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Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or any of the characters, I just like to play with them
The brisk breeze that skipped thought the Mould-on-the-Wold neighborhood promised the advent of fall and cooler days to follow. The sun was just setting and Sirius and Tonks were hoping that the failing light wouldn’t betray their whereabouts before they reached their destination.
The few months after Mad Eye Moody’s retirement had left Tonks without a partner. Although it was usually against policy to pair relatives into teams the thinly stretched Department of Auror’s was left with no choice.
As it turned out, they actually made a good unit and had thus far only been eluded by one of the suspects they were sent to apprehend: Draco Malfoy.
The day that Sirius and Dawlish were sent out on a call of muggleborn bashing, the same day ‘Malfoy’s law’ had been abolished, they came upon Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle beating up a former school mate, Justin Finch-Fletchley. Crabbe and Goyle were holding up the slightly built young man while Malfoy punched him repeatedly in the stomach. When Malfoy caught sight of Sirius, for whom he had a great deal of fear, he spun and vanished on the spot, leaving his cronies in the lurch.
Dawlish had seen enough to file charges against Malfoy and issue a warrant for his arrest. Unfortunately, Malfoy had proven to be a bit slippery and difficult to obtain.
Rounding the corner, Tonks caught sight of Malfoy entering the pub their informant had said he was known to frequent. She jumped back, bumping into Sirius’ chest and nearly taking them both to the ground. Sirius caught himself on the wall and steadied her with a low chuckle.
“I take it you saw him,” asked Sirius, managing to keep the excitement out of his voice.
“Yes,” replied Tonks, not fooled by his casual exterior. “I need to say something before we do this.”
“What?” asked Sirius, a little too tersely.
“Remus said,” she began but was cut across by Sirius.
“I’m not going to kill him, Nymphadora,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “As much as I might want to…”
“Oh,” she said, taken off guard. “Well…ok, then.”
“It would bother Hermione,” explained Sirius. “She’d feel guilty if I became a killer, a murderer, because of Malfoy. She would blame herself.”
“You’ve never?” asked Tonks curiously.
“NO!” answered Sirius, offended.
“Not even in the first war?” she pressed.
“Not even then,” replied Sirius. “Not that I didn’t try.”
“Pettigrew?” asked Tonks. Sirius nodded but said nothing. “What if you ran across him now?”
“Hermione has nothing to do with Pettigrew,” answered Sirius evasively.
“Still,” pressed Tonks.
“Is Malfoy still inside the pub?” asked Sirius, getting back on task and away from hypothetical questions regarding his morality.
Tonks peered around the corner. “Don’t know, guess we’d better take a closer look.”
Night had fallen, bringing with it a slight chill that nipped at them as they crossed the street together. Most of the businesses on this street were retail stores that had already closed up shop for the day. As they neared the pub, they could hear music playing on a scratchy, outdated sound system. The smell of fried food wafting out along the night air reminded them both that they hadn’t eaten in hours.
Through the pub’s large expanse of windows, decorated with frayed, yellowed curtains, they could see Malfoy, sitting alone in a corner booth, sipping amber liquid from an ice filled double old fashioned.
“How do you want to play this?” asked Tonks.
Sirius shrugged. “When he sees you he’ll make a run for it. Block his exit out the back and I’ll nab him as he leaves out the front.” A voice in the back of his head cautioned him that perhaps he should not be the one to arrest Malfoy. He wanted it too much and so resolutely ignored the warning from his conscience. It made sense, he convinced himself, incase Malfoy tried to over power Tonks with his strength.
Not that she was a witch or had a wand or knew magic.
Tonks gave Sirius a last wary look before ducking into the pub while Sirius waited just outside the entrance. He watched through the window as Tonks slid into the booth across from her cousin, wand at the ready, and grinned at him. Just as expected, Malfoy made a dash for the back exit but with a flick of her wand Tonks prevented him from taking that route.
Sirius was fine, even tempered and in control, until he met the haughty, insolent blue eyes that bore a family resemblance to his own grey. When he looked into Malfoy’s face his memory flashed to the day that he learned they would be having twins. As he threw Malfoy up against the wall his mind’s eye was locked vividly on the memory of the dark purple bruise just under Hermione’s rib cage.
Malfoy’s head made contact with the brick and mortar with a sickening crack, pulling a pained groan from the blond. As Sirius drew his fist back to punch Malfoy in the face he remembered rounding the corner onto Knockturn Alley and seeing Hermione slumped in a heap on the ground.
Malfoy’s head flew back against the bricks once again, this time his eyes rolled back in his head. He began to slide down the wall, slipping into unconsciousness as Sirius landed another punch, this time in the stomach.
Before Sirius could land another blow on the near lifeless body of Draco Malfoy he was suddenly flung back forcefully, a good ten feet, landing on his arse in the middle of the street. Shaking his head he looked up to see Tonks tending to the heap of bloodied flesh that was his youngest Death Eater cousin.
Sirius picked himself up and dusted off his robes and as he did so he slowly came to his senses. He had intended to simply bind Malfoy and take him into custody.
He understood why, as a fellow husband and father, Dawlish had given him this assignment but the head of the Department should have more impartiality. He should have never given Sirius the job of arresting Malfoy.
At least Tonks had the foresight not to send him into the pub where there would be witnesses to his brutal act. As he walked over he started to feel ashamed of himself for losing control and wondered how he would explain this to Hermione.
“Are you alright?” she called from the wall.
“Yeah, how’s he?” he asked, walking slowly forward, stretching the fingers in the hand that had made contact with Malfoy.
“He’s fine, all patched up,” she replied. “I think he was knocked out after his head hit the wall the first time. He won’t remember a thing and if he does a Memory Charm will sort him.”
“You – you…watched?” asked Sirius, stunned.
“Prat had a good beating coming, didn’t he?” was her reply.
“I could have killed him,” breathed Sirius as she magically bound and then revived him.
“Nah, not with me watching,” answered Tonks. “I had a feeling something like this might happen. I’d have done it myself but I’m better with a wand.”
Malfoy slowly opened his eyes and struggled weakly against his bonds until he caught sight of Sirius’ gaze on him. “Keep – keep him away from me!”
“Not nearly as brave without your mates are you?” asked Tonks with a wry grin. “You resisted arrest and that is another mark against you. Maybe there is an open cell next to your father. You two can keep each other company.”
Unable to move in any meaningful way and too scared of his bigger, older cousin to mouth off, Malfoy opted to stay still and glare. If it were anyone but Sirius and Tonks, his own flesh and blood, he might be pitching a fit about his poor treatment.
“I got it from here,” assured Tonks.
“Sure?” asked Sirius.
“Don’t you have a one year anniversary or some such thing?” Tonks grinned at Sirius and then gave him a wink.
Malfoy mumbled something under his breath.
“You want to say that so I can understand you?” snarled Sirius, taking a step toward the blond. Tonks positioned herself in between them and pushed against Sirius’ chest.
“Go home to that pretty, pregnant wife of yours,” she instructed.
Sirius held Malfoy in an intense glare that his cousin couldn’t seem to break away from. He finally let out a breath and shifted his gaze over to Tonks. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“What are you two doing tonight anyway?” asked Tonks.
“Well, there’s only so much she can do right now, as big as she is,” said Sirius with a chuckle. “So, I’m stopping by the Sorcerer’s Garden on my way home from work.”
“Aw, well…you two have a nice night.” She and Sirius exchanged a smile.
“See you tomorrow, then,” said Sirius before spinning on the spot and disappearing.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
On his way home Sirius swung by the Sorcerer’s Garden to pick up the elaborate meal he had ordered for their anniversary dinner. When he arrived home and opened the front door he was hit with an icy blast of cold air that made him chuckle. Hermione was hot all the time now, keeping the air conditioning set low and using cooling charms on whatever room she was in.
Closing the door behind him, he walked through the house, stopping at the dining room to set down their dinner. He cast a warming charm on the food before going off in search of his wife.
Hermione wasn’t in the family room or their bedroom which only left the library. He grumbled inwardly that he didn’t want her taking the stairs in her condition without his help.
Descending the stairs he rubbed his arms, getting colder and colder due to all the cooling charms she had set. Looking up from her book she smiled as he entered her domain.
“Happy Anniversary!” she sang, holding her arms out to him.
“Happy Anniversary, baby!” he replied as he sat next her, letting her arms encircle him.
“You should have woken me up before you left,” she chided gently.
“You need your rest.” He leaned into her as best he could with her belly acting as a third person between them and gave her a light kiss. “So, how are you feeling?”
“Hot, uncomfortable…my feet are swollen, I can’t concentrate.” She sighed heavily and rubbed her belly. “I’m so glad this is almost over.”
“It won’t be long now,” he said in a soothing voice. “By the way…I thought we talked about stairs and how you don’t belong on them.”
“I Apparated down here,” she said, smiling at his grouchy face.
“Clever witch,” he said, complimenting her. “I should have known something like being banned from stairs wouldn’t keep you out of your library.”
“Not a chance!” she said with a pleased grin. “So, did you keep your promise?”
“Yes, I bought no extravagant gifts for this anniversary,” he said sincerely with special emphasis on ‘this.’ “Our real anniversary, however, is another matter.”
“This wasn’t exactly a happy day for either of us,” she said, remembering.
“True, but it did give me you and I think that earns it some consideration,” he said with a soft smile.
“So what non-extravagant thing did you do?” she asked suspiciously.
“Nothing much,” he answered. “But I did stop by the Sorcerer’s Garden for dinner. They don’t usually do take out but they did a special favor for me.”
“That was really thoughtful for you,” she said, leaning into him to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.” She really didn’t feel like going out despite the occasion. There was something bitter about this anniversary but also something incredibly sweet. It would have been wrong not commemorate it in some form or fashion.
“I was thinking,” he mused. “That for our real anniversary we should take a little vacation. I bet Molly and your mum wouldn’t mind watching the little ones while we snuck away.”
“Mmm…” she agreed. “You don’t think they’ll be too young?”
“Nah, my mum left Reg and me with our grandmum all the time,” he gave a little involuntary shudder. “Besides, parents need a break too, even if it is just a small one to a tiny Caribbean island.”
“Caribbean?” she asked with an excited tone.
“I was thinking, yeah,” he answered. “We can’t keep going back to Mexico. Time to branch out.”
“Mexico,” she said with a little sigh. Sirius grinned at her and nuzzled her neck.
“I’m going to go set up dinner. You just relax and,” he gave her a sympathetic look, “try to be comfortable.” He ascended the stairs and left her to her reading in her nearly frozen underworld.
Once he had set everything up, making it perfect like he believed she deserved; candles, red roses and an immaculate table, he tromped back down the stairs to collect her.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Always,” she confirmed, bringing a chuckle from him.
“Meet you up there, then,” he turned around on the stairs and headed back up.
When he reached the dining room she had her nose buried in a red rose, inhaling deeply. “Thank you. Even when you’re not supposed to spoil me, you do.”
“It was nothing,” he assured her, pulling a chair out for her and helping her into it. “By the way, I have some good news for.”
“Oh?” she asked, as he took his seat.
“That arrest Tonks and I were on was successful,” he answered, smiling when her eyes fluttered with her first bite.
“Who was the bad guy?” she inquired. “This is delicious.”
“Draco Malfoy,” he replied with a large smile.
“They let you arrest Malfoy? Are they mental?” The look of shock and disbelief was genuine. “Is he in one piece?” She thought it was incredibly irresponsible of the Department.
“He’s fine, I mean, he’s fine now,” he answered. “I honestly thought I could handle it until he was close to me and then I sort of lost it.”
“What did Tonks do?” asked Hermione, feeling tense.
“Well,” he said quietly, looking intently at a spot on the ceiling. “She let me work out some of my aggression and then got me out of the way.”
Hermione pursed her lips and shook her head. “They shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
“I should have known better,” said Sirius. “I came damn close to using the Killing Curse on him that day on Knockturn Alley.”
“I thought as much,” she said, her voice soft. “I would never want you to become a murderer because of me.”
“I know,” he said, nodding. “I know that, I would try my hardest to never do that to you.” They were quiet for awhile as they ate in companionable silence, soft tones from the stereo reaching them in the dining room. “So,” said Sirius after wiping his mouth with his napkin, “what do you want to do for your birthday?”
“Harry’s only been gone a week and I already miss him. It would be nice to see him but that’s probably too much to ask,” she replied.
Sirius smiled a smug grin. “Well, you’re not supposed to know but he’s coming home that weekend, so is Ron.”
“Really?” her face lit up with a huge smile.
“But that’s what they’re doing for you. What can I do for you?” He relaxed in his chair and smiled at her.
“I wouldn’t mind a low key get together, here at the house,” she replied. “Dinner was so good, thank you so much for such a nice meal.”
“Consider it done.” Sirius got up from the table and gave her his hand to help her up. “How do you feel about a foot massage?”
“Yes, please,” she chortled with a grin, taking his hand.
Sirius chuckled and helped his very pregnant wife into the family room where he rubbed her feet until she fell asleep, comfortable for the first time that day.
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