“That was the best match ever!” Tonks cried as the Irish team’s captain, Lynch, held the Quidditch World Cup aloft. “Merlin, I wish I could play again.”
“You regretting turning down that offer?” asked her dad, giving her a nudge. “Could have got us much better tickets if my daughter had been a pro.”
She laughed again and linked arms with him. “Not really, Dad. I love being an Auror, although there are some days “ or nights like this “ I wish I could play again.”
“I’d have been your biggest fan,” he replied, smiling down at her indulgently. “But only if you’d played for the Tornadoes.”
She punched his arm lightly. “I would have wanted to play for the Harpies, Dad. You know that!”
“Sometimes I wonder how on earth you can be my daughter,” Ted mused as he squeezed her arm. They were jammed in the queue now, waiting to leave the stadium, and he held his hands over his ears. “The Irish are in good voice. I hope we manage to get some sleep tonight!”
“Sleep! As long as there’s no crisis at work, I’m not due in until Monday,” Tonks protested. “We should be enjoying ourselves.”
Ted laughed. “Dora, my love, you’ve had three nights already with your old dad. I think I might find some of my friends and perhaps share some Firewhisky over a game of cards. Why don’t you go and find Charlie?”
Tonks shrugged. “I don’t think Charlie wants to talk to me,” she said, and lowered her voice as the crowds swarmed past them. “I wanted to talk to him about...er...Mum’s cousin, but someone else got there first and he stomped off.” She kicked at a stone with her foot. “Perhaps I’ll catch up with Martha, instead.”
She saw her dad give her one of his ‘looks’. Actually, it wasn’t his ‘look’ but one he’d picked up from her mum, and Tonks knew exactly what the ‘look’ meant. She’d told her parents, backed by Professor Dumbledore, about Sirius’ innocence and, although they’d believed her, they were still annoyed that she’d got herself involved.
“I lost the only member of my family I gave a damn about to Azkaban,” she said. “I will not lose you, too, Nymphadora!”
Then remembering that her daughter’s new friend, Martha Macdonald, had been a former girlfriend of Sirius’ had sent Andromeda into a spin. She had begged Tonks to keep out of trouble, and Ted had agreed.
“Martha has no idea where he is,” Tonks muttered under her dad’s narrow gaze.
“And what about that Lupin fellow?” he inquired, attempting to sound casual. “Is he here?”
“No idea,” lied Tonks through gritted teeth, knowing very well that Remus was probably wrapped up in bed with Martha’s sister. “Not seen him for weeks.”
She heard her dad sigh with what could only be relief. Although she knew him to be a fair man, he’d been shocked when he’d found out the truth about Remus. Her parents’ horror that she’d been consorting with a werewolf was, she knew, out of concern for her safety. She’d tried to explain about Wolfsbane and how Remus was of more danger to himself than anyone else, but the prejudice borne from years of hearing horror stories in the Prophet had left them both with a warped picture of someone skirting the edges of society.
A yell from the right caused them both to turn their heads. Walking towards her and levitating several bottles of beer on a tray were Charlie and Bill, both with huge smiles on their faces. Ted grinned at her. “There you are, two Weasleys for the price of one,” he murmured, and pushed her towards them. “Now, go and make up with that lad of yours. You know your mother likes him.”
Tonks rolled her eyes. “Mum liked Rob Avery and he turned out to be an arse.” She let go of his arm and wriggled her way towards Charlie, pleased that he seemed happy to see her.
“Wotcher!” she cried. “Great match, wasn’t it?”
“We escaped to find the beer tent while dad tries to work out how to make cocoa the Muggle way,” Charlie replied, as he gave her a hug, adding in a low voice, “I hate arguing with you, Tonks. Can we forget about earlier?”
“Sure,” she whispered back, and held him tight.
“Your dad’s welcome to join us,” Bill interrupted.
Tonks turned back to Ted; he was watching on fondly and gestured with his hand for her to go. “I think he’s going to look up some friends and lose all his money at cards,” she said, adding impishly, “He’s making the most of being off the marital ball and chain and does not need his daughter cramping his style.”
Bill laughed. “Dad will be envious. He has to look after a cauldron load of kids. Wonder what Mum’s doing without all of us to cluck over.”
“She’ll be cleaning the house and baking cakes, if I know her,” Charlie put in, “and making plans to give you a short back and sides “ you know how she’s itching to attack your hair.”
“Or maybe Molly is a enjoying a night away from all of you mob!” Tonks exclaimed as she accepted one of Bill’s airborne bottles of beer. It was a warm night, and she relished the ice-cold drink.
They wandered along the track until they found some space, and the three of them lay there on the dry grass, staring at the stars.
“This reminds me of Romania,” Tonks said idly, as she sipped her beer. “How is everyone there?”
“If you mean Alexa,” Charlie began, “she’s fine...I think.”
“You think?” Tonks queried. “Doesn’t she work there anymore?”
“Got married,” Charlie said, yawning. “Her ex from school turned up.”
“You don’t sound particularly bothered,” Bill remarked idly. “I thought you were really into her?”
Charlie pulled a face and then laughed. “I couldn’t face the mother-in-law, to be honest, so when Gustav turned up, I nobly let her go.”
“Not very fair on Catalina,” Bill said. He sat up and opened three more beers with his wand. “She was great to me when I visited. Very accommodating.”
Tonks began to gurgle with laughter. Remembering Catalina’s penchant for men and antipathy towards anyone female, she giggled uncontrollably. “I think your brother likes older women, Charlie,” she teased. “He was all over Martha when I introduced him earlier.”
“Unfair!” protested Bill. “It’s not every day you come face to face with your school crush!” He rounded on Charlie who was now snorting with laughter. “At least I had a poster of a girl on my wall, and not a bloody dragon!”
Tonks started giggling even more, enjoying the camaraderie between the brothers.
Then Bill turned to her. “Who did you have a crush on at school?”
“Me? Uh...no one,” she replied, aware that Charlie was motionless beside her.
“Liar,” Charlie muttered. Then he sat up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Nymphadora had her eyes on only one person throughout her whole time at Hogwarts, Bill. I thought you knew.”
Tonks looked at Charlie aghast, praying to Merlin that he wasn’t going to spill the beans on her crush on his brother.
“Interesting,” Bill replied. Pushing himself up, he took another swig of his beer. “Anyone I know?”
“Uh...uh...” stuttered Tonks.
Then she heard Charlie snorting. “Severus Snape,” he said at last. “Tonks was the only pupil who liked him. I swear I caught her crying into her cauldron on several occasions if he didn’t speak to her, and she used to brew Amortentia and waft it under his greasy nose as he walked past.”
Bill spat his beer out and started choking. Laughing with relief that Charlie had only been teasing, Tonks bent over and thumped Bill on the back. “Git!” she mouthed at Charlie. He winked back at her, and smiled again as he got up.
“Off to get more beer,” he explained as he started walking away. “Tonks, you want some?”
She chewed at her lip. “Better not, Charlie, I might be on duty later.”
Bill yawned and then leant towards her. “Very responsible of you, Tonks. Not sure I could be an Auror “ you sound as if you have less fun than Perce.”
She liked the way he smiled at her. It wasn’t a beaming, open grin, like Charlie’s, but a smile that gave a hint of something else. Bill had a lazy way of looking at her, of running his eyes over her face as if he were assessing her. If it had been someone else, this air of assurance would have struck her as arrogance. If Rob had been looking at her like that, she’d have edged away. In contrast, Bill seemed confident, not cocky.
She sighed. “It’s all the Mad-Eye’s fault “ you know who I mean?” Bill nodded, so she continued. “He used to growl at me about reflexes and how alcohol slowed you down.” She shrugged. “I’m not much of a drinker. Sorry, does that make me boring?”
“Not swayed by the crowd,” Bill replied, and very softly flipped her on the nose. “I think that makes you...special.”
Tonks willed herself not to redden, yet could not stop the smile that crept over her face. Bill Weasley, the cool Head Boy from school, was flirting with her, and she wasn’t quite sure how to respond.
“Beers up!” Charlie said, sitting down on the ground in front of her, “and a Butterbeer for you, Tonks.” He yawned. “Wonder if Dad’s managed to light the fire yet.”
Tonks jerked back from Bill, accepted the drink from Charlie and tried not to look flustered. Glancing sideways at Bill, she wondered about the way he’d reacted when Charlie had returned. He’d moved away and started a conversation with his brother, yet all the while she could feel his gaze flickering towards her.
She wanted to smile back at him, flirt a little and let him know that perhaps she, too, was up for a bit of fun...but Charlie was there.
“Dad, wake up!”
“Whazzat?” Ted sounded confused and groggy, and smelling the sour Firewhisky on his breath as she leant over, Tonks understood why.
“Dad, there’s some sort of disturbance on the campsite,” she hissed urgently. “I’m going to see if they need my help.”
“What disturbance?” Ted demanded, sitting up on his camp bed. He was still wearing his Muggle clothes “ wide legged nylon trousers and a brown striped shirt “ not having bothered to change when he’d stumbled in.
“Probably nothing,” she replied, but inside she wasn’t as confident. She could hear screams that sounded fearful, not like the Irish carousing. Pulling on jeans and t-shirt over her pyjamas, she grabbed her wand and crawled out the front of the tent.
“Dora, wait. I’ll come with you,” she heard her dad call. Looking back, she smothered a laugh when she saw his bleary face poking through the tent flap.
“Dad, stay where you are. There’s no point. Besides, I doubt you can aim straight right now.”
Giving him a wave, she dashed off into the night and towards the source of the noise. Ahead of her, she saw a tall wizard charging towards the centre of the campsite, his wand raised.
“Kingsley,” she yelled. “What’s happening?”
Without stopping, he glanced over his shoulder and smiled grimly. “A few of Voldemort’s old friends have decided to join the party. Fancy routing them with me?”
“Oh, yes,” she breathed. “And if we see Lucius Malfoy “ he’s mine.”
“You’ll need to join the queue,” Kingsley muttered. “Arthur Weasley has a few scores to settle with that man.”
She stumbled as she ran over guy ropes and tree roots, all designed to catch the less agile, then slowed when she saw Kingsley had stopped. In front of them, some children scurried past, heading for the woods. Tonks recognised Fred and George protecting their sister as she ran between them, and she cast her eyes anxiously around, looking for Charlie and Bill.
A loud throng of laughter swept towards her. Emerging through the huddle of tents was a group of cloaked figures marching towards the clearing, levitating what looked like badly-dressed mannequins sixty feet in the air.
“Gods! They’ve got hold of the Muggles!” Kingsley shouted.
Without waiting for Tonks, he charged towards them, firing curses at the leaders of the parade. There was something stopping the curses, and Tonks realised the Death Eaters had cast protective spells around them so they could enjoy their sport. In horror, she watched as one of the children started screaming, his cries almost drowned out by the laughter below. A tent burst into flames and panicked witches picked up their children and fled out of harm’s way.
“Aguamenti!” roared Charlie as he ran up behind her. “Come on! Let’s deal with the fire before it spreads.”
Tonks nodded at him and began directing large jets of water over the site, trying to prevent the other tents from catching alight. In the firelight, the silhouette of a woman holding the hand of a young girl caused Tonks to gasp. “Martha,” she screamed. “This way. Get Demelza to the woods.”
There was something wrong. Martha was running hell-bent towards the Death Eaters and dragging a screaming Demelza with her. Without thinking, Tonks propelled herself towards them in a desperate attempt to save her friend. Grabbing Martha around the waist, she brought her to the ground, landing awkwardly. “Martha!” she gasped. “It’s Tonks. What’s the matter?”
“I can’t see,” Martha cried. “Stinging jinx got me in the face. Where’s Demelza? Is she okay?”
“I’m here,” Demelza replied. Although she looked terrified, she was managing to hold her voice remarkably steady.
Tonks reached across and squeezed her on the knee. “She’s fine,” Tonks urged, and smiled encouragingly at the young girl. “Demelza, take Martha away, okay?” Demelza nodded, so Tonks turned to Martha. “Get to the woods and wait for me. I’ll try and get you a Portkey, or else take you both with Side-Along-Apparition.”
“What’s happening?” Martha whispered to Tonks. “Someone said it was Death Eaters. Merlin, I haven’t seen them since “” She shuddered and lowered her voice even more, ““ not since the last time I saw Sirius.”
“Yeah, it is,” Tonks murmured, then pulled Martha to her feet. “Look, I’ve got to help Kingsley and the others. You go, now!”
Ushering them both towards the woods, Tonks pelted back to Charlie. Adept at handling dragons and their flames, he had succeeded in putting out most of the fires now. With her help, they were soon doused; then, giving Tonks a quick nod, Charlie joined her as she approached the marching Death Eaters.
Firing into them, trying to find a way through their protective spells, Tonks watched Arthur as he gazed anxiously at the Muggles twisting in the air whilst the Death Eaters roared their approval.
“We need to get the Muggles down! That has to be the priority,” she heard him shout. “Cast Cushioning Charms on the ground in case they fall.”
Hearing Arthur, the tall Death Eater at the front lifted his wand and aimed a jinx his way. Intended for Arthur, it would have caught him square in the face, but for Crouch firing towards the pack at the same time. As the Death Eater’s jinx ricocheted to the left, Tonks heard a strangled cry and saw a figure crumple to the ground.
“Hell!” shouted Charlie, charging forward. “That’s Bill.”
“Charlie, calm down!” Tonks yelled as he started firing blindly over the Death Eater’s heads. She grabbed at his wand arm, and pulled him towards her. Close up, she could smell the beer on him and realised that he and Bill must have carried on drinking long after they’d returned to their tent.
“You might hit the Muggles.” He stared at her, barely registering her words, then nodded. “Go and get Bill. Drag him back if you need to.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to find Kingsley.”
“Tonks, you could get hurt,” he cried, and grabbed at her robe. “If Lucius Malfoy is there, he’ll recognise you, and you know what the Malfoys think of you and your family.”
She shook off his arm and glared at the pack. “It’s my job, Charlie. I don’t run.”
Remus looked up from the newspaper as Mary walked into the room, carrying a tray with two glasses and a bottle of wine.
“Are we celebrating something?” he queried as she poured him a drink.
“Having an empty house,” she replied, somewhat enigmatically.
“Demelza will be back at school next week,” he pointed out, shifting his legs so she could sit next to him on the sofa.
“Having an empty house and you in it,” she amended as she curled her legs under her and snuggled closer.
Remus smiled down at her. Folding the paper neatly in two, he placed it on the table and accepted the wine. “It’s good to be here,” he murmured, sighing slightly.
“You sound unsure,” she whispered. “Is everything all right?”
He lowered his head and touched his lips to her brow. “Job hunting,” he muttered. “It doesn’t get easier, even with a reference from Albus Dumbledore.”
“Ah,” she said, and sighed with him. “I could try and get you a job at the library...”
“I don’t think the Ministry are going to want me anywhere near any of their departments, no matter how far away I am from London,” he replied, grimacing.
“But with Professor Dumbledore’s reference...”
He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Mary,” he soothed, “the Ministry think I helped Sirius escape. They were already dubious about Albus hiring me in the first place and when I transformed, that only confirmed their fears.”
“That’s preposterous! Everyone knows that you wouldn’t help Black. He murdered Lily and James.”
“No, he “”
Mary shook her head impatiently. “Semantics, Remus. He as good as killed them. He betrayed them to You-Know-Who.”
“No...” Remus took a deep breath. He had to tell her, had to trust Mary with the truth. “Mary, I need to talk to you about -”
A frantic banging at the door cut short his speech. “Mum, Mum, open up!” he heard Demelza shout from outside. “Mum, please, Martha’s hurt.”
Mary dropped her glass, the red wine splattering the carpet like blood, and ran to the door. In her anxiety, she fumbled on the catch, tugging at the door handle, unable to open it quickly enough. Remus could hear Demelza’s cries growing more and more frantic. Striding to the door, he assisted Mary, and looked on in horror as a bleeding Martha collapsed on the doormat.
“What’s happened?” Mary demanded. She took a shaking Demelza in her arms, held her tight, and tried to soothe the near-hysterical girl.
Remus shook his head. “Not sure.” Carefully he lifted Martha in his arms and carried her to the sofa. One side of her towelling dressing gown felt wet, which puzzled him because there had not been any rain for weeks now, but when he’d set her down and removed his hand, he saw it was covered in blood.
“I think she’s Splinched herself!” he cried. “Mary, is Demelza okay?”
“She’s fine,” Mary replied. “Melz, darling, go and get me the Essence of Dittany. It’s in the kitchen cupboard.”
Demelza didn’t move, her eyes round in horror at the sight of Martha writhing in pain.
“Demelza, now!” ordered Mary. Spinning around, she faced Martha. “Remus, keep Demelza occupied. She’s not good with blood.”
Without giving him a chance to reply, she pushed him aside and crouched down by Martha. Gently inching Martha’s pyjama bottoms off, she exposed the wound, all the while reassuring her sister that things would be fine, that it was nothing and she’d soon be free of pain.
Remus wasn’t so sure. Feeling useless, he walked to the kitchen where Demelza was frantically looking through the cupboards. “Accio Dittany!” he said quietly, and waited for the bottle to fly into his hand.
“Th-thank you,” Demelza muttered. “I couldn’t find it anywhere. Is Martha okay?”
“She will be,” he replied, wishing he felt as confident as he sounded. “I’m going to take this to your mum, and then come back in here. Could you make a pot of tea?”
She nodded and busied herself with the kettle, placing it carefully on the stove top and then using her wand to light the hob. She giggled, rather nervously. “I’m not supposed to do magic outside of school, am I?”
He smiled lopsidedly as he headed for the door. “Under the circumstances, Demelza, I don’t think anyone is going to mind. Besides, I’m not your professor anymore, so I’m not going to tell.”
When he returned, Demelza had poured out four mugs. She was sitting at the table, her hand clasped around one, warming herself on the piping hot drink. She looked less worried now, more determined and much more like the girl he remembered in his class.
“How’s Martha?”
“Recovering,” he replied softly. “Your mum knows her remedies. I remember she was always good at Herbology at school. Can you tell me what happened to Martha’s face?”
“Uh...” Demelza frowned. “It was a Stinging jinx, I think. We were asleep in the tent, and there was all this noise. Martha got up to see what the problem was, and then I heard her scream. When I got to her, she was curled up on the ground, holding her face. Then she grabbed me and started running towards the Death Eaters.”
“Death Eaters?” interrupted Mary from the doorway. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure. At least...”She paused and started frowning as if trying to remember exactly what she’d seen or heard. Then she looked at her mum with renewed determination in her eyes. “Yes, they were Death Eaters.”
“What on earth were they doing there?” Mary asked Remus. “Surely they were all rounded up?”
Remus pulled a face but said nothing, acutely aware that Demelza was hanging on his every word. “Someone’s idea of a joke, no doubt,” he replied neutrally.
“They’d caught some Muggles,” Demelza blurted out. He could see tears forming in her eyes, the terror of the night haunting her again. “They’d levitated them high in the air, and they were so scared. There was this little boy...and...and...and... I don’t know if he was alive, Mum. He looked all limp.”
Mary raced towards her daughter and hugged her fiercely. “You’re safe, Demelza, and the Muggles will be fine. I bet the Ministry and the Aurors will be fighting those idiots now. They’ll soon have things under control.”
Demelza sniffed. “Martha wanted to stay and help, really she did, but her face hurt too much and she decided it was for the best to get me home. I wish she’d waited, though. Tonks said she’d find her a Portkey, but Martha swore she could Apparate with me. I should have made her wait for Tonks.”
“Tonks?” Remus said, startled.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Mary looking at him strangely, frowning at some distant memory, perhaps trying to make connections. “She’s a friend,” he muttered quietly, and looked at Demelza. “She was there, was she?
“Yes,” Demelza replied, and something made her smile and start to wipe away her tears. “She was heading back towards the Death Eaters, helping the Weasleys, I think. She’s very brave, isn’t she?”
“Mmm,” Remus agreed. He looked at Mary, seeing an explanation was required. “She’s an Auror.”
Slowly, Mary released Demelza and leant across the table to pick up a mug of tea. Taking small sips, she stared into the distance.
“Martha introduced me,” Demelza said, and started giggling, unaware of the tension that had descended on the kitchen. “She is so cool, Mum. She’s a Metamorphmagus and can change her nose and hair and all sorts of things. And her boyfriend gave me some of his toffees.”
“Boyfriend?” Remus asked, before he could stop himself.
Demelza nodded. “Mmm, Fred and George’s brother.”
“Oh, Charlie Weasley,” Remus said, wondering why the news that she was back with Charlie surprised him. It was natural, after all. They were best friends, close in age, and he knew Charlie would take care of her. It was bound to happen one day. “He’s a dragon handler. I worked with him in Romania.”
Demelza shook her head. “No, it wasn’t Charlie. It was the oldest brother “ Bill.” She grinned at Mary. “He is seriously cool, Mum.”
“I’m sure he is,” Mary replied distantly. She smiled back at her daughter. “Melz, darling, will you take Martha a cup of tea? She’s much better now, although she was fretting that you’d been hurt, so go and reassure her you’re fine, please.”
Remus watched Demelza go, aware the whole time that Mary’s eyes were on him. He wondered what was going on in her head, but didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“Nymphadora Tonks, I remember now. Her mother’s a Black,” she stated, sounding deceptively mild. “So she’s related to him, isn’t she? I’m surprised she was allowed to be an Auror.”
“If by him, you mean Sirius, then yes, she is related to him,” Remus replied slowly.
“I find it odd that you still call him by his first name,” she said. “After the funeral you only referred to him as Black. But now...” Mary paused and slowly placed her mug back on the table. “It’s as if you’ve forgiven him.”
Remus placed both of his hands on the table, fingering the tablecloth. This really was not the right time to tell her the truth, not with her sister lying on the couch, having been injured by Death Eaters. Mary had lost as much as he had the night James and Lily had died. With Lily gone, she’d lost her best friend. They had been a close-knit pair, confiding everything in each other. He wondered briefly what would have happened to her if she hadn’t had Demelza to pull her from the abyss of grief.
“No,” he replied. “I haven’t forgiven him.” Then Remus leant over and took her hands in his. There was nothing to forgive, Mary. Sirius never betrayed James. It was Peter, was what he wanted to say, but now was not the time.
After the event, it was obvious that the Death Eaters had planned to cause trouble. Although the Ministry’s line was that a few wizards had got rowdy and thought they were playing a prank, Kingsley remained sceptical. As he said to Tonks, there was no way this parade had been arranged on the spur of the moment.
“Your reflexes are excellent,” Kingsley said, smiling warmly as they wandered back towards two figures sitting in the clearing. His face was bloodied where he’d been hit by a jinx, but she’d escaped unscathed.
“Thanks,” she muttered, picking her way through the burnt tents. She looked to the sky. Although the Dark Mark had dissipated into the atmosphere, the fear amongst the campers remained. “Wish we’d caught them.”
“We will,” Kingsley replied grimly. He stopped walking and pointed out one of the figures. “Is that Bill Weasley?”
“Mmm, and Charlie. Looks like they’ve both been hurt.”
Kingsley placed an arm across her shoulders. “Go and see to them, Tonks, then go back to your tent and try to get some sleep. We don’t need you anymore tonight.”
Tonks nodded, pleased with the reprieve. She hadn’t been sleeping well in the tent and was exhausted, yet she was proud for acquitting herself so well in the fight.
“Hi guys,” she called, raising her hand to them. “How are you both?”
Charlie looked up at her, gingerly touching his bloody nose. He had a ghost of a smile on his face. “This is nothing,” he replied. “You should see me after Norberta’s had a go.”
Bill stared at her. “You all right?”
“Mmm,” she replied, and sat down on the grass between them. Bill was clutching a cloth to his arm, and she could see the blood seeping through his fingers, dripping onto the ground. “That looks nasty.”
“I’ll live,” he muttered, wincing when she tried to unfurl his fingers. “Don’t touch.”
“Bill,” she said, ignoring him. “I’m pretty good with wounds, you know. Part of my training. Let me have a look.”
“I’m fine,” he snapped.
“Bill, don’t be so sodding rude!” Charlie growled. “Tonks is trying to help, and that cut’s beyond me.” He stood up and scanned the woods. “Can you take care of him? I want to find the others. Just box his ears or threaten his hair if he plays up. That’s what Mum does.” His attempt at a joke fell flat, betraying how worried he was about his family.
As Charlie ran back to the woods, Bill groaned and closed his eyes. “Sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you. Just feel a bit stupid, that’s all. I didn’t exactly do well in there.”
Tonks shrugged and carefully peeled back the blood-soaked cloth. She studied the wound. It wasn’t that deep but it was wide, and it looked as if he’d lost some of his skin. “You were there and fighting, that’s what counts.”
“What’s the verdict, Healer Tonks?” Bill muttered.
“I think you’ll survive, Mr Weasley. It’s a good job that’s not your wand arm, though. It’s going to be sore for a while.” Tonks wrapped the cloth back around his arm. “I’ve got some salve back in my tent; it’s very good for that type of injury.”
She stood up, intent on fetching it, but Bill tugged on her arm. “Stay a while,” he murmured. “Just until I stop feeling light-headed and can get back to my tent.”
“Bill Weasley, please do not tell me a big boy like you is scared of the dark!” she said, chuckling at him.
“No,” he said simply. “It’s only that we’ve spent a good part of the day together, and...” He paused and then smiled faintly at her. “I like your company, Tonks, and you’re a great distraction from the pain.”
Resting his uninjured arm across her shoulders, he pulled her closer. “If it wasn’t for my brother,” he whispered, “I would have made a move on you by now.”
“Really?”
Pulling away slightly, Bill smiled. “You sound so surprised, but what’s not to like? You’re brave, smart and funny. Just my type of witch, if only ...” He sighed.
“Charlie,” she finished, a note of faint regret in her voice.
“Yep,” he agreed. “And I’m not convinced you want to go out with me, either.”
She considered him carefully, and then pulled away, hugging her knees up to her chest. “I nearly lost Charlie’s friendship once. I won’t risk that again, Bill. He means too much to me.”
“But not enough to go out with him.”
Tonks shook her head. “My mum once told me that Dad made her ‘heart sing’. I always thought she was mad, telling me a story to make their marriage sound romantic.” She laughed softly, more to herself than Bill. “Poor Mum, she wanted a girl so badly, and ended up with this odd Metamorphmagus who would rather climb trees than play with dolls.”
“And Charlie doesn’t make your ‘heart sing’?” Bill murmured.
She said nothing, looking far into the distance. After a while, she turned back to Bill, wistfully wondering why she couldn’t forget everything and just have some fun. Then she looked at the sky and watched as the waxing moon started its descent. “Only one person ever has, but I’ve lost him.”