Hurt | Remus Lupin

~33~ Advance Gaurd

"Sara!" he gasped, starting to laugh a little. "I can imagine that would be something you would do."

"You know it." I winked.

I couldn't help but noticed Remus flush at my wink. 

"We're leaving soon, right?" asked Harry.

"Almost at once," said Remus, "we're just waiting for the all-clear." 

"Where are we going? The Burrow?"

"Not the Burrow, no," said Remus , motioning Harry toward the kitchen. We all followed behind them. "Too risky. We've set up headquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while. . . ." 

"You'll like it Harry." I said comfortingly

Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in all directions, taking in the Dursleys' many labor-saving appliances. 

"This is Alastor Moody, Harry," Remus continued, pointing toward Moody. 

"Yeah, I know." Harry looked uncomfortable.

"And this is Nymphadora —"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus." Tonks said, annoyed. "It's Tonks, fucking moron." she mumbled under her breath. 

Tonks was still pissed of at Remus for what he did to me, and wasn't afraid of hiding it.

"— Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," finished Remus

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you 'Nymphadora,' " Tonks muttered.

Remus continued the rest of the introductions. "And you already know Sara of course."

Harry looked awkward, as everyone shamelessly checked out his scar on his forehead.

"A surprising number of people volunteered to come and get you," said Remus.

"Yeah, well, the more the better," said Mad-Eye darkly. "We're your guard, Potter." 

"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off," said Remus , glancing out of the kitchen window. "We've got about fifteen minutes." 

"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen with great interest. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just like with wizards?" 

"Er — yeah," said Harry. "Look" — he turned back to Remus and I—"what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol — ?"

Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat again, and Moody growled, "Shut up!"

 "What?" he asked.

"We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky," said Mad-Eye, turning his normal eye on Harry; his magical eye remained pointing up at the ceiling. "Damn it," he added angrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, "it keeps sticking — ever since that scum wore it —"

  And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plunger being pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye.

"Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" said Tonks, while I watched with great interest. 

As gross as it was, I thought it was also rather fascinating.

"Get me a glass of water, would you, Harry?" asked Mad-Eye.

Harry grabbed a glass of water and filled it up, handing it to Mad-Eye, who grinned. "Thanks."

"How're we getting — wherever we're going?" Harry asked.