Nymphadora (don’t call her that!) Tonks was presently sitting at the Ministry of Magic’s Auror Headquarters, twiddling her wand and watching sparks come out of its tip. The Headquarters were unusually empty; no attacks or warnings had been reported, and for once the Death Eaters seemed to be on vacation. However, she was forced to stay as the older Aurors went to The Leaky Cauldron because ‘someone must be here, just in case’. Tonks wondered why they trusted her - wasn’t she the clumsy, extroverted freak who needed to think before she spoke and who drove the more experienced Aurors mad?
So, she continued sitting there, running this through her head.
She had just gotten the idea of setting off a firecracker in the men’s bathroom stuck in her head when Abbeline Reid poked her head through the doorway, startling Tonks.
“We just got back,” she said, “Someone blew up a row of fire hydrants “ come with me, I think we’ll need to use some modification spells on the Muggles.”
Tonks got up. Finally, she thought to herself, Muggle work!.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*
They reached the street almost instantly by Apparating. Tonks fell to the ground when she landed; Abbeline disgustedly pulled her back up. The street was extremely wet; Abbeline pulled up her skirts daintily as she walked around its rubbish. Other Ministry workers at the far end of the street were detaining a couple of Muggles. They walked down to meet them, wands hidden just in case other Muggles were lurking.
“We surely can’t modify them here,” Tonks said to Abbeline, “The streets are a mess.”
“Move them, then,” Abbeline Reid said exasperatedly. She then Levitated one of the Muggles to a nearby alley.
“The Muggles will see!” Tonks exclaimed.
In an answer, Abbeline waved her wand and set a large Disillusionment charm over the area.
Tonks sighed and Levitated the other Muggle to another street. She performed the charm, then quickly hid her wand. The Muggle opened his eyes slowly. He blinked for about half a minute, then stared at her.
“What happened?” he said, puzzled. “I don’t remember being here.”
She thought hard and fast.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, “I “I tripped, and then you fell over me and you were knocked out.” She tried to put on a concerned face.
He rubbed the back of his head. Tonks winced, remembering how she had bumped it against a building as she Levitated him.
“I guess you did trip me,” he said, still rubbing his head. “I think I fell pretty hard.”
“Once again, sir, I’m “”
“Call me Mark.”
He smiled at her.
Oh, bollocks, she thought, now he wants to know my name.
She racked her mind “ what was her Muggle identity during training? She knew she had some normal name “ after all, she couldn’t exactly tell him her name was Nymphadora, could she?
It began with an m… she thought, Miranda, Myrtle, (no! she thought, think harder), Megan, erm…. Melanie!
She came back to reality and saw to her horror that her head had been positioned so she was staring at him. He must have thought she was captivated!
Cursing under her breath, she said, “Melanie, I’m Melanie Reynolds.”
He smiled. “Mark Hamilton,” he said, stretching out his arm to shake her hand. She shook his.
“Now, Melanie,” he said, “since you’ve managed to knock me out and make me lose some of my lunch time (she grimaced inside), I feel I have the right to purchase you some coffee.”
She tried to remain calm.
“That would be wonderful,” she said, “But I feel that it would be improper for me to accept food and drink from a complete stranger that I’ve knocked to the ground.”
He laughed.
“But I enjoy being knocked to the ground by attractive young women. Men need that every now and then,” he said playfully.
She glanced at him. He was pretty attractive himself, she thought, and he was wearing a suit…
Wouldn’t it be rude to say no?, her emotions argued to her brains, I did, erm… trip him.
She tilted her head at him.
“Vanilla Latté?”
He laughed.
“With cinnamon on top.”
She led him out of the alleyway.
“What happened?” he asked, staring at the wet ground.
“Oh… some children decided to trash the hydrant,” she lied, “but they cleared it up.”
He narrowed his eyebrows.
“The children cleared it up?”
“The firefighters cleared it up.”
“Oh.”
They walked in silence for a bit.
“I was going to go to Robert’s Sandwich Shop,” he said, “Have you been there?”
“Oh, no,” she said, “I don’t think I’ve heard of that.”
They continued walking.
Standing behind a corner Abbeline Reid watched them furiously.
How dare she go off with a Muggle! she thought, and with a loud pop! she Disapparated.
Author's Note: I have several other fictions on this site. Please review.