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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 22, 2009 15:49:35 GMT -5
Astrid sidled through the shadows of Diagon Alley, looking over her shoulder to make sure that no one noticed that she was creeping closer and closer to Knockturn Alley. She, like her brothers and "cousins," was forbidden to go there, especially after what had happened to Lena. But that was years ago- surely nothing would happen to her today.
The Blacks were out buying school supplies, and fortunately enough for this little venture, they had split up so they could get shopping over sooner- and therefore escape the maddening crowd that seemed to be everywhere at once. It hadn't been difficult for Astrid to sneak off- her father thought she was with her mother at the bookstore, and her mother thought she had tagged along with Sirius to the Quidditch supply store. Her brothers probably didn't care nor notice her absence.
Astrid turned into the dark alley that funnelled out into a larger alley called Knockturn Alley, home to all sorts of questionable items and skeevy people. Astrid took her time looking in the windows of the shops, not really looking for anything in particular, but she was summarily grossed out by just about everything she found. Cat eyeballs? Centaur intestines? Just what did people do with those anyway?
Astrid continued down the street, earning quite a few strange looks from the even stranger clientele. It wasn't often a well-dressed, unaccompanied child wandered down here. Plenty of them were considering grabbing her and running- the black market was booming on fresh human parts, and what was fresher than someone young?
Astrid halted her stroll outside of Bourgin and Burkes, which had a pretty silver necklace in the window that looked like it was made of tiny stars. She had never seen anything like that before, and she was certain she never would again. It would be better to buy it now. She pressed her nose against the dirty glass, trying to see a price tag, but there wasn't one. Oh well, she'd have to go inside to pay for it anyway.
She put her hand in her pocket and jingled the galleons her father had handed her earlier. Granted, they were supposed to be for a small model of the galaxy (so she didn't have to take astronomy,) but Astrid thought the undesirable class might be worth it in order to obtain that necklace. Hey, her father had wanted her to spend it on stars, didn't he? They were just in a slightly different form than what he had intended.
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 22, 2009 16:28:26 GMT -5
Nymphadora Tonks was in Knockturn Alley. It wasn't exactly somewhere she would typically be. Even more unusual she was walking out of Bourgin and Burkes. She was there because she was sent there on some business considering some rather shady characters that seemed to gravitate there to talk about a certain Lord Voldemort. It was her job as an auror in training to do all the little stuff that the actual Aurors didn't want to or have time to do.
Of course she didn't look like the normal Nymphadora. She looked like a middle-aged woman with long dark hair and a rather menacing look about her. Nobody would answer questions from her normally, that and there was the possibility they would know that she was from the ministry. But then again who would take an eighteen year old with bright hair that seriously. It just wasn't going to happen if she looked normal.
Nymphadora burst out of Bourgin and Burkes with a scowl on her face. She pretty much knew it was going to go wrong. Why would the shopkeeper tell her information on their Death Eater clientele? Most likely he wouldn't give any information unless gold was involved. She ran a frustrated hand through her unfamiliar hair. This would probably take a real Auror.
She was ready to just leave when she noticed something odd. There was a small girl peering in the shop window. And they didn't have an adult with them. She surreptitiously looked at the girl and realized it was one of Sirius Black's children. She had known the family somewhat because she had just joined the order, so she knew enough to know this girl was definitely not here with some Slytherin loving Death Eater parents.
She walked over to the girl. "Why are you in Knockturn Alley alone?" she said sternly. "Do your parents know your alone? Do you know what could possibly happen to you here?" She didn't want to lecture the girl. But still, she ought to know that wandering around Knockturn allery was no joking matter. "Shady folks are around here."
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 22, 2009 19:18:12 GMT -5
Astrid didn't notice the woman that burst out of Bourgin and Burkes until she started speaking, and the small girl turned her head to face the dark haired woman, blinking in mild confusion. She was suprised at being approached, and it took a her a moment to find her voice as she flicked her bangs to the side with a small toss of her head.
"Er, what?" Astrid uncomfortably shifted a step back, away from the slightly frightening woman. Just who the heck was she, anyway? Better yet, what did she want? "My parents know where I am." Astrid dismissed calmly, turning her gaze back towards the window in what she hoped was nonchalance. "I just came to pick something up." Not that it's any of your business. She added silently. Astrid wasn't quite as bold in her treatment of adults as her father had been as a kid, but she wasn't going to let someone she didn't know bully her, either. She got enough of that at home.
"Shady folks like you?" Astrid as impertinently, batting her eyelashes in an innocent manner. She wished the crazy old bat would go away so she could buy her necklace and scamper back to Diagon alley, hopefully with no one ever noticing she had been missing all this time. "I assure you I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, so you can go about your business now." She made a move to go around Tonks and into the store, passing so close to the adult that her arm brushed her robe. She went to the back of the window display, still looking for a card with a price, but she was still coming up empty. What kind of crap was that? It surely couldn't be so expensive that it was a price on request item.
"Anybody here?" She called softly, feeling her heart speed up irrationally. Quit being a coward. That woman was just crazy. There's nothing to be afraid of. As she waited for an answer, however, she glanced around, becoming more creeped out. She supressed a shudder as she saw a hand on a cushion, and she scooted closer to the counter so as to put more space between it and herself.
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 22, 2009 19:57:37 GMT -5
Nymphadora blinked rapidly when the girl acted like she didn't know her. It wasn't like she was frequently over at the Black home but she knew the family. "Damn," she muttered under her breath when she remembered that she didn't look anything at all like her normal self. She looked exactly like one of the shady characters that the girl should be afraid of.
Well, she thought, at least she understands stranger danger. "I am sure your parents wouldn't let you come wandering here alone. Unless they have changed since I've known them they wouldn't let their daughter wander around a place infested with dark wizards." Nymphadora tried to find a way she could let the girl know who she was without miraculously shrinking and changing just about every feature of herself in the middle of an alley that could have a lot of Death Eaters running around.
She ran a hand through her hair impatiently as the girl stubbornly brushed past her and entered the shop. Exactly where she shouldn't go. She had to applaud the girl's nerve, but she found it quite uncalled for. But it war pretty much the exact thing she would have done at that age.
She decided to follow her into the shop. She seemed to be interested in buying a necklace. But it probably was not a normal necklace. "Astrid let's go find you're parents." she hissed at the girl. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder hoping maybe she would realize that she wasn't some creepy old woman, that she was actually someone she knew.
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 22, 2009 20:09:08 GMT -5
Astrid just shook her head at the crazy old woman. Now she was claiming to know her parents? Astrid was sure she didn't know all of her parents friends, sure, but she had never seen this woman in her life. The only excuse had to be that she was insane, quite literally.
She was happy to be inside and away from the crazy woman, even though inside was just as creepy in a different way. She tapped her foot impatiently, wishing that she could just escape. Astrid didn't hear the woman come in, but she yelped loudly and squirmed away when her arm was grabbed, her pale face going ashened under her freckles as she stared wide-eyed at the woman. "Leave me alone!" She tried to make her voice come out in a commanding growl like her father was capable of, but instead she ended up squeaking in fear. How did she know her name? I swear to Merlin if I survive this I will never EVER sneak off again. She silently prayed, looking for the nearest exit that she wouldn't have to pass the stranger.
Whatever Tonks was trying to get across to Astrid was clearly lost, for she was only scaring the poor girl rather than communicating with her. She had met Tonks only once before, and frankly had no idea she was a metamorphmagus. She had just happened to stumble downstairs in the middle of the night while the order was having a meeting- Tonks had simply been the young woman with the cool hair to her, she probably didn't even remember Tonks' name.
"Do you want my money, what? Just go away and leave me alone!" Astrid pulled out the wand that her parents had bought her just that morning, brandishing it at the older witch as if she actually had a clue how to use it, though she didn't. She hoped it wasn't obvious. She wasn't dumb enough to think she could actually defeat the witch when it came to a duel or even a physical fight- Astrid wasn't very strong, and she had no idea how to use a wand. She was a fairly good runner, however. It might just be put to use, if she could find a safe out.
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 22, 2009 20:19:12 GMT -5
Clearly the girl did not know who she was. Though, Tonks didn't exactly think she was giving off enough hints. Now that she thought about it the girl probably didn't know anything about her at all. All she really knew about the girl was what her parents had mentioned about her. She ran a hand through her hair. Could she risk changing back to herself?
The girl screamed. Great it was just perfect. She didn't want to get in trouble because it looked like she was trying to kidnap the girl or whatever someone would think of. "Astrid listen to me, I am a friend of your parents." How could she explain it to the girl without changing. "I'm Nymphadora," she grimaced at the name. She hated being called Nymphadora, but she didn't think the girl would particularly get much out of her saying Dora or Tonks.
Nymphadora tried to gradually shrink down to her normal height and weight. But it might have been too slow for the girl to notice. That and she wasn't really paying any attention to what she was doing because she seemed to be looking for an escape route. But there was no way Tonks was going to let her out into Knockturn Alley alone.
"I don't want your money!" Nymphadora pulled out her own wand though she kept it dangling at her side. She knew the girl probably didn't even know how to use the wand.
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 22, 2009 20:30:12 GMT -5
Astrid scrunched up her nose, looking very confused, but she stopped yelling. Her wand dropped a few inches, but she didn't put it away. "Nymphadora." Astrid repeated to herself, almost as if she was tasting the name, rolling it on her tongue. She frowned at Tonks, looking suspicious. "I have..." She stalled, trying to remember, "Distant cousin named Nymphadora.... I think. But she doesn't look like you." She stated flatly, still eyeing Tonks with mistrust. She had heard her father talk about Nymphadora in passing, enough that Astrid knew that she had been blasted off the family tree by her grandmother, who was a little messed in the head, to be frank.
"How do you know my parents?" She asked quietly, trying to figure out if the woman was lying. It wasn't hard to find anyone in wizarding London who wouldn't recognize her father, either personally or by his reputation. The rest of her relatives not so much. She backed up another step for good measure, wanting to keep the crazy woman away from her as much as she could. "And better yet, how do I know you're not lying?"
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 22, 2009 20:37:52 GMT -5
The girl was finally understanding. If she could just get her out of the shop she could change back to her normal self. She didn't really like walking around like a mean looking woman. "Yes you do have a distant cousin named Nymphadora Tonks, who happens to be an auror-in-training that is here on business. And thankfully I happened to run into you rather than some actually nutter."
She could tell the girl didn't believe her, and she didn't really see why the girl would. "My mother is Andormeda Tonks is your father's cousin. She was unfortunately blown off the family tree when she married my father Ted Tonks, who was a muggle-born." Nymphadora crinckled her nose at the last question. "Well I'm not lying and I think you should just trust me." She looked around the shop and didn't see the shop-keeper in sight. As quickly as she could manage she turned back to her normal self. So the eighteen year old Tonks was standing in front of her. "Didn't you know I was a Metamorphagus?" she asked hoping this was enough proof for the girl.
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 22, 2009 20:55:00 GMT -5
Astrid listened to Tonks skeptically, her face only lightening when the woman mentioned the family tree. Only someone close to her family would know about that little bizarre piece of artwork. Astrid's jaw fell open when Tonks changed into her usual self, the look on the girl's face absolutely comical. She shook her head at the question- she had no idea what a metamorphmagus was, but if that was it, it was bloody cool! "You have got to teach me to do that!" Astrid chirped excitedly, shoving her wand back in her pocket.
She suddenly seemed to remember what had brought her to her current situation, and her cheeks reddened under her freckles. "You're not going to tell my mum and dad, are you? They'd flip if they knew I was here." She scuffed her foot against the dark carpeting, looking completely chagrined, her previous bravado gone now that she was caught. Her blue eyes, so much like her father's, slid to the necklace in the window again, and she shifted closer to her second cousin. "Can I please buy it before we go? It's really pretty..." She looked up at Tonks with the sort of adorable begging expression only kids can get away with. It would be such a loss if she didn't get to buy it as well as getting caught. Might as well get something from the situation, after all.
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 23, 2009 7:26:19 GMT -5
Tonks smiled. That was a usual question she got when younger kids realized what she could do. She ran a hand through her hair, "I would teach you if I could, but it's something you're born with. I started changing my hair color when I was just three years old. It gave my parents quite the shock though. Speaking of parents where are yours?"
Tonks bit her lip, "Well I don't know how we can get you back to them without telling them you were here." She paused in thought. "I guess maybe I could say that I bumped into you in Flourish and Blotts or something. As long as you promise to never go wandering in Knockturn Alley again." Her eyes drifted to the necklace. "Nothing in here is normal if you know what I mean. It's probably bewitched and the ruddy shopkeeper would let you figure that out the hard way." She looked at the girl. "Shouldn't you be buying school supplies rather than bewitched necklaces?"
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 23, 2009 10:38:40 GMT -5
Astrid sighed softly and scrunched her nose up. Just one more thing she couldn't do. "Wish I could do something cool like that. Imagine all the tricks I could play on my brothers!"
She seemed to sink down a little bit when Nymphadora mentioned her parents again. She had been hoping the older witch had forgotten. "Mum's at the bookstore, and dad's looking at Quidditch supplies."
She almost couldn't believe her ears. She wasn't going to tell? "I solemnly swear I won't come back here." Her small face lit up, her expression of fear over getting caught completely evaporated.
"It looks harmless..." She turned her attention back to the necklace. Just how much trouble could one necklace be?
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 23, 2009 12:54:46 GMT -5
"Yes the tricks you can play are wonderful. I got in loads of trouble for it when I was in school." She grinned, she had been quite the troublemaker, hence why she was never a prefect or anything that required a person to be serious and well-behaved.
"Well which would you rather me take you to. Your mum or dad?" Nymphadora didn't really want to leave the girl until she knew she wouldn't go wandering off. "I won't tell, I'd just like to make sure you're with someone that won't loose you again."
She grinned. "Well that's great." Her eyes went back to the necklace. "Nothing in here is harmless," she said. "There was an investigation last year about a wizard who died because one of his enemies gave him so goblet here. There was a curse on it..." she trailed off. "It's best to use that money for whatever you are actually supposed to get."
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 23, 2009 17:31:57 GMT -5
"I'd imagine. Still, it would be pretty cool... though how did they ever know who to hand the detention slip to? You could make yourself look like the person next to you and blend in with the crowd... Oh! You could get someone else in trouble if they were making you mad. So useful." She nodded seriously.
"Dad." She said without hesitation. Her father was generally more laid back than her mother- he viewed everything as one big game. Few things made him angry. While he would not be pleased to hear that she had been in Knockturn Alley, he wouldn't think anything of her having been seperated from her mother and found by Tonks.
She sighed. She supposed it made sense, but it didn't help the fact that the necklace was pretty. And besides, it was more interesting than an astronomy model. "I guess you're right."
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Post by nymphadoratonks on Aug 24, 2009 7:02:13 GMT -5
"Well it worked for a while, until the teachers sort of figured it out. I made the mistake of flashing my hair some different colors and it sort of hit them." She laughed. She placed a concentrated look on her face and her hair turned purple for a second, but then she quickly changed it back.
Tonks nodded, "Your dad would probably be more accepting of something like this." She grinned. "But let's get out of here. This place is starting to give me the creeps. And soon the old nutter will probably come out and try to sell us something." She crinkled her nose.
"Yes I am right," She smiled. "You can get another necklace, a prettier one, some other time." She grinned.
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Post by Astrid Lorelei Black on Aug 24, 2009 10:51:34 GMT -5
Astrid watched with just as much awe as Tonks changed her hair color again, still dumbfounded over how simply cool that was. She couldn't even get her hair to curl, and here Tonks was changing the color and length at will. It was just too freaking cool.
Astrid nodded, giving Tonks a small, conspiratorial smile. "It's easier to sneak away from Dad, but he usually finds me faster. Mum never finds me in time... but she's always soooo angry afterwards that it's not always worth it."
"I guess." She shrugged her small shoulders and skipped to the door, her skirt swishing gently as she paused to hold the door open for Tonks. "Er, would you mind waiting while I picked up my astronomy model? That's sort of what I was supposed to be doing."
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