Who'll Fill a Coward's Grave? ↣ Harmione

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter 19 - Knights

There was certainly a hint of the frost to come in the dank evening air, a nip that had Tonks glad she'd worn a warm scarf, on what the young witch fervently hoped was a date. Walking down the centre of Hogsmeade with Ian though still felt a bit like work as his eyes were constantly scanning all around them. Deciding to be bold, Tonks took his arm.

"Don't worry, Ian. I know this must seem strange to you but I promise to protect us if anything happens. I was an auror after all, before then joining the Phoenix Force."

Liking this pink haired, fun loving girl, Ian was tempted to jokingly play along. It just wasn't in him however to play down the current very real threat of attack. "Miss Tonks, I really appreciate the offer of protection. I also know you're a member of the Phoenix Force, those robes you normally wear are a bit of a giveaway. Under these loaned robes, I'm wearing my uniform - a uniform that's seen action in different corners of the world. Trust me when I say I'll be standing right beside you if trouble comes anywhere near us."

Putting his right hand on the one of hers that was currently draped on his left arm, Ian's smile very effectively stripped his words of any harshness. "The village of Hogsmeade is currently considered a combat zone, therefore I am armed and ready. I will admit though it's been a few years since I last walked down these streets, and I certainly didn't have a beautiful young lady on my arm then either."

Hearing herself called beautiful after being on the receiving end of that smile did funny things to Tonk's insides. She so wanted to know this man better, and tonight was her opportunity to kickstart that process. "You've seen action? Fought battles?"

"Unfortunately that would be a yes. In your world, the problem seems to be power hungry wizards who are prepared to do absolutely anything to get what they want. You call them Dark Lords. We have more than our fair share of these type of lunatics in our world too. The real problems start when these same lunatics manage to claw their way to the top and end up running countries. We fought a war in the deserts of the Middle East against one such dictator. We won the war but didn't finish the job. We were there, we were more than ready but the politicians stopped us. One day I'm sure we'll have to go back and finish the job, just like you're having to do with Voldemort. Magic just gives wizards different tools to use, only that sets them apart. Some of these power hungry people on our side of the divide are every bit as depraved, vicious and deadly as any of your Dark Lords."

It was a thoughtful Tonks who eventually replied to that. "Magical Britain seems so insular, so wrapped up in its own problems. I"m twenty three, until recently was an auror, yet I've never set foot outside Britain. There's a whole wide world out there that's passing more than just me by."

Having reached the Three Broomsticks, Ian held the door open for Tonks before they headed for an empty booth. They'd placed an order for drinks before a thoughtful Ian replied to her remarks.

"I was on the other side of the planet yet the pull of home was too strong for a younger me to resist. It's almost impossible to explain how a lament played on the pipes, or a Scottish folk song, can put tears in your eyes and make you long for home with a passion that's impossible to deny. Try explaining, when sitting in the glorious Australian sunshine, that your hankering for a dreich misty day on a desolate Scottish moor. You can't explain it but it grips you none the less. Home is home."

Ian's smile then hardened as he focused on his current deployment. "The army has seen me serving in quite a few countries around the globe but I put my name forward for this mission as soon as I figured out what it was. The brass calling it 'Operation Voldemort' meant it didn't take too much figuring. Fighting on foreign soil is one thing but this one's personal. This bastard indiscriminately attacks and kills people on British soil, and has been doing so for decades. His followers attacked my family when I was too young to protect them, things are different now. We can't rely on a baby being orphaned and saving us all again, we need to finish it this time."