The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

LXXVIII: Andipodean Opaleye

Remus Lupin cursed under his breath as he left the welfare services office, clumping up the paperwork they'd given him and throwing it in a bin on his way out the door. He limped down the stairs and sat on the bottom step, pausing to rub his knees. He rocked himself slightly, eyes closed, and breathed deeply.

His stomach growled loudly and he sighed, his eyes damp with frustrated tears he was holding back.

Able to work, they said. Do not qualify. 

Funny because for somebody able to work, he sure as hell couldn't find any.

He swept his hand over his eyes and stood up, looking about the street, unsure where to go or what to do. He loped down the sidewalk aimlessly, head hung low, his hips bothering him something awful, as well as his knees.

He found his way into a particular park in East London, to a particular bench, where he could see the old flat, the window over the kitchen sink reflecting the summer sky. He stared at the building. God, how he longed for the old days when he and Sirius lived in that flat - what he wouldn't give to have even a single night more to spend as happy as they'd been back then. He remembered it desperately, and closed his eyes.

"Remus?"

He opened his eyes and found himself blinking up through sunlight into the face of Nymphadora Tonks. Her hair was knotted up on top of her head into two hot pink buns, her eyes bright with surprise to see him. She smiled. "Wotcher!" 

"Hey Tonks," Remus answered.

Her eyes took him in, running over his form and then coming up to meet his eyes. She slipped onto the bench next to him. "Fancy meeting you here, eh?"

"Just thought I'd take a walk about the old neighborhood," he answered.

"Feelin' nostalgic, yeah?"

Remus nodded. "What are you doing about this part of town?" he asked, "And on a work day?" 

"Oh, I'm off from the Ministry today and tomorrow!" Tonks replied, "I'm working the World Cup security this weekend and the new department head is a right old codger --"

"You're used to Mad-Eye Moody and you're saying someone's a codger?" laughed Remus, "Goodness."

"It's Barty Crouch," Tonks answered. "He's always been a tosser but he got moved sideways back into Magical Law Enforcement after Moody retired and it's been absolute chaos in the department. Oi, Remus - Moody was always on about vigilance and popping off doing drills and wanting things done by the book and being loud and demanding and such but he always meant it all in a good natured way, you know? Even when he was mad, he wasn't. Well Crouch... oh-ho-ho, not Crouch. Crouch the Grouch, that's what everyone's been calling him behind his back and it's a right good fit."

Remus couldn't help but chuckle at Crouch the Grouch and shook his head.

"Anyways, I'm glad to have it off, Cha-Cha's coming to town for the Cup - his whole family's going, so he's going with them, and I'm mighty excited because I haven't seen him in forever. You remember Charlie Weasley, don't you, Remus?"

"Of course. Red hair, freckles. Loves dragons."

"Ah, you got him pegged on that last one. Before that you could've been describing any one of the Weasleys," Tonks laughed.

"How is Charlie?"

"Oh he's in his element, that's for certain. He works for Florean Fortescue, the Florean Fortescue who owns the dragon facilities in Albania, that is." She paused, "Hey we're about to go meet up and get some lunch. Did you want to come? I'm sure Cha-Cha would be alright with it if you came? It'd be a right treat for me to have my two favorite people to talk to at the same time!" Tonks grinned brightly.