*D*D*D*D*D*D*
Ron carefully snuck into his house under the cover of Harry's invisibility cloak, the case of champagne his mother had ordered in his hands. Guests would start arriving soon, and he needed to deliver the libations while everyone was busy with last minute preparations. He knew that people would notice Tonk's and Remus's absence much sooner, if the champagne did not get delivered to the Burrow.
Draco had been in a handsome set of formal robes, when he'd handed the box off just outside the family's wards. The blond sneered down at the box. "This champagne is troll piss," he commented.
Ron just rolled his eyes, "stop complaining, Malfoy. It's not like you have to drink it," he responded as he took custody of the box.
"True," Draco said airily. He reached into his cloak to pull out another bottle. "This is proper champagne. Elvish made. $200 galleons a bottle, and yours," he said as he handed it over. "A token of appreciation from the Malfoy family. The Dark Lord is very pleased with our work."
Ron's chest puffed out at the complement and he took the offered bottle. "Just don't let Scar Head or anyone else see you with this," Draco warned.
"Yeah, I know, I know. Well, best head back before anyone notices I'm not there," Ron replied before flipping the cloak back over himself and disappearing from sight.
*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*R*
When Harry later asked if Ron had seen Remus, he replied that he thought Remus and Tonks might of snuck off for privacy. Harry hadn't been convinced, thinking the two were just friends helping each other through their shared grief for Sirius.
Ron just shrugged as if it didn't matter to him either way. The seed had been planted and that was all he needed. Of course, he'd just had his guess confirmed that night. The couple had been found making out in the alley next to the shop in Godric's Hollow. He'd decided that he wasn't too concerned for them. They'd be separated and wouldn't be happy, but they would survive the war. They'd been taken back into their families and would no longer be expendable pawns in Dumbledore's plans.
Satisfied with his success, he made it a point to thoroughly enjoy the party.