She cursed herself for forgetting to charm the water last night as the lukewarm shower drenched her. Wrapping herself in a towel, she grabbed her wand and began to charm-dry her hair. Although she could change her style at will, her hair appreciated the odd bit of artificial styling. Tonks looked at herself in the mirror, and, giggling, remembered Charlie’s look of admiration when she’d made an effort and turned her hair long and blonde. Then she frowned slightly “ perhaps if she’d made an effort with Remus ... Tonks shook her head. It was not the time to dwell on what could have been.
I have a date, she thought. I’m going to the Harpies match with a man who is not only good-looking but fun! Stop thinking about someone else who barely knows you exist.
Since the raid on Malfoy Manor, she’d been out with Rob, again to the Dragon’s Lair. Rob had discovered that Proudfoot and Savage would be elsewhere and the two of them had spent a pleasant evening together. Rob was witty and attentive, and Tonks felt herself responding to his charm.
She dressed quickly in some newish jeans and her Holyhead Harpies shirt. Then, she looked back in the mirror and, grinning slightly, matched her hair to the dark green shirt. As a final touch, Tonks wrinkled her nose and changed the ends gold to match the talon on the front of the shirt. After a quick cup of tea, she put on her cloak, stowed her wand and turned around to Apparate to a copse near the Harpies’ stadium.
As Tonks landed, she felt her ankle turn over. “Bollocks!” she hissed as she fell bottom first onto the wet grass. Her cloak had at least protected her jeans from the mud. Gingerly, Tonks flexed her ankle, hoping it wasn’t anything more than a strain. She heard a crack nearby and peered up through the gloom of the trees to see Rob Avery appear.
“Do you need a hand?” he said, laughing as he knelt down next to her.
Tonks blushed slightly but accepted his hand. The hood fell down revealing her hair and she smiled shyly, waiting for his response. Rob blinked and took a step backwards.
“Err, how... original,” he said at last.
Tonks felt deflated by his obvious lack of enthusiasm. “Don’t you like it?”
“It’s not that,” he said kindly. “It’s just that the tickets I have are for one of the new boxes, and they’ve introduced a dress code.” He glanced at her jeans and shirt. “I guess we could swap tickets or something.”
“Merlin, Rob! You should have told me. I feel a right idiot now.” Tonks pulled out her wand and began to siphon off the mud from her cloak.
“There’s still time for you to change if you Apparate now,” Rob suggested. “I’ll come with you.”
Tonks sighed. She actually didn’t possess a skirt, preferring to live in jeans and t-shirts when not in her purple Auror robes. Then a thought struck her. “I tell you what -- I’ll go to my parents’. My mum’s bound to have something suitable. You can wait here, if you’d rather.”
She began to turn when Rob grabbed her arm. “No, I’ll come along too,” she heard him say as they Apparated to her parents’ house.
“Mum, Dad,” Tonks called as she let Rob into the house. “Are you home?”She turned to Rob. “I don’t think they’re here, so do you want to wait in the lounge? I’ll be down in a minute.” Tonks started to open the door to the lounge when she heard a sound coming from the kitchen.
“Dora!” cried Ted. “What a lovely surprise; I thought you said you were working this weekend. Dromeda, it’s Dora.”
Tonks thanked her stars that she was able to morph away the blush that she could feel forming on her cheeks. In her haste to get here, she’d forgotten that she’d told her parents she was working this weekend so couldn’t see them as planned. Her mother appeared, wearing an apron, which she hastily removed when she saw Rob.
“Darling, what are you doing here?”Andromeda walked forwards and kissed Tonks on the cheek and murmured, “Introduce us to this young man, Nymphadora.”
“Oh... erm, sorry,” stuttered Tonks. “Mum, Dad, this is Rob “ a colleague.”
“You’re an Auror, are you, Rob?” asked Ted, gesturing him into the lounge.
“No,” replied Rob. “I’m a journalist, but I’ve been assigned to the Auror department. You may have read some of my articles.”
“Rob Avery, is it?” asked Andromeda, and when he nodded she continued, “Yes, I’ve been following your articles. It’s the only way I get to know what my daughter’s doing.”
Tonks hovered in the doorway and cleared her throat. “Um, Mum, I need to borrow some clothes. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” replied Andromeda. “I’ll help you. Make yourself useful, Ted, and get this young man a drink.”
Tonks walked up the stairs and into her parents’ bedroom, conscious that her mum was dying to ask her all about Rob. Andromeda pulled open her wardrobe door. “I take it this is a date, then?” she asked and Tonks nodded. “Darling, you are allowed to cancel on us for a date; you don’t have to make up stories about work. We’re not ogres!”
Tonks grinned at her. “I know. It just felt odd, that’s all. And I know you wanted to know about the raid.”
Andromeda walked over to Tonks and hugged her tight. “I’m just pleased to see you smile. You’ve had a hard time at work, haven’t you?”
Tonks shrugged. “It’s okay now. Some of the wizards are still incredibly sexist, but it’s getting better.” She walked over to the wardrobe. “Mum, apparently what I’m wearing isn’t suitable for the top box at the Harpies game. There’s a new dress code, or something. Have you got a skirt or dress I can borrow?”
Andromeda began to pull out some of her clothes. She was shorter than her daughter, but they were much the same build. “How about this?” she said, holding up a dark green velvet skirt and a silver top.
“Too Slytherin, Mum!” Tonks complained. “How about that black skirt and purple top? They’d be okay, wouldn’t they?”
Andromeda pursed her lips. “It’s a bit short on you, darling,” she said as Tonks wriggled into the skirt which fell about four inches above her knees, showing off her slim legs.
“Nah, it’s fine,” replied Tonks. “Plus, I’ll have my cloak on. Right, my hair “ what should I do?”
“You’re changing your hair?” asked Andromeda with surprise in her voice.
Tonks turned to look at her mother, who had stopped putting the clothes away and was staring at her. “Err, yeah, what’s so odd about that?”
Andromeda smirked and went back to folding up the discarded clothes. “Nothing, darling. It’s nice to see you making an effort for a man, that’s all. And Rob seems very nice.”
Tonks wasn’t quick enough this time to stop the blush spreading over her features. “Stop it, Mum. It’s not like that. He’s a friend, that’s all.”
Andromeda gave her daughter a very knowing look as she left the room. “If you say so, Nymphadora.”
Andromeda insisted that they stay for a drink and began to ask Rob an awful lot of questions about his job. Ted was fairly silent, but smiled at Tonks when she began to show how exasperated she was with her mother. Finally, when Andromeda’s interrogation reached the subject of Rob’s future prospects, Tonks leapt to her feet and, kissing her parents goodbye, insisted that they leave.
“We don’t have to leave on my account,” Rob said as they walked into the garden.
“No, but we had to on mine,” Tonks told him. “I don’t want to miss the match. Before we go, though, is this hair colour okay?” She shook dark brown locks at him and he smiled.
“It looks lovely, Nymph... sorry ... Tonks,” he replied.
They arrived back at the Harpies’ stadium shortly after the match had started. “Merlin, we’ve missed the start,” Tonks muttered. “Thanks a lot, Mum.”
“Hey, slow down,” said Rob and he reached out to hold her hand. He pulled her towards him. “I’m sure we haven’t missed anything important.”
Tonks felt his arm creep around her waist and then he lowered his head and dropped a very gentle kiss on her cheek. It wasn’t a total surprise to her, but she was unsure how to respond. She looked into his eyes and was heartened to see they were smiling. His hand cupped her chin and his lips found hers. For a moment, Tonks froze, but then she relaxed. His hand crept to the back of her head and his thumb started caressing her neck. Perhaps sensing her compliance, Rob increased the pressure slightly. She closed her eyes, wondering oddly why she wasn’t enjoying this as much as she probably should be. Rob was good-looking, he was intelligent, and there was no doubt that he could kiss, but as he began to tease open her lips with his tongue, she drew back. Rob leant in again and she felt a slight uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. There was a roar from the stadium beyond.
“The m-match,” she stuttered as she pulled away from his embrace. “Come on, Rob. I think we’ve missed a goal.”
Tonks wondered if she’d imagined the fleeting look of annoyance that flashed in his eyes, but a moment later, Rob was grinning at her. He flipped her nose. “Yes, Nymphadora, we mustn’t miss the match.”
“Tonks!” she growled at him. Rob laughed.
He led her through the stands to one of the top boxes. The Harpies, in a bid to increase revenue, had renovated one of their old stands and converted many of the seats into private boxes. There were fewer seats near them and more space to stretch out. A waitress service was available, so Rob quickly ordered some drinks for them both and the waitress returned with a bottle of elf-wine. Tonks accepted a glass dubiously, feeling it was much too early in the day for her to be drinking. She looked around her. It was certainly more spacious, and vastly more comfortable, than her normal position in the stands, but she felt almost absent from the game. The people around her didn’t seem to be that interested in either the Harpies or the Appleby Arrows “ their opponents today. She could see Cornelius Fudge nearby talking to an obviously wealthy wizard -- neither seemed to be watching the game. Sighing at the lack of atmosphere, she turned her eyes back to the action.
The Harpies had just scored again, making them twenty “ nil up. One of the Arrows’ Beaters, with a determined look on his face, fired a Bludger at the Seeker who was hovering above him. She dodged out of the way and flew around the stadium, eyes scanning the air as she looked for the Snitch.
“What position did you play?”asked Rob as he held out the bottle to fill up her glass. Tonks shook her head; she’d barely had a sip of her drink and certainly didn’t need a refill.
“Uh, Chaser,” she replied, not turning eyes from the game.
“Were you any good?” he said after a while.
There was a lull in the game, so Tonks turned around. Rob was sitting side-on, looking directly at her and paying no attention to the match.
“I had my moments!” she said. Tonks smiled at the memory of her record. “I was offered a contract with Puddlemere, actually.”
“Really?” Rob sounded surprised. “Why didn’t you sign?”
She shrugged. “I wanted to be an Auror, and Quidditch isn’t a career that lasts very long. Plus, I was only any good when I got angry.”
Rob raised an eyebrow. “I can imagine. But some players go on well into their thirties, don’t they? I mean, the Harpies have just signed someone from the Calais Cygnes, and she’s older.”
“Who do you mean?” asked Tonks with a puzzled look on her face. She thought she knew all of the Harpies’ players.
Rob pointed upwards. “The Seeker there only signed in the last few days. Cherith Hughes was injured during the week, so they needed a replacement fast.” He laughed at the look of bewilderment on Tonks’ face. “It was in the Prophet this morning that she was playing. Didn’t you look at the paper today?”
Tonks shook her head. “No, I overslept and didn’t read a thing.” She scanned the sky until she found the Harpies’ Seeker “ a lithe woman with blonde curls. “Who is she, then, a French International or something?”
“No, she’s British, just been playing for the Cygnes all her career. Martha Macdonald,” Rob replied.
At that moment, the Harpies Seeker flew very near them. Tonks looked straight at her and gave a gasp. It has to be the same girl in my photograph, she thought. Sirius’ girlfriend, Martha. Tonks knew she wasn’t mistaken. She had memorised every inch of the faces in that photograph, hoping, perhaps, to bring them back to life and discover the truth.
“Are you okay?” asked Rob curiously.
Tonks took a slug of her wine. A sudden longing for all she’d lost with Sirius threatened to overwhelm her. She could feel a lump in her throat; she needed someone to confide in, but Rob was not the right person. Merlin, Remus! I wish you were here. Tonks turned back to the match. “I’m fine, Rob,” she replied, a brittle smile sweeping across her face. “Come on, Harpies!”
Her cheer caused the Minister and his guest to turn around. “Can you keep it down, Tonks?” Rob said in a stage whisper. “I don’t think they’re used to such enthusiasm.”
“Well, what are they doing here then?” she snapped irritably. “What’s the point in coming to a match if you can’t be bothered to watch it?” She rubbed at her eyes, aware that she was sounding ungrateful, and turned back to Rob. “I’m sorry. I’m not much fun, am I?”
Rob grinned at her and squeezed her hand. “You’re passionate about the game, I can see that.”
Tonks smiled warmly back. She really did appreciate the effort Rob had put in to making this a special date, but she knew she’d have been happier in the stands with the real fans. Tonks turned back to the match and gasped as she saw a Bludger whip its way towards Martha. The Seeker dodged nimbly out of the way and the crowd cheered. Cherith Hughes was a popular player, but Martha was winning them over.
A man approached them. He was older, probably in his thirties and, as Rob turned around, she noticed a family resemblance.
“Gus, what are you doing here?” cried Rob enthusiastically.
“Keeping an eye on you, baby brother,” replied Gus. He bent down, picked up Tonks’ hand and raised it to his lips. “Angus Avery, at your service, ma’am.”
Tonks smiled but removed her hand. In her mind, she could see the file Moody held on Angus Avery. The extent of his Death Eater involvement had been clear to so many of them, but somehow he’d escaped Azkaban.
“This is Nymphadora, Gus,” Rob introduced her formally. “Alone of all the people in this box, she actually wants to watch the game.” Rob bent down and whispered in her ear, “I’ll take him away and let you watch for a while.”
Tonks saw him lean forward to kiss her on the lips. Instinctively, she turned her head so he ended up brushing her on the cheek instead. Rob frowned slightly, but walked off with his brother to talk to the Minister and his guest.
Tonks went back to the game, but she couldn’t concentrate on the score. The only person she was watching was Martha Macdonald. She flew well and with determination. Younger players may have had the edge in agility, but Martha was just as fast, just as strong and far more determined. A cheer from the Appleby fans brought her attention back to the game. Damn! she thought, they’ve equalised.
“Rob thought you’d like a top-up,” said a voice behind her. Tonks turned around and saw Gus holding a bottle of wine out towards her.
“Oh, thank you,” she replied politely, “but, honestly, I’m fine. I don’t drink much.”
“Nonsense,” replied Gus as he started to fill up her glass. Tonks hastily put her hand over the glass, but he didn’t stop and the wine trickled over her fingers. Gus laughed. “That’s a waste, Nymphadora. You should have accepted the drink.”
“I said I was fine,” Tonks said through gritted teeth. She could feel her temper rising. Gus seemed far too much like the arrogant prats she worked with. She dried her hand on her skirt, causing it to rise a few more inches above her knee. Gus smirked and she hastily pulled the skirt back into place. Rob walked over, carrying two glasses of what looked like Firewhisky, and she heaved a sigh of relief. He ruffled her hair and sat down next to her.
“I’m taking good care of her, Rob,” said Gus.
“Hmm, I can see that,” replied Rob as he looked at the wine spilt on the floor. “You must excuse my brother, Nymphadora “ he hasn’t outgrown his schooldays.”
“Tonks,” she replied automatically.
Gus frowned. “Tonks? That sounds familiar, but it’s not a wizarding name...”
“I’ve been writing about her for the Prophet,” interrupted Rob, “that’s why the name’s so familiar.”
Tonks looked from one brother to the other. Gus was still looking at her through narrowed eyes and Rob was flushing slightly. “I’m a trainee Auror,” she explained. There was a shout from the crowd below, and pleased at the distraction, she returned to the game. “Yes! Harpies score. Come on, girls, you can win this,” she yelled into the air. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rob wincing slightly. Stuffy tosser, she thought. If he thought I was going to be quiet when it’s my team playing, then, Merlin, he doesn’t know me at all.
“You have a knack for digging out the classy ones, Rob. Oh ... and what’s this?” Gus stopped as Tonks turned to face him. The feelings of annoyance that she’d been burying deep inside her had surfaced suddenly, and, without her realising, she’d morphed her hair blue. “A Metamorphmagus, Rob? This time you’ve surpassed yourself.”
“Yeah, I’m a Metamorphmagus,” Tonks said softly, and this time she willed her hair to turn a deep pink. Rob placed a hand on her arm. The conciliatory gesture made her angrier. Tonks was sick of having to apologise and explain herself. Prejudice had dogged her childhood, her schooldays and now her career, and she didn’t see why she had to put up with it from a former Death Eater. Tonks opened her mouth to hurl some abuse at him when a roar from the stand below her stopped her. She could hear the commentator.
“And it’s Macdonald, diving for the Snitch... Macdonald for the Harpies in her first match back in Britain... She swoops ahead of the Arrows’ Seeker, who’s trailing behind. Macdonald with her hand outstretched... YES! She does it. Macdonald takes the Snitch. It’s a victory for the Holyhead Harpies!”
Tonks shrieked with delight and in celebration she screwed up her face, turning her hair dark green with a gold streak down the centre. “That’s my girls!” she whooped. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gus Avery looking at her distastefully. Rob, however, seemed amused, if a touch resigned. She put her arm round him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for bringing me, Rob. It’s been brilliant!”
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “I’m glad you had fun and, uh...” he whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry about Gus. He gets a bit loud when he’s had a few too many. He doesn’t mean it.”
Tonks looked away and back onto the pitch. The Harpies were doing a lap of honour, so she disentangled herself from Rob’s embrace to watch them. As they landed, she saw the crowd swarm onto the pitch to collect autographs. Martha, as the newest player and relative unknown, attracted some attention, but she wasn’t as popular as the regulars, and Tonks noticed the teenage fans left her alone. “Do you mind if I go down amongst the crowd for a bit?” She grinned and made herself blush. “I’d like to get some autographs.”
Rob shrugged good-naturedly, but, she noticed with relief, did not offer to accompany her, preferring to stay with his brother and the drink. She ran down the steps, almost tripping as she went. Tonks scanned the pitch, but it was impossible to pick out any individuals, because the crowd were milling around everywhere. So she made her way towards the dressing room where she figured Martha would soon be heading. Sure enough, after a short time, the slight, blonde woman walked towards her.
Tonks cleared her throat. “Miss Macdonald, could I have a word with you?”
Martha looked her way. “Do you want an autograph?”
“Err, not exactly,” Tonks replied. She began to shuffle on her feet, feeling embarrassed. “Um, I think you knew my cousin, Sirius Black?”
“Ah, you must be Nymphadora Tonks,” Martha said sagely. Tonks did a double take.
“You know me?”
“I was warned you might be on your way to see me,” Martha said and she started walking towards the dressing room. “I don’t know what I can tell you, though.”
Some of the crowd, catching sight of the new Seeker, began to swarm towards them. Tonks grabbed Martha’s arm. “What do you mean you were warned about me?”
Martha shook herself free but stayed where she was. “Remus Lupin told me you were on a mission,” she explained. “I’m quite surprised it’s taken you this long to catch up with me.” She looked at the approaching fans. “Look, go and wait around the back of the dressing room. I promise I’ll talk to you.”
“You’ve seen Remus?” Tonks’ eyes widened and she scanned the pitch. “Is he here? Is he back from Romania?” But Martha was surrounded by fans and didn’t answer. With her heart pounding hard, as if it wanted to break through her rib cage, Tonks walked to the dressing room and sat on the steps. She felt suddenly light-headed and clammy; her stomach tingled with anticipation. Remus, Remus, are you here? She gulped at the air, the memory of their one kiss still scorched on her lips.
“Are you all right?” Tonks peeped from beneath her fringe and saw Martha crouching by her side. Martha sat on the steps beside her. “Go on,” she said gently, “ask away.”
Tonks nodded and tried to concentrate. She took some deep breaths and clenched her hands in an effort to gain mastery of her emotions. “When did you see Remus?” she muttered at last.
“In the summer,” replied Martha. “He was passing through France and picked up some work with the Cygnes “ they needed a record keeper and he was always conscientious at school, so I recommended him.”
Tonks began pulling at the hem of her skirt. It was cold and she was shivering, her thin cloak unable to keep out the breeze that was beginning to pick up. Martha cupped one of Tonks’ hands in hers. “What do you want from me? Are you still convinced Sirius is innocent? Because, if you are, I should warn you that there’s nothing I can do to help you.”
Tonks looked into Martha’s pale blue eyes and felt a wave of sorrow engulf her. “No one ever can,” she said huskily as she tried to stop the tears welling in her own eyes. “I haven’t given up on him “ I can’t, but ... but... I feel as if I’ve been banging my head against a Shield Charm for the past few years. I’m not a child anymore ... I know that I can’t fight evidence as convincing as Professor Dumbledore’s testimony simply because I don’t like it.
“I just want to ask you about the Sirius you knew. I only met him once, but I can’t forget that day. It’s as clear as if it happened last week. Please, please, Martha. Will you just tell me about him?”
“There’s not much to tell. We started dating in my fifth year. It was a wonderful ride -- while it lasted. Sirius moved on.” She looked into the distance. “I moved on. I left Hogwarts and signed for the Cygnes.” She sighed. “I was abroad when it happened... when James and Lily were murdered. I sometimes wonder if I could have stopped him “ Sirius, I mean “ we’d stayed friends... It was very hard to stay angry with that boy for long...” Martha grinned as some memories began to surface. “We had kept in touch, so after it happened, I went over and over his letters. I mean, surely I should have been able to see the treachery and turmoil in his words. But I didn’t spot it. I never realised he was such a good actor.” Martha laughed bitterly.
“Tonks!” called a voice from the crowd. “Tonks, where are you?”
“Oh, shit!” muttered Tonks self-consciously. “That’s my ... um ... date. I’ll have to go.”
Martha followed Tonks’ gaze and gave a start. “You’re dating an Avery?” she said in surprise.
“Well, sort of,” replied Tonks. “I mean, Rob brought me today, but it’s only our second date. I’m not sure...”
She was cut short by Martha clutching her arm. “I was at school with Angus Avery. He’s bad news. Up to his neck with the Death Eaters. Merlin knows how he escaped Azkaban. His friend, Mulciber, wasn’t so lucky.”
“Rob says he’s innocent,” retorted Tonks.
“And you’re with him because you think Sirius is innocent, too.” Martha sounded scornful. Her fingernails dug into Tonks’ arm. “Look, I genuinely don’t know about Sirius. In all honesty, he was the very last person I thought would turn to You-Know-Who -- but Angus Avery was always evil. You need to be very careful if you’re mixing with that family, Tonks.”
Tonks looked up to see Rob still scanning the area and calling her name. “I’m not stupid,” she hissed. “And I’m not in love with him or anything... Hold on ... you called me Tonks. How did you know to call me that and not Nymphadora?”
“Remus mentioned it,” Martha replied and grinned impishly. “We went out for a drink once or twice, before he moved on “ as friends, you understand “ and he told me a few things about you, Tonks. One being how much you hated your name.”
“He talked about me?” Tonks goggled.
Martha giggled. “Oh, boy, yes! For a man who was always so reticent at school, Remus was positively chatty about you. You must have made quite an impression on him, because we’d be talking about something completely unrelated, yet he’d suddenly mention you. Then he’d realise and change the subject, but, somehow, a short while later, he’d return to you,” Martha said, smiling at Tonks, and then she laughed. “He also told me about a Quidditch match you played in and how you took James Potter’s record. You must be quite a player.”
Tonks shrugged. “I had a good team behind me.”
Martha snorted. “Typical Hufflepuff! Take some credit for a change. I played in the game when James got the record. It was bloody tough. We thought it would be his for a lot longer, and “ I’m ashamed to say “ we never thought a Hufflepuff would wrench it from him, but I’m bloody glad a witch took it.” She paused. “Remus said you charged around the pitch screaming Sirius’ name.”
Tonks giggled; she felt as though a thousand butterflies were flipping around in her stomach. She grinned as she faced Martha, wanting to ask her more about Remus, but ...
“So, this is where you got to?” Rob said in a slightly slurred voice. He stretched his hand out to Martha. “Hi, I’m Rob Avery. I write for the Daily Prophet. That was a pretty impressive debut, Miss Macdonald.”
Tonks watched as Martha stared at the outstretched hand, and then took it and levered herself up. “Thank you,” Martha replied.”Are you after a quote for the paper, Mr Avery? Because I think my Captain would be the best person to speak to.”
“No, I was looking for my girlfriend, actually. I do hope Nymphadora’s not been pestering you,” Rob said, and Tonks noticed a slightly condescending tone had crept into his voice.
Martha must have heard it too because she answered with an edge to her voice. “Tonks and I have had a very interesting conversation. It’s nice to meet a fan who really understands what the players are going through.” She bent down and, on the pretext of doing up her bootlace, muttered in Tonks’ ear. “Follow my lead.” Straightening up, she headed into the dressing room and then stopped as her hand stayed to the door handle. “I have something inside you might like, Tonks. Some memorabilia. No men allowed, Mr Avery,” she said as he tried to follow them up the steps.
Once inside, Martha led Tonks to the far corner of the dressing room. “You can contact me here anytime, if you want to talk again, and... if you like, I’ll send you some of Sirius’ letters.” She smiled ruefully. “I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. He mentioned you in them, once or twice.”
“Really?” whispered Tonks in awe.
“Yes, really!” replied Martha, laughing slightly at Tonks’ genuine pleasure and surprise. “One more thing; is it serious between you and Avery?”
Tonks sighed. “I ... err ... don’t know. This is only our second date.”
Martha pulled a face. “You’re not that keen on him, though, as a boyfriend, are you? I wouldn’t have said anything, but it’s fairly obvious you don’t fancy him,” she said as she sat down and pulled off her Quidditch boots.
“Wh-What do you mean?”
Martha smirked. “Well, I don’t know about you, but when I first started going out with Sirius, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.” She laughed as Tonks tried but failed to stop herself from blushing. “I don’t mean actual sex; I mean that I wanted to be with him “ even if it meant just holding hands. You don’t seem to be that bothered about Avery at all.”
Tonks looked at Martha slightly mutinously, but then she nodded. “He’s good-looking and fun to be with -- most of the time -- but he’s not quite right. Do you know what I mean?”
“He’s not Remus Lupin. Is that what you’re trying to say?” Martha put it to her bluntly.
Tonks’ face went even redder. “N-Not at all,” she muttered. “Remus is just a friend.”
Martha stood up and began to walk across to the shower room. She pulled her Harpies shirt over her head and then threw it at Tonks. “Here, have a souvenir of the game,” she said and then paused. “It’s funny, though, because, for someone who wanted to talk to me about their cousin, you asked a lot of questions about his friend.”
Snorting with laughter, Martha said goodbye as Tonks stuttered her thanks for the shirt and left the dressing room.
Rob was waiting outside for her. She noticed he had a slightly impatient look on his face which he smoothed away when he saw her. “Hey, what did she give you?” he asked, taking the shirt from her hands. “Wow, her shirt. She must have taken a shine to you. Okay, are you ready to go?”
Tonks nodded. “Where to?” she asked as he took her arm and led her through the crowd. The fans were starting to disperse now. Tonks could see the Arrows supporters being led off by some Quidditch Stewards brought in to police the match. Rob slowed his pace and brought her up close to him.
“Well, it’s still early, so I thought we could get some lunch somewhere and then see what happens,” he murmured.
Tonks pulled back slightly. “Yeah, that sounds good, but do you mind if I change my clothes? I spilt wine all over this skirt,” she said as she pulled it down again. “Don’t worry; I won’t submit you to any more of my mum’s interrogation. We can go to my place as long as you don’t object to jeans.”
She began walking away, and Rob, catching her arm, kept pace with her. They walked in silence until they reached the copse, and then Tonks turned them both expertly on the spot and they Apparated together.
“Excuse the mess,” she said as they appeared in her kitchen. “I barely had time to eat breakfast, let alone wash up last night’s plates.” She led him into her small living room, took off her cloak and threw it with her wand across an armchair. Tonks could see Rob checking out the place and she sighed slightly. The flat was small, but all she could afford on a Trainee Auror’s wages. What mattered to Tonks was that it was hers and she could shut herself away from the rigours of the day. “I’ll just get changed.”
She began to walk off to her bedroom which was across the hallway but Rob stopped her. “No rush,” he whispered in her ear. “Why don’t you sit here with me for a while?”
“I thought you were hungry,” Tonks began as she tried to step back.
“You could say that,” he replied and pulled her onto the sofa. He bent his head down and began to kiss her. Tonks was unable to turn her head away in time and soon his lips were on hers and his tongue was slipping into her mouth. She could smell Firewhisky fumes on his breath and tried to close her mouth, but his teeth pushed harder against her lips. He manoeuvred himself on top of her and soon his hands were roving over her body. She could feel his fingers trying to undo the buttons on her shirt. His other hand was travelling up her leg, past her knee, and onto her thigh.
“No!” she shouted as she tried to push him off. “Rob, please -- this isn’t what I want." Her protests went unheeded as Rob succeeded in opening the front of her shirt. She could feel his hand pulling down her bra and grabbing at her breast. Then his mouth travelled down as he started to kiss her neck.
Merlin, Merlin, Merlin! What do I do? she thought. “Rob, NO!” Tonks cried again and tried to push him off.
“C’mon, Nymphadora, don’t you want some fun?” he mumured.
“Not like this,” she moaned, and with a superhuman effort, she heaved him off. He fell off the sofa and crashed onto the floor. Tonks stood up abruptly and ran to the armchair, clutching at the undone shirt to shield her body from his eyes. Her wand was in the folds of her cloak; she picked it up and pointed it in his direction.
“I want you to leave now,” she said, her voice shaking. Rob stood up, his nose was bleeding and he wiped it with the back of his hand as he walked towards her. “I will use this, Rob, and you should know I’m an excellent hexer.”
“Must be your Black blood,” Rob said bitterly, not taking his eyes off the wand. Slowly, he bent down and picked up the Harpies’ shirt Martha had given her. “I should have guessed when I saw the shirt she took off for you.” There was no mistaking the insinuation in his voice. “Jacob was right about you all along. You’re not interested in men, are you, Nymphadora?”
Tonks stepped forwards and slowly traced her wand across his face and down his body, stopping at his groin.
“No, Rob,” she hissed, “I’m just not interested in you!”