Jai (jairissa) wrote in hp_traditions, @ 2008-05-21 17:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | harry/tonks, nc17 |
Happy Traditions, ragdoll!
Title: The Night They Remembered
Author: ???
Gift For: ragdoll
Pairing: Harry/Tonks
Summary: When a dangerous plot against Harry's life is discovered, Tonks is sent undercover to save the young hero. But what happens when things go too far...
Rating: 18A/R
Warnings: underage participants, BDSM
Author's Notes: I honestly hope this is good enough - it's taken me this long, and it's been hard as hell. Sorry if it's a little long - I had a lot of plotting to do, and once I got good ideas, they didn't stop coming. Hope you enjoy it!
Read it here or at Livejournal, and don't forget to leave feedback for all the lovely participants!
"You wanted to see me, Mad-Eye?"
"Yes, Nymphadora, come in –" the scarred Auror began, but at the sight of his protégé's face, he smiled and corrected himself. "I'm sorry; Tonks, please come in."
"Thank you," Tonks said with a grin herself. Almost immediately, the grin vanished, and she was all business. She knew, more than anyone, that Alastor Moody did not tolerate humour – at least in his section of the Auror Office. He'd taken on a job in an advisory position in the office, giving Scrimgeour assistance when necessary – and also making sure that no Death Eaters infiltrated the organization and could subsequently get information on the Order of the Phoenix.
"We've got a problem."
"What's new about that?" Tonks replied tiredly. "I've just been to the West County – you won't believe the damage there. It has to be giants, it just has to be. I don't know how Voldemort got them over here, but –"
"What's happening in the West County is not the issue, Tonks," Moody cut her off sternly, "nor is the murder of Emmeline Vance or the Brockdale bridge collapse. As of right now, they aren't our problem."
"Then what is?" Tonks asked, her confusion evident. "Now that Voldemort's in the open, we need to address at least one of the major problems."
"There are more problems than you're aware of, Tonks, and one of them surrounds our ‘Chosen One', as the blasted Prophet is dubbing him."
Tonks' eyes narrowed, and her bubblegum-pink hair darkened slightly. "Is there a problem with Harry? Is he in danger?"
"When is there not? But to answer your question, he's in more danger now than he ever has been before," Moody said with a grim expression. "The attack on the Department of Mysteries thwarted only part of Voldemort's plan. We need to take action to thwart other aspects."
"I didn't know Voldemort had more of a plan," Tonks spoke warily, almost as if she was suspicious about what was going through Moody's mind.
"He does. Even now, Potter is dying – through he doesn't know it yet. From what Dumbledore communicated to me, Harry's mental contact with Voldemort introduced what some have called a psychic poison into his system. It'll kill him if he doesn't do something to stop it."
"Why didn't Dumbledore tell Harry about this when he had a chance at the end of the year?" Tonks asked, real anger creeping into her voice. She liked Harry, despite everything, and she had felt his pain when Sirius had been killed. "He would have had the perfect opportunity."
"Dumbledore is making less sense to me now than he ever has," Moody growled, thumping his staff on the floor, "but that doesn't matter. Potter had to deal with Black's death and with some sort of prophecy between him and Voldemort – and I'll be damned if that prophecy was any good. Besides, Dumbledore didn't know himself about the psychic poison."
"Does Voldemort know?"
"To some degree," Moody said carefully – he knew he was walking a fine line here, "but that's not the point. The point is, we have to get rid of the poison. Now, I've been doing research in the Department of Mysteries – what's left of it – and I've found a few books that have given me some information in the right direction, but I'm going to need your help. Grief and pain only speed the poison – we need to bring some light back into Potter's life."
"And how do you suppose I help with that?" Tonks asked, her natural curiosity getting the better of her. "I mean, I can be funny at times, but I don't think that'll be enough."
Moody shook his head. "No, sheer humour won't do it. What Potter needs is a deep-set, intimate, ecstatic experience, one that will permanently drive away the poison. And it needs to be ritualized, in a specific manner."
Tonks' eyes went wide. "You can't mean –"
"As much as I don't like mentioning it, it needs to happen," Moody said heavily. "Potter must, to be frank, make love with a woman. And it must be mutual and consenting on both sides."
Tonks knew that she didn't have a lot of great wisdom at points, but immediately she saw what Moody was implying. "No."
"You don't even know what I'm asking yet."
"Oh, I know what you're going to ask, Alastor, and the answer is no," Tonks snarled. "I'm not going to be Harry's sex toy!"
Moody gave an exasperated sigh. "That's not what I was asking. Anyway, it would have to be consensual from both partners. Your term doesn't imply that."
"You can't be serious. Does the rest of the office know about this?"
"No, but the Order – at least the senior members – do. They know it would be your duty, Tonks, nothing more, nothing less."
"That still doesn't take away the problem," Tonks growled. "Harry's sixteen!"
"And if you behave in the right way, he will be completely within the age of consent," Moody growled back. "I need you for this, Nymphadora. I'm not suggesting Potter know that it's you – we can arrange disguises and the appropriate situations before he goes back to Hogwarts – but I'm suggesting that it should be you."
"And what reason did you give to Dumbledore to ‘volunteer' me?" Tonks asked furiously.
"Actually, surprisingly, Dumbledore suggested it. Considering you are a Metamorphagus and a fully trained Auror, he thought you'd likely have the wiles and guts to pull it off."
Tonks immediately consigned Dumbledore to the deepest hells in her mind. "Well, let me ask you this, Alastor: do I have a choice? Who'd do it if I backed out?"
Moody was silent, and Tonks swore despite herself. She didn't want to do this in the slightest. To her, every aspect of what Moody was asking just sounded wrong. She and Harry might be closer in age, but still…
Finally, after a few seconds, Tonks sighed. "How much time do I have?"
"For what? You need to be specific –"
"Damn it, Moody, don't be stupid!" Tonks snapped, her temper frayed. The ex-Auror raised his eyebrows, but Tonks didn't even try to reign in her temper. "How much time do I have before I have to sleep with Harry?"
"It's more than just sleeping."
Tonks threw the older Auror a baleful stare, one that Moody returned with full force. "You know what I mean, Mad-Eye. How much time?"
The ex-Auror pulled a musty tome from a pile on his desk and flipped it open. To Tonks, it seemed to emit an odour of ashes and sweet perfume, and she automatically suspected that it held all the information that would be crucial to breaking the psychic poison.
Moody flipped a few pages to a chart and scanned the columns with his finger. Tonks tried to read it, but the symbols were beyond her comprehension. Most looked Celtic – and a few looked like nothing that she had ever seen before.
"According to this chart, the ritual to break the poison can be done during the sabbat of Lughnasadh – in other words, August 1st. That is the earliest possible time we can break the poison. It won't kill him until some time during the Hogwarts year, but it will debilitate him, make him unstable and dangerous to be around. Psychic poisons do not affect the mind; they affect the soul."
Tonks did some quick mental calculations in his head. "That's not a lot of time, Mad-Eye. Just over two weeks. Do you honestly think I can pull this off? I can only assume that any sort of love potion is right out."
"Obviously."
Tonks silently swore. So much for the easy way. "When will Harry get back into the wizarding world? It could be awkward if I approach Privet Drive, even in disguise."
Moody's eyebrows contracted. "Are you saying that you are going to wait until Dumbledore delivers him to the Burrow?"
Tonks shrugged. "It will give me time to prepare for this on my own."
"Dumbledore won't be happy to see little progress."
"Of course he won't, but right now I don't give a rat's ass about what he wants. This'll be a first time experience for both of us – did you realize that, Mad-Eye?"
Moody winced. That's uncharacteristic of him, Tonks thought, even as her mind already began contemplating the disguises she might use. Obviously somebody close to his age, he won't go for someone my age – at least not without some degree of coaxing…
Suddenly, almost like magic, an idea popped into her head, and she broke into an unexpected grin. It was if the entire plan had tumbled straight into her lap – and only a Metamorphmagus could pull it off, she thought.
"What? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Moody growled.
"Forget what I said before about waiting," Tonks said, getting to her feet. "I can make moves while he's at Privet Drive. He just needs to see them. Where are you planning to have this ritual to get the psychic poison out of him?"
"There's a grove close to the Burrow that we could use, if you're ready on time. Remember, Tonks, this has to be consensual from both sides. He needs to be completely willing, and so must you. And you can't seduce him by potions or charms – it has to be as natural as possible."
Tonks shook her head, her smile broadening every second. "Don't worry, Mad-Eye – I've got it all under control." And with that, she strode straight out of the ex-Auror's office.
Despite his own conditioning, Alastor Moody put his face in his hands. Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?