Ink: An Epistolary Romance

Two weeks had passed since their first kiss. Twelve days since the second. Eleven since the third. Ten and a half since the fourth. Eight and a half since the fif--

Tonks mentally slapped herself as she strolled up the street. It was bad enough that she was counting how many times they'd kissed - actually counting, as though she were fifteen years old! - but keeping track of exactly when they'd kissed was a habit that embarrassed her even within the relative safety of her own head.

So as she made her way toward Grimmauld Place (very slowly, as she was disguised as an old lady on this particular day), she made herself think of other things. Adult things. Things like, "Goodness gracious, I can hardly believe it's been nearly four months since that first note! Time flies, time flies."

She smiled, pleased with her ability to think in such mature terms; but this only lasted three seconds at most, for as soon as she thought about the first note - the snowy Tuesday in February, the bit about "another person's skin," and the tingly feeling she'd got - she began to giggle.

Seeing a Muggle teenager pass, she remembered that she was supposed to be someone's grandmother. She quickly turned the giggle into a false cough, nearly choking herself in the process.

So much for maturity.

As she drew closer to her destination, she thought about the address, remembering exactly how Dumbledore had said "number twelve." And as she heard his voice echo in her head, the place in question appeared. Which meant that it was now time for her daily game of Will Remus Be There When I Get Back To Headquarters? More often than not, he wasn't, but that didn't mean that she'd deprive herself of the thrill of thinking that he might be.

She crept into the house, managing not to awaken the hideous portrait of her great-aunt. This in itself was quite an accomplishment for her; she rarely ever managed to enter the house without making some sort of loud ruckus. So it was with victorious thoughts in her mind that she made her way immediately toward Remus' favourite chair. The chair that he usually sat in when he was reading - and the chair that he'd been sitting in when he'd told her he loved her.

He wasn't there. But that was all right, because he rarely was. She headed toward the kitchen, the second port of call in her daily game - and to her surprise, there he was, sitting at the table. She felt a huge grin spread over her face as Remus caught her eye.

But she felt it fade just as quickly, as she saw the somber expression on his face. And on the face of Sirius, who sat beside him. And on the face of Kingsley Shacklebolt, who sat across from them and was craning his neck around to see who had just come in.

"Wow, who died?" she said, approximately two seconds before realizing that all things considered, that was exactly the wrong sort of joke to make.

"Sorry," she amended quickly. Kingsley turned away from her again, Sirius rolled his eyes, and Remus gave her a tight smile of forgiveness as he pulled out the empty chair beside his own.

"We've just heard from Severus," said Kingsley as she sat down, and she caught Sirius making a mildly disgusted face.

"I'm sure that was a party," said Tonks. She thought about turning her hair black and greasy, and growing her nose into Snape's hooked proboscis in hopes of making Sirius laugh, but something in Remus' expression told her that this wouldn't be the best idea. So she settled instead for wrinkling her nose into an expression very like her cousin's.

"It was a party," said Sirius. "We had little hats and everything. Of course, Severus couldn't fit his over his thick head...."

"He wanted to make sure that Sirius was here," Remus interjected loudly.

Sirius gave a loud cough that sounded a great deal like, "Rubbing it in." Tonks valiantly fought the urge to snicker.

"And while Sirius seems to think there's no cause to be worried," said Remus, "I find it a very odd question for Severus to ask - especially given that he's never cared to ask before."

"Did he say why he's asking now?" asked Tonks, furrowing her brow.

Remus shook his head. "Not even a hint. Not even a taunt, which is most unlike him."

Sirius snorted.

But despite the fact that she was naturally inclined to agree with Sirius' view on the matter, and dismiss the whole thing as just one more episode in Snape's ongoing quest to annoy everyone in the entire universe - despite all that, Remus' words gave her pause. The idea of Severus Snape not seizing the opportunity to taunt someone about their shortcomings (especially when that someone was Sirius) set off a little alarm bell in the back of her mind.

It only took a moment for her to come to the most obvious conclusion: "Do you think that means Harry's in trouble?"

Remus looked at her sharply, and she saw the worry plainly etched in his eyes as he spoke in cautious tones: "I don't see why it would mean that, and I certainly hope it doesn't... but I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong."

"Nor can I," said Kingsley. "We've sent for Alastor. Just in case."

Tonks thought about this. "Why didn't you send for me as well, just in case?" she asked, trying very hard not to sound hurt, and trying very hard not to look at Remus.

"Because," said Remus softly, "I already knew you'd be home any minute."

When she looked over at him, he was smiling. Beside him, Sirius looked as smug as the cat who caught the Jobberknoll, or whatever the expression was. Tonks grinned despite herself.

Kingsley, who had missed the moment completely, merely continued the conversation in a matter-of-fact tone: "Don't worry, Nymphadora. We had no intention of leaving you out of any heroic adventures we might embark upon...."

"Shacklebolt," said Tonks, "there are a great many forks in this kitchen. If you call me that again, I would be more than happy to steal one of them and shove it in your eye."

He stared.

"Just so we're clear," she added sweetly.

Remus was the first to burst out laughing. It wasn't long before the other two men had joined him, and in the cheerfulness of the moment, Tonks took hold of Remus' hand and squeezed it.

This time, Kingsley did not miss the moment at all. Raising one eyebrow suggestively, he said, "You two, then, is it?" Tonks blushed, still grinning.

"Which two?" said a gruff voice; half a second later, Alastor Moody was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Remus and Nymphadora," said Sirius.

"Accio fork," said Tonks, then gave a yelp of pain as the utensil in question sailed prongs-first into her palm. Sirius nearly fell off his chair laughing.

"Lupin and Tonks, eh?" said Moody gruffly, surveying them both with his electric-blue eye as he clunked across the floor and took the chair beside Kingsley's. "I guessed as much," he concluded dismissively. "So then, has Snape checked in again yet?"

"No, we're still waiting," said Remus, suddenly serious again. Tonks, whose stomach was still feeling rather fluttery, wondered how he'd switched from Playful to Businesslike so damn fast. She gave his hand another little squeeze, just to see if Playful Remus was still in there somewhere.

He squeezed back; apparently he was.

But when Severus Snape's head appeared in the fireplace, Remus dropped her hand, scrambling out of his seat to kneel in front of the fire. "What is it?" he said, even before Snape (Tonks still couldn't bring herself to think of her former teacher as just "Severus") could open his mouth to speak.

"Potter," he said shortly. "He's gone."

A tense silence fell over everyone in the kitchen. Tonks thought she saw a trace of smugness on Snape's face, as though he was proud of having shocked everyone so effectively. She narrowed her eyes, but she thought the word Calm and didn't say anything.

"Gone where?" said Sirius from his chair.

Turning his dark eyes toward Sirius, Snape sneered, "If you'd kindly stop interrupting me, Black, I might tell you."

"I wasn't interrupting!" said Sirius threateningly. "You weren't saying any--"

"Severus, Sirius," growled Moody, "this is not the time--"

"The Department of Mysteries would be my first guess," interrupted Snape loudly, as though he hadn't heard Moody. "He seems to be under the delusion that someone called Padfoot" - he said the name with a distasteful wrinkle of his nose - "is being kept there, and therefore needs rescuing."

"Needs rescuing?" echoed Sirius, and for the first time Tonks noticed a hint of fear in his voice.

"If my assumptions are correct," continued Snape, "and I think they are, Potter has also deemed it necessary to drag five of his fellow students along with him. Granger, Longbottom, the Lovegood girl, and the two youngest Weasleys are gone as well."

Here Snape paused again, likely for effect, and again Tonks fought the impulse to slap that arrogant expression of smugness right off his face. Calm, she thought frantically. Calm.

"I suggest," said Snape airily, "that you four leave immediately if you wish to save Potter's skin. Black, of course, can stay exactly where he is. I regret that I won't be able to join you."

"How long has he--"

Snape vanished.

"--been gone?" finished Remus, and Tonks saw one of his fists clench as he found himself staring at an empty fireplace.

The room was silent once again as they all looked at one another. Tonks looked first at Moody, who met her gaze with a hardened, angry expression. Then at Kingsley, who gave her a sort of reverse smile - a thinning of the lips - as he secured his wand in his belt. Then at Sirius, who didn't meet anyone's gaze at all.

And then at Remus, who gave her a nod.

"Let's go."

But the quietly determined words had not come from Remus, as she'd expected them to. It was Sirius who had spoken.

Tonks opened her mouth to protest her cousin's abandonment of his orders - and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus do the same thing.

But neither of them spoke. Neither of them had the heart to ask Sirius to remain safely inside when his godson's life might be on the line.

Tonks looked at Remus, then at Sirius. And then at Remus again. "All right," she said softly, but firmly. "Let's go."