Harry Potter Squib Tales Chapter 73: Medical Magic (Patreon)

Chapter 73: Medical Magic

“Are you serious?!” I demanded angrily.

“Sir, I have told already that I do not sell to Squibs. Now please leave, you are disrupting my business,” she huffed.

“I am trying to give you business, you daft bint,” I angrily spat at her. “You’re the one refusing to sell me anything!”

“Enough of this. Your stench is ruining my nose,” the storeowner huffed, tilting her nose upwards at me.

“I’m surprised you can smell anything, considering how much vile shit you’re spewing,” I hissed.

“Leave, or I will call the Auror!” she snapped angrily.

“Calling the pigs as soon as somebody calls you out on your crap, huh?” I laughed darkly. “How very fitting for a bigot. Are you gonna call your Death Eater husband to beat me up, next?”

I then shot a look at the sleeves of her robe. “Or perhaps you were the Death Eater in the relationship.”

“How dare you!” she exclaimed angrily.

“Roll up your sleeves and prove me wrong,” I shot back.

Tellingly, she didn’t, and simply trembled in rage while some of the other shoppers who’d been watching the interaction began to murmur amongst themselves.

After a moment longer of staring each other down I turned and walked off, flipping her the bird as I left the store.

“Bloody tosser,” I snarled as I stomped out.

Unfortunately, that was the last place in the country and I was all out of options. Legal ones, at least. I considered taking a trip to Knocturn Alley, but after a bit decided not to. The back-alley surgeons – or whatever equivalent they had – were too risky to try on short notice.

Two days. Two whole days since Kate had her accident and I turned her into a witch! And yet not a single one of the hospitals or shops that sold magical medicine I visited would agree to heal her!

St. Mungo’s Hospital had refused to treat somebody who wasn’t in the system, and since most Squibs did not get registered as citizens in the Ministry of Magic, there was nothing they could do. Frustrating, but ultimately understandable.

Trying to give her citizenship would take too long. Upwards of a year unless I was willing to pay absurd bribes to move things along. And even then, that would take weeks at best since no matter how efficient magic made some things, bureaucracy would forever grind slowly.

That left all the other magical healing facilities. Unfortunately, they were either run by Pureblood bigots would sooner spit on a Squib than help, or worried about being targeted by said Pureblood bigots for healing a Squib. I had been turned away from all of them, and was this close to using my money to just buy their businesses wholesale and toss them out onto the streets while using their resources to heal Kate.

I did not do that, however. That would raise some eyebrows and I might get a visit from the Aurors at best, the Death Eaters at worst. And both outcomes would draw too much attention to me.

‘I might have to see what sort of magical healing France or the U.S. have available,’ I thought to myself with an annoyed grimaced as I stopped through Diagon Alley towards the Leaky Cauldron.

“You look like somebody pissed in your butterbeer, Ed,” a familiar voice called out, and I turned to see Sirius Black sitting at a table with a pint of ale in front of him. He waved me over and I did so, feeling like I needed a break.

“Afternoon,” I said, sitting down at the table across from the Animagus. “What’re you up to?”

“Just had lunch with a couple of my family’s solicitors and financial advisors,” he replied. “Got to stay on top of everything, you know?”

“I do,” I said, wincing as I thought about all the paperwork I’d been ignoring while trying to get help for Kate.

“So, like I said, you’ve got the look of somebody who’s had a bad day,” Sirius continued. “Wanna say something about it?”

“It’s just… I’ve tried every single place outside of Knockturn Alley, and none of them can help Kate,” I sighed. “Some are just being bigots, others are cowards. Either way, it’s the same result.”

“Eeesh, that sounds…” Sirius trailed off. “Bad.”

“No kidding. And I even dressed up in my fancy wizard robes in the hopes it might make things easier,” I grumbled, tugging on my unflattering robe. It was such a bland and unappealing style of clothing, but the magical stores would take me even less seriously without it.

Sirius nodded slowly, sympathy gleaming in his eyes, along with something else.

“I might be able to help,” Sirius said slowly and I looked up at him eagerly.

“Are you sure?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Andy – sorry, Andromeda – is a Medi-Witch. She has the knowledge and training to perform a medical check and even heal all sorts of various issues."

“Your cousin?” I inquired, and when he nodded, I leaned in. “You think you can convince her to heal Kate?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he replied. “She takes her oath to help and heal seriously. Doesn’t matter if they’re a Squib or a witch, she’ll treat them fairly.”

He then folded his arms. “She’ll probably have… questions, though, if we take Sam’s sister to her.”

I frowned at that. “What? Why? Can’t we just pretend she’s a Squib?”

“Do you want to run the risk of Andy finding out she was a Muggle until a few days ago?” Sirius inquired.

“Could she do that?” I asked nervously. Was there a spell like that?

“I’m no expert on medical diagnostic spells, but you can’t rule that possibility out,” he pointed out. “Plus… a whole family of Squibs? Not exactly common. She’ll think something is up.”

“She knows Sam is… Squib-adjacent, so surely it’d make sense his sister has the chance to be one?” I asked.

“Sure, but didn’t you say her parents also got hit by the ritual, too?” Sirius asked, and I blinked before slapping my forehead. I’d almost forgotten that!

“Damn, you’re right,” I muttered. 9 times out of 10, if two Squibs had a kid, it would be a fully magical child. Not that it wasn’t impossible for a pair of Squib parents to have two offspring who were also Squibs, but it would be extremely rare and unusual.

“What do you think?” I inquired, looking back to Sirius. “You clearly have a plan, or you wouldn’t have come to me with the idea.”

“We bring ‘em in. Both Andy and Ed,” he replied.

“Bring them in? On… everything?” I asked, waving a hand vaguely.

“Yeah. The businesses, the rituals, Moldy Voldy’s return… everything,” Sirius said with a firm nod.

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “Okay… do you think they can handle? Keep it a secret? Would I need to use Oath Binding Ink and NDAs?”

“I think they won’t need any of that and will join straight up,” Sirius said. “They do not like the current system, and had been considering moving to America for a while now to get away from it all. Heck, you could sweeten the deal by offering to hire Ed.”

“What does Ed – and doesn’t that feel weird to call another guy by my name – do as a job?” I wondered.

“Ed works at a magical lawfirm, but despite several years of loyal, hard work, he’s never gotten a promotion or an offer to make partner,” Sirius said in disgust. “The reason? He’s Muggleborn. Even after I brought Andy back into the fold he’s still being overlooked for Purebloods with half the talent.”

I blinked. “A magical lawyer?” I asked, intrigued.

“Thought that might catch your interest,” Sirius smirked. “Yeah, he could help you with your contracts, both magical and mundane. And I know you need somebody you can trust in that position.”

“Yeah, I really could,” I muttered, before nodding. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. But can you convince them?”

“I’ll let you meet them to make the job offer,” Sirius told me. “As well as plead your case to heal Kate. Just be honest with ‘em and they’ll join us.”

“You’ll help, right?” I asked hopefully.

“Of course,” he confirmed. “I’ll call her now and set up something for tonight. Dinner sound good?”

“Yeah. Want me to bring anything?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” he replied, waving a hand. “Kreather is a surprisingly good cook. When he’s not trying to poison me.”

“Does he try that often?” I asked nervously.

“Not after I properly bonded with him,” Sirius replied. “Thanks for that, by the way. It’s just like my parents to not tell me about how to properly make a magical bond with a House Elf. I always had a feeling something was up with him and the way he was acting.”

“You should consider getting a new one,” I suggested, though I cringed a little doing so. Saying that made me sound too much like a Pureblood for my taste.

“I am. Put the paperwork in with the Ministry as soon as I got declared innocent,” Sirius replied. “I knew Kreacher would be a problem, so I wanted to get on top of that.”

“Smart,” I said.

“I have my moments,” Sirius said smugly, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“If that’s all, I’ll wait for the invitation to dinner,” I told him.

“Yeah. Give Sam my best,” Sirius said. “Oh! And before I forget, I’ve got some fancy stuff ready for his Christmas present. Should be great!”

“Oh? In that case, I’m quite excited,” I said with a grin.

“I’ll send it along when it’s ready,” Sirius assured me. I bid him farewell and walked out of the Leaky Cauldron, feeling a little bit better despite my lack of progress earlier.

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Grimmauld Place still looked like it was one bad storm away from collapsing into a moldering ruin, but it had a few changes. Namely, bright daffodil yellow wallpaper in nearly every room. It didn’t exactly make the place any more cheerful, though. Just made it look like one of those haunted liminal spaces.

“Are you ever going to renovate the place?” I wondered as I stepped inside after Sirius opened the door for me.

“What do you mean?” he asked innocently, though the tone of his voice told me that he knew exactly what he’d been doing when he’d changed the wallpaper.

I just rolled my eyes at his antics as I headed into the living room. The smell of spices hit me and my stomach rumbled.

“Smells good,” I hummed.

“Kreatcher wouldn’t be much of a House Elf if he couldn’t cook,” Sirius said, praising the wretched old creature with some backhanded praise. “Dear mother would never had tolerated eating slop, after all.”

“Fair enough,” I replied. “When will the Tonkses be here?”

“Soon. I thought they’d arrive before you, honestly. You know, Floo and all,” he said, with made sense.

“Guess they’re running late. That gives us time to have a few drinks and get our stories straight,” I began, only for the fireplace nearby to flare with green flames. “Ah. Of course. Just as I say it…”

Sirius laughed at me as his cousin and her husband stepped out of the fireplace.

“Evening, Sirius,” Andromeda Tonks said, waving her wand to get rid of the soot on her and Edward Tonks.

“Andy, Ed,” he said with a grin. “Good to see you. Meet Ed the Second.”

“It’s always funny meeting somebody with my name,” Edward said and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I said the same thing,” I commented as we shook hands. “Nice to meet you both.”

“So, what exactly did you two invite us over to talk about?” Andromeda asked, glancing at her rapscallion of a cousin.

“All sorts of stuff, but let’s have dinner first,” he suggested, and went into the dining room for some delicious curry.

Of course, Kreacher complained the whole time, waxing poetic over having to cook and serve ‘filthy foreign Muggle muck!’ but he obeyed all the same.  

“Not bad,” I hummed. It was not too spicy and the saffron rice was a nice touch.

“Haven’t had real Indian curry in a while,” Edward said. “It tastes pretty authentic, too.”

“Kreacher’s cooking was the one good thing about coming over here as a child,” Andromeda muttered.

“Least he’s not trying to poison me anymore!” Sirius joked. “How’s Nymmy doing?”

“Nymphadora is doing fine,” Edward replied. “She got selected by Alastor Moody for an apprenticeship. She’ll be a fine Auror soon.”

“Old Mad-Eye? Huh, didn’t think he was still teaching,” Sirius noted.

“It’s his last hurrah before he retires in the Spring next year. Wants one last student to pass his teachings onto,” Andromeda replied, before snorting. “Although sometimes I think he’s just looking for an excuse to put somebody through that bootcamp of his and legally get away with it.”

“I remember that,” Sirius said with a wince. “Me and James could barely make it through… boy did it suck. Props to Nym if she makes it through in one piece, though.”

“You’re Sam’s friend, right?” Andromeda suddenly asked, seeming to realize who I was halfway through dinner.

“Yeah,” I confirmed.

“…I see,” she muttered, before glaring at Sirius. “You want me to heal Sam’s sister, don’t you?”

“Damn, saw straight through me,” he muttered, shooting me an apologetic look.

“I’ve already had Nymphadora beg me for this, I do not need you to do so as well!” Andromeda groaned.

“Are you going to, though?” I asked.

“I want to, but I can’t just heal a Muggle,” she replied with a grimace. “Although my oath says nothing about it, there are too many conservative old fossils on the board at St. Mungo’s. If they find out…”

“Don’t worry about that. She’s a Squib,” I told her, and she blinked, looking at me in bewilderment.

“No she isn’t,” Andromeda replied.

“Things have changed,” I told her, before glancing at Sirius. He nodded and threw up a few charms to block all sorts of spying, scrying, and eavesdropping around the table.

“What is this?” Andromeda demanded, glaring at both of us. Edward put a calming hand on her arm, and she settled down a little. Still glared, though.

“There’s a few things to go over, but the first one is Voldemort is still alive,” I said, breaking the ice by dropping a truth-bomb. Both of them flinched back, and Sirius nodded solemnly.

“It’s true. He made Horcruxes.”

“Horcruxes?!” Andromeda demanded. “PLURAL?!”

“You know of them, then?” I asked.

“I’m a Black,” she retorted, as if that explained everything. Which, to be fair, it sort of did.

“Well, he made a bunch, but we’ve managed to destroy a few,” I said.

“Regulus… he died getting his hands on one,” Sirius revealed sadly, and Andromeda gasped.

“No!” she exclaimed.

“He brought it back from where the Dark Tosser hid it, but didn’t manage to destroy it. I did though. I finished the job. I’m just ashamed it took me until last year to do so,” Sirius whispered.

“Destroyed the… how many?” she demanded. “And how do you know?!”

“Let me tell you everything,” I said softly.

And so I did. Everything that I’d gotten up to with Sirius and Remus, along with what had gone on in Hogwarts the last few years. Add in the revelations about the inevitable exposure of the Magical World and the Grand Ritual Flamel had devised to reverse the slow decline of magic… it was completely understandable that both Tonkses looked shell-shocked by the time I was done.

“So, that’s the long and short of it,” Sirius said. “What do you think?”

Andromeda glanced over at the lie-detecting Russian Nesting Doll that the Animagus had helpfully put onto the table, noting how it hadn’t created a single doll.

“It’s all true?” she whispered to herself.

She didn’t want to believe it, but her cousin wasn’t crazy enough to make up something like that, or worse, believe it was true even if it was a lie. She glanced at me, and grabbed Edward’s hand tightly.

“So, what do you think? Wanna join our secret conspiracy to save the world?” Sirius asked with a joking tone.

“I want to see this ritual in action,” Andromeda finally said, giving her first demand. “And then I want to know what your other plans are.”

“We’re still discussing what to do about Voldemort,” I admitted. “We have foreknowledge that we’re unsure of how to use. But I can tell you more about the plans we have to deal with the fading of magic.”

She nodded sharply. “I don’t like anything you’ve just told us… but you’re not lying. Ed?”

“Yeah. I’ve always suspected the Statute of Secrecy wouldn’t last forever. Didn’t even think it’d last another century. Don’t like being proved right, so I’m in, too,” Edward confirmed, eyes shining with determination.

“So, does that mean you’ll heal Kate?” I asked.

“…Yes,” Andromeda replied. “I’ll go see her tomorrow. Which Hospital is she in?”

“West London General,” I informed her. “Room 219.”

“I’ll have her back on her feet in no time,” she vowed, and I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Sighing in relief, I gave her a grateful nod before sitting up straight.

“Now that that is over… Mr. Tonks? I’d like to hire you,” I said, turning to the magical lawyer. He blinked in surprise before gaining an intrigued look.

“Let’s negotiate, then,” he said and I grinned at him.

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Andromeda had been skeptical of my claims of the Statute falling in a couple decades, to say nothing of the claim that magic itself would soon fade and cease to exist. To prove it to her, I presented the documents Flamel had written.

The famous alchemist’s research was thorough, and the data was impossible to deny. Andromeda had had no choice but to accept the facts: I’d been telling the truth and the only way forward that made sense was the path Flamel had laid out through his Grand Ritual.

However, things did not end there. The Tonkses did not want to keep their daughter in the dark about this. Nor were they exactly pleased by Sam keeping this from her.

Some arguing later, and we finally came to a compromise: Sam and Nym would be called to the house and the former would tell the latter about everything, coming clean. If Nym couldn’t handle it and refused to agree to keep the secrets and work with us, an Oblivation courtesy of her mother would ensure things would remain safe.

Luckily, Nym had been understanding. Well, after a bit of shouting at Sam, at least. They made up pretty quickly, though. They were sickeningly in love.

‘And honestly, it didn’t seem like Nym cared at all about us breaking the Statute of Secrecy or revealing that the world she once knew would end in the near future,’ I mused to myself as the car pulled up to the Parson’s house.

‘Thrill Seeker’ would best describe the Metamorphmagus, as the young woman was the sort who loved adventure and danger. Why she hadn’t become a Curse Breaker or Hit Witch was a mystery to everyone who knew her. Perhaps she’d thought being an Auror would be more fraught with danger, like in the movies and stories?

‘Those always tend to gloss over how mind numbingly dull things are when crime isn’t happening,’ I thought with a snort as I parked the car outside the house before getting out.

The end result was all that mattered, in the end. Nym joined our secret little group and was let in on a bunch of stuff.

I couldn’t deny the benefits having a person inside the Aurors who knew what we were up to and could run interference if necessary.

‘Hopefully it won’t come to that,’ I thought to myself as I walked up to the door, thinking instead about the good news.

Two days ago, Andromeda had upheld her side of the deal and healed Kate’s back. The teenager had been back on her feet, and the healer had Oblivated doctors and nurses at the hospital and made sure the paperwork would be altered. As far as everyone knew, Kate Parson had suffered a few bruised but was otherwise completely fine. An early Christmas miracle.

‘If only they knew,’ I thought to myself as I knocked on the door.

“Welcome!” Mrs. Parson called out as she opened the door. A moment later she swept me up into a crushing hug.

“H-hello, Mrs. Parson,” I choked out. “How’s Kate?”

“She’s doing well,” she replied. “Thank you so much for helping, Ed.”

“I didn’t do much,” I replied. “It was Mrs. Tonks who healed her.”

“Yes, and she will always have my gratitude for that,” Mrs. Parson replied. “But if not for you, Andromeda would never have come here.”

“Is everyone already here?” I asked, looking away with red cheeks. I blame the cold! I was not embarrassed to hear all that praise!

“Yes,” she replied with a chuckle, not at all fooled by my reaction, and she led me inside.

Inside, the rest of the family was gathered in the living room, which included Nym and Sam who were sitting together on the couch while Mr. Parson was watching sports reruns on the TV with Ed. Kate was there as well, getting a check-up from Andromeda, the witch’s wand glowing as she ran it up and down her patient’s body.

“Yo, Ed the Second!” Nym called out when she spotted me, waving a lazy hand my way. Sam smiled and waved as well, while Kate perked up, blushed, and then looked away, trying not to stare at me.

“I see you’re using that name now as well,” I drawled, ignoring Kate’s obvious crush on me. She knew I was with Delilah, but one can’t exactly stop infatuations that easily. At least my girlfriend seemed to think it was cute.

“If it fits,” the Metamorphmagus replied with a shrug.

“You’ve been influenced by Sirius a little too much, methinks,” Andromeda commented dryly.

“Uh-huh. And whose fault is that?” Nym asked with a smirk. “If I recall, you’re the one who introduced me to my not-quite-an-uncle.”

Andromeda snorted and didn’t respond to her daughter’s provocation, choosing instead to focus on her check-up of Kate.

“It seems like there have been no complications, issues, or other problems,” the elder Tonks woman announced after a moment, tucking her wand away.

Everyone gained smiles at that. Relief, joy, and good cheer filled the house.

“Time for dinner!” Mrs. Parson called out, and everyone got up and gathered in the dining room.

“Let me help you,” Andromeda offered, levitating some of the food out towards the table.

“Magic really is convenient,” Sam’s mom commented, watching the floating plates and dishes.

“Will I be able to do that?” Kate wondered with a hopeful note in her voice.

“Afraid not,” I replied as I sat down. “You won’t be able to use a wand because you got your magic too old.”

“Oh,” she muttered, disappointed.

“It’s not all bad,” Sam assured her. “You can still use magical stuff and make weaker things to help out around the house.”

“Wait, is that how you’ve been getting your hair so shiny and smooth recently?” Kate asked, squinting at her brother suspiciously.

“Homemade magical shampoo,” he confirmed.

“I want some!” she demanded.

“Sure, sure,” Sam replied easily.

I smirked, knowing that my friend had asked for some ingredients so he could make the potion-based shampoo for his sister’s Christmas present. I’d given them to him, of course. Plus some extra stuff for his own use.

‘He’s gotten better at potion-crafting,’ I thought idly. ‘Better than me, even!’

His talent with cooking was shining through in this instance. No matter how hard Snape or other hardline potion masters may hate the comparison, making potions really was like magical chemistry mixed with cooking. They had recipes you could strictly follow, but a personal touch always seemed to make them a little bit more effective than mass produced models.

“So, Ed, dear, what are your plans for Christmas?” Mrs. Parson inquired.

“Not much,” I replied easily. “Spending some time with Delilah and then my mother. Harry won’t be coming home this year. He wanted to spend time with his friends, and most of them are staying in Hogwarts over the holidays.”

“Really? Is that safe?” Sam asked with a frown. “I mean, there are Dementors still hanging around.”

“I agree, it’s not the best idea, but I trust Harry, and Remus will be sticking around to protect him in case the Dementors get hungry,” I replied, unable to hide my worries.

I was concerned that the Dementors might attack the school while Harry stayed behind at school. In the books, the soul-sucking demons had attacked the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match because of all the happiness they’d felt. Could they resist attacking the school when there were children filled with Christmas cheer sticking around? I didn’t know, but I really hoped Remus could take care of things in case they did get… uppity.

‘If he really has to, Remus can use the Anti-Dementor ritual I sent him. The fear of death should hopefully drive them away if they do try to do something,’ I thought to myself as I served myself more steamed carrots.

The ritual was an old one, used back in the days of Dementor hunting. It supposedly 'unraveled' the spirits, reducing them to little more than ghosts, who could then be exorcised by traditional anti-ghost methods.

“What was the Minister thinking, letting those horrors stay around children?” Andromeda muttered under her breath.

“He probably wasn’t,” Tonks replied with a shrug. “Man’s a complete boob. Couldn’t find his bowler hat if it was on his head!”

“Unfortunately, as dumb as the man is, he’s still in office,” Edward Tonks pointed out.

“For another two years,” I reminded him. “After that, I understand Madam Bones will be running.”

“She has my vote!” Nym stated. “Heck, the entire Auror department does!”

“Less politics, more Christmas cheer,” Mr. Parson suggested.

“Good idea, dad,” Kate agreed. “Let’s talk about something fun. Like magic!”

She leaned in towards me. “Can you teach me?”

“I suppose,” I replied. “Take a look at the magical primers I left with Sam. Get an idea of what your options are, and then ask me again.”

“Could I work for you?” Kate wondered. “Like a magical intern or something?”

“Again, let’s wait and see about what you want to do, first,” I suggested. “Runes, Arithmancy, Potions, Herbology… there’s a couple different things you can learn about.”

“Only if she finishes her homework first,” Mrs. Parson interjected. “And she still has to get ready to prepare for graduation, too.”

“Ugh, fine, mom!” Kate groaned, disappointed.

“Oh, right, you’re almost about ready to make your way to higher education,” Nym hummed. “Got to say, I’m really glad I never had to do four more years of school after leaving Hogwarts!”

“Same,” her father agreed. “It’s all on-the-job learning and experiences. O.W.Ls are the same as a high school diploma, and if you have a N.E.W.T, that’s the mundane equivalent of a Bachelors.”

“Really making a guy jealous,” I joked. “Only seven years of school instead of the decade-plus the rest of us have to go through is so not fair.”

Everyone laughed at my comment, and I was happy. Things were going well, and I had no plans to slow down.

‘Briar better watch his back,’ I thought to myself as I enjoyed the excellent figgy pudding that was desert. Come the new year, I would start making plans to ensure he could no longer threaten the people I cared about.

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“You got the goods?”

“Yeah, I got ‘em. You gonna let me in?”

“Sure. Gimme a sec.”

I unlocked the door to my apartment and opened it up, letting in an old woman.

“Did we have to act like we were doing a drug deal?” the granny asked as she brushed snow off of her coat. “Also, why did I have to come over looking like this?”

“It would throw off suspicions,” I replied. “I also know that some people here are too nosey for their own good and would absolutely gossip if a young woman stopped by who wasn’t my girlfriend.”

I sighed, running a hand over my face. “Swear to God and Merlin they have too much free time on their hands.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” the elderly woman said. “Mum was always asking me about when she was gonna meet Sam, ambushing me when I come home from the Ministry with questions. Now that she has, she’s just started asking about when I’m gonna get hitched.”

I snorted and the granny stuck her tongue out at me. She then stood up straighter, and her hair suddenly rippled, going from a grey perm to a bubblegum pink mohawk. The wrinkles smoothed out, replaced with the skin of a twenty-year-old, and soon enough a completely different person was standing in front of me.

“Anyways, you never answered the first part of my question,” Nymphadora ‘Call me that and I’ll kick yer arse!’ Tonks said, folding her arms.

“Because it was funny,” I replied and she rolled her eyes.

“Okay, yeah, that’s true,” she huffed before taking a bag out of a pocket, placing it on the table with a heavy thunk. “Here it is.”

I opened the bag and removed the object within, grinning widely as I did so. Within it was a belt made of interlocking plates of silver. Runes had been carved into the plates, forming an intricate sequence of power, and when worn it would bestow a powerful gift.

“When he puts it on, it will give him a big surprise,” Tonks said with a fond smile, even though there was a hint of amusement.

“Think he’ll freak out?” I wondered.

“Oh, absolutely! I really wish I could see his face!” she cackled.

“I’ll try to get a picture for you,” I promised.

“Great! Now, there’s a few things to remember,” she said. “First off, Sirius and I removed the part of the curse that will make it irremovable.”

“That’s good,” I hummed.

“It’s still a cursed object, though!” Tonks warned. “We might be able to make the spell less… Dark given some time to experiment, but if he’s caught wearing it Aurors may think he’s been Muggle baited.”

“And they’d bring in the Obliviators to wipe his mind after ‘saving’ him,” I muttered.

“Yeah, so keep that in mind,” Tonks declared.

“Gotcha,” I said with a nod. “And thanks for the help.”

“Hey, it’s all good, I wanted to help,” she replied, waving my thanks off.

She then put her hands on her hips. “By the way, is there any reason Sirius has been talking with mom and dad, recently?”

“Why are you asking me?” I asked, blinking.

“Because you’re one of the few friends that old man has, duh,” Tonks replied. “He’s… acting weird.”

“Weird how?”

“Hey, I’m the one asking the questions here!” Tonks replied.

“Right, right, sorry, Miss Auror,” I said in a joking tone before tapping my chin. “Well, one reason I can think of is Sirius wants to reinstate your mother back into the Black family.”

“He already did that,” Tonks claimed. “I think this is something else.”

I frowned, thinking hard to myself. What else was there that could make Sirius upset and start acting squirrelly?

‘Better to just ask him,’ I thought to myself.

“I think you should probably just ask your parents or Sirius,” I said aloud.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Tonks agreed after thinking it over. “You know, if I wasn’t already aware of what you guys were up to, I assume it was related to that.”

“Good thing you do know. Just keep it on the downlow,” I urged.

“I’m not an idiot,” she huffed. “I’m being trained by Mad-Eye Moody himself, after all!”

“Yeah, that’s sort of why I’m worried,” I admitted. If there was anyone who could ferret out what I and the others were up to, it’d be him.

“Fair,” Nym muttered with a wince, before turning back into an old woman. “Alrighty, then. Got to go before somebody at the office notices my bathroom break is taking too long.”

I nodded and held the door open for her as she left. Once she was gone, I turned back to Sam’s gift.

“Yeah, this is gonna be a good Christmas,” I declared.

Oh, how right – and wrong – I was…