𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 | n. tonks

xx

"The element of surprise is your best friend when fighting against an enemy," Mad-Eye said as he paced around Hadley in a circle, his walking stick clicking on the floor of the attic. "Catching your opponent off-guard will give you a leg up, and when battling Death Eaters, that advantage just might save your life."

Mad-Eye stopped walking. He pursed his lips together, and his brows furrowed when he saw that Hadley was no longer in the room. Instead, there was a golden retriever with ginger fur sitting where she had been standing just a few seconds ago, its tongue out of its mouth as it panted happily.

"Alright, who let a dog in here?" he asked grouchily. "Hadley!"

The dog's smile widened in amusement. It stood up and walked over to Mad-Eye, its tail wagging. The man looked down at the golden retriever's red fur, which looked suspiciously similar to Hadley's hair.

"You know, being an unregistered animagus is illegal."

Hadley gasped and placed a hand to her chest in mock offense as she shifted back into her human form. "Unregistered? What makes you say that? My brother Percy, as much of a prick as he is, works at the Ministry. He did his thing, and they helped me with the transformation and got me on record."

"Who all knows?" Mad-Eye asked, still eyeing the 18 year old suspiciously.

"No one." Hadley shrugged. "Why would I tell anyone? Kinda ruins all the fun, if you ask me." She sat down at the desk where she had been taking notes on another one of Mad-Eye's presentations. "It was Sirius who inspired me to make the transformation," she admitted sadly. She blinked back tears and took a deep breath before looking up at Mad-Eye. "So, did that catch you off guard enough? Do you think it would work against those big dummies who have nothing better to do with their lives than to try and kill children?"

Mad-Eye thought for a moment and then slowly nodded. "I think it might, just as long as they don't find out it's actually you." His brows then furrowed. "So, you're telling me that no one, not even your girlfriend, knows you're an animagus?"

Hadley choked on her sip of water. "G-Girlfriend?" she squeaked.

"What, did you think I'm blind?" Mad-Eye chuckled.

"D-Did Remus–"

"Remus didn't need to tell me anything. I see the way you and Tonks look at each other during meals. She isn't exactly subtle with her flirting, either."

Hadley felt her cheeks get hot. Mad-Eye just smiled, let her know that everyone was okay with them dating, and dismissed her for the day.

─── ⋆·✧·⋆ ───

"Make sure this gets to Fred and George, this one to Ron and Ginny, and this one to my Mum and Dad," Hadley told Apollo. "I already told Dora, and she said that it was best to go ahead and let our families know." She gently rubbed the side of the owl's head as he took the letters in his beak. He took flight out of her bedroom window, and Hadley closed it. She turned off the lamp on her bedside table and tucked herself under the covers, laying on her side so she could stare out the window.

She wasn't tired. Her heart was still pounding from the obstacle course that Kingsley set up as part of her combat training. There were enchanted dummies with Death Eater masks, boobie traps, dead ends, and twists around every turn.

She thought it a miracle that she didn't die, but she wanted to be as prepared as possible when she was faced with the real thing.

She heard the bedroom door open and then click shut. A few moments later, the bed dipped. She felt a pair of soft lips on her neck, kissing up to her cheek. Hadley hummed softly and leaned back into Tonks when she wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Mad-Eye knows," Hadley whispered, shifting so that she was facing the older girl.

"I'm honestly not surprised." Tonks kissed her forehead. "He has eyes in the back of his head, you know." She chuckled softly.

"I'm starting to believe it." Hadley smiled. She leaned her head into her girlfriend's hand when she cupped her cheek. Tonks gently pecked her lips. "I sent letters to my parents and siblings. I think they'll take it well."

"You don't need to worry about them, my love." Tonks kissed the spot behind Hadley's ear. "I told my mum and dad, and they said they're okay with it. Mum was thrilled, actually. She loves you."

"Guess that's good, cause I love your mum." Hadley grinned when Tonks raised a brow at her. "But not more than you," she added in a slight sing-songy voice.

"That's my good girl," Tonks whispered against her lips before connecting them.