Spilled Perfume

Spilled Perfume

When the Weasley twins were being secretive it was never good. In fact, it almost always guaranteed chaos and panic wherever they went. It was on this day, at 12 Grimmauld Place, that Fred and George were once again being secretive.

The two young men had locked themselves in their room, soundproofing it even. As they sat cross-legged on the floor, they perused the piles of parchments spread between them, scribbled with notes, spells and potions.

Fred twirled his quill in his fingers, "I think it's about done." He said after careful consideration, "Everything seems right..." He took another quick glance at the parchment in front of him.

"It does," George consented, "All our preliminary tests have gone successfully so far, as well. The only this left is to try it out on someone." The twins sent each other matching smirks; this was their favourite part.

"So, who will it be this time?" Fred asked, going through a mental list of names, "It has to be someone deserving..."

George nodded his head in agreement, "Yes. It has to be someone who needs a little more excitement in their lives, someone who could use a fun romp. Hermione?"

Fred considered the soon to be sixth year. He shook his head. "No, as much fun as that would be, she's to young."

George sighed as his idea was shot down. Hermione would have been so amazing... "Well, let's see. I don't suppose we should use Charlie or Bill." Fred made a consenting noise.

The two sat in silence for several more minutes, trying to come up with the perfect test subject. Slowly, a smile spread across Fred's face as he looked to his brother. As often happens with twins, George had received the same idea at the same time, and a similar smile decorated his face. The next word out of their mouths was said in perfect unison.

"Tonks."

~

Nymphadora Tonks was a shell of the woman she had once been. No longer the vibrant firecracker people had come to know her for she sat quietly brooding. Her hair was black and her features were gaunt, representing her state of mind.

Tonks had been getting more and more depressed with every day that passed. Being in this house without her cousin here made it even more unbearable then usual. She couldn't help mourning the death of one of her few Black relatives that she could stand.

She was once again bemoaning her existence when something quite odd happened. With a *POP* amazingly similar to that of apparition, a small wrapped box appeared out of thin air, plopping down on the quilt covering the four-post bed.

Tonks leapt up with a cry, yanking her wand off her night table and brandishing it around. Her eyes searched the room quickly for intruders before landing on the parcel on her bed. She let out an audible sigh of relief as her shoulders sagged.

A curious look entered her eyes as she observed the package that had quite suddenly been dropped in on her. The box itself was pretty small, larger than a ring box, but not too large. Purple foil paper covered it, with a silver ribbon finishing it off. There was even a small card attached to the bow.

Tonks reached carefully for the tag, an argument going on within her head between caution and curiosity. As the inquisitive side of her won, she flipped open the small paper card and read the message written inside.

Thought you could use a little cheer in your life.

Anonymously yours

The cryptic message hung heavy in Tonks' stomach. It gave her a healthy dose of suspicion towards the present. Looking at the box with wary eyes, she slowly picked it up with her fingertips.

Carefully peeling back the shiny paper, she revealed a simple wooden box. There was no glaze or decoration, simply an indent to help remove the top. Reaching a finger out, Tonks carefully pushed up on the lid, watching as it easily popped off. With a deep breath, she carefully looked inside.

The woman developed a surprised look as she reached inside and pulled out a spun glass bottle. It was beautiful crafted, with a pink tint to the glass adding charm. The liquid inside appeared to be a pink-red, bright and cheerful. It would have reminded Tonks of a potions container if it weren't for the antique-style sprayer at the top.

With somewhat of an idea as to what she held in her hands, Tonks brought the bottle up to her nose, taking a sniff at the liquid inside. She was pleasantly surprised at the smell that greeted her. The exotic fruitiness immediately improved her spirits. It smelled wonderful!

Looking down at the bottle, Tonks let out the first real smile she had expressed in a while. She hadn't gotten perfume in such a long time. With a slight skip in her step, Tonks walked out of the room, her hair turning into a more familiar shade of pink as she went on her way.

~

Remus walked down the hall of 12 Grimmauld Place, a blank expression on his face. He was once again lost in the dark and gloomy thoughts that ran rampant through his head.

The werewolf had been fighting off increasing feelings of dejection. How he wished he could go back to his school days. Back to the marauder days, when things were so much simpler. Now James, Lily and Sirius were dead, and Peter had betrayed them all. Dark times indeed.

He had not planned for things to go this way. Then again, when did things ever go the way they are planned? Not often, that's for sure. Especially when it came to him, Remus Lupin.

He continued down the hallway, heading towards his room. He found it kind of ironic, that he would spend most of his time in the place that he hated above all else. Everything here reminded him of Sirius. He wouldn't be here if he had anywhere else to go.

Remus was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even see Tonks coming down the hallway towards him. She was no better, lost in her new happy fantasies, brought on by her unexpected present. The two unknowingly got closer and closer. It was inevitable that they would eventually meet in the narrow passageway.

Sure enough, the two crashed into each other. Sounds of surprise escaped them as the perfume in Tonks hands flew into the air. It seemed to be going in slow motion as it flipped through the air, before the glass bottle crashed down on the two unsuspecting passer-bys.

Remus and Tonks both looked up from the shards of pink glass at each other. Both of them were splashed liberally with pink-red perfume.