𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | l. lovegood

ii

𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 when Tonks would bring her with her to work with her. She worked in the Auror office at the Ministry of Magic, and once it became obvious two weeks into the summer break that Dorothea was not interested in trying to make friends with the other kids at Grimmauld Place, Tonks started letting her come with her to the Ministry a couple times a week whenever she needed to get out of the house.

"Don't touch that...Don't talk to him...Dorothea Tucana Tonks, do not steal money from that fountain!" Tonks grabbed her little sister's arm and pulled her away from the Fountain of Magical Brethren.

"I-I wasn't stealing, I was just looking!" Dorothea defended herself.

"You can look without sticking your arm in." There was frustration in Tonks's voice. She often had to scold Dorothea like this whenever she brought her to the Ministry because of her impulsive urge to touch everything.

Dorothea suddenly gasped when she spotted a blonde woman. "Auntie Cissa!"

"Wait! Thea! I don't think you're supposed to– Oh, there she goes." Tonks sighed and followed her sister, who was sprinting through the atrium towards Narcissa Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy scowled at the petite brunette as she hugged her.

Dorothea grinned and waved at him. "Wotcher, Uncle Lucy!"

Lucius's scowl deepened. "Don't call me that," he growled, glaring at Dorothea when she giggled.

"How are you doing today, Dorothea?" Narcissa asked kindly, ignoring her husband's obvious disgust of the girl.

"Better now that I'm out of the house," Dorothea replied, swaying her shoulders a little as she lightly held Narcissa's fingertips, admiring her rings. Tonks grabbed her arm and pulled her back a few steps.

"Dottie, we really should be going," she whispered.

"I didn't realize that today was Bring Your Little Sister to Work Day," Lucius said coldly, glaring at Dorothea. "Children have no right to be in a serious workplace. The playground is down the street." He sneered at her.

Just as Dorothea was opening her mouth to protest, Tonks pulled her away, muttering under her breath about how much of a foul git Lucius Malfoy was.

Dorothea skipped beside her as they walked down the corridor to the Auror Office. When they reached Tonks's cubicle, she took a seat in one of the rolly chairs and took a Muggle fidget toy – a small game controller with clicky buttons that fit in the palm of her hand – out of the box on her desk. She used her feet to push herself over to Tonks's desk, peering over her shoulder. "What're you working on?" she asked as she clicked one of the buttons on the fidget toy.

"Stuff for the Order," Tonks said quietly so that Auror's in the surrounding cubicles wouldn't hear her. "Mad-Eye thinks that You-Know-Who might be the one behind the dementor attack on Harry."

"Really?" Dorothea frowned a little in worry.

"He's used them before. I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered them to attack Harry in another attempt to kill him."

"But Professor Lupin said that dementors don't kill," Dorothea said, her brows furrowing. "Are you saying that you think he was lurking somewhere in the shadows that night? That he was waiting until they sucked out his soul before he finished him off?"

"It's a possibility." Tonks nodded.

Dorothea passed the time by looking through the cardboard box of toys and books that Tonks kept in her cubicle for when she brought her to the Ministry. One of the books in particular caught her interest. Tonks noticed her looking at it and glanced up from the report she was writing for the Ministry.