Chapter 73: Worried Family
They had no idea how long they had been like that, but the exhilarating atmosphere was suddenly interrupted when they both noticed something was wrong. They realized it the moment they heard panicked screams coming from the direction of the spectators' tents.
For them to hear the screams from here, there had to be a lot of them—and they had to be loud!
Tonks, now with a beautiful ring on her finger, and Barnaby hurried outside just in time to see the Dark Mark appear in the sky.
"We need to go," Tonks said, gripping Barnaby's arm tightly.
Although she wanted to go down and fight the Death Eaters, she didn't let herself be swept away by the heat of the moment. She realized that for this attack to happen, everything had to have been planned in advance.
Not only that, but it would be impossible to carry out this operation without informants in the Ministry of Magic.
Besides, she was no longer an active Auror with the Ministry, and knowing how they operated, it was possible they might "mistakenly" label her if she decided to get involved in this mess, and she could be taken down along with the others.
The best thing to do was to leave safely, taking advantage of the fact that there were no Death Eaters in the empty stadium.
Barnaby had a similar thought, but he nodded as he listened to his fiancée.
They both drew their personal wands, merging a cocoon of shadows to vanish from the spot the next moment.
"Where did you take us?" Tonks asked, not recognizing the surroundings, especially since it was night and only the crescent moon in the sky illuminated the area.
She had contributed to the magic, but she let Barnaby control it, as he was better at it.
"Our future home, built with my own hands," Barnaby said as they walked forward, crossing a bridge.
Tonks was stunned once again that night, even more so when she realized there were details around that hinted at when Barnaby had asked her something similar once, but she had dismissed it as mere curiosity, like the small Quidditch field.
So it was for this!
"How long has he been preparing everything?" Tonks thought, touched, trying not to cry again.
"Of course, I had help," Barnaby added honestly as Sanshi emerged from the shadows, moving freely.
"Congratulations," Sanshi congratulated them both, eyeing the ring on Tonks' finger with delight, eagerly anticipating the day she could cuddle the babies. "It's a shame the night took such a turn," she sighed, furious inside, wishing she could rip apart those people who couldn't have chosen a worse time to ruin everything.
Tonks suddenly realized an important detail she had overlooked.
"Barnaby, I have to get back to my house!" Tonks said urgently. "My parents will go hysterical if they don't hear from me after finding out what happened today—they might think I'm dead!"
"I'll go get them," Barnaby stopped her firmly. "I have a feeling it's better if they come here, at least for a few days, to be safe. Don't worry, not even Voldemort could find this place as long as Calcifer is in the fireplace."
"He's right! Those cowards don't stand a chance against me!"
Tonks heard the shout from the house, recognizing the proud voice of the talking flame.
"I... alright," Tonks lowered her shoulders, overwhelmed by everything that had happened in just one night.
"I'll only take a few minutes. In the meantime, you can keep yourself busy furnishing our house with Sanshi," Barnaby suggested as he gestured to Sanshi. "I originally wanted to surprise you a few days later when it was complete, so I haven't had time to set anything up. The pantry doesn't even have a cookie..."
That last part particularly pained him.
"Our house..." Tonks stroked the ring on her finger with her thumb, feeling renewed energy as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'll take care of it!"
Seeing Tonks more cheerful, Barnaby wasted no time heading to her house to fetch Ted and Andromeda, who were indeed extremely worried about her safety. After explaining his suggestion for a temporary relocation, they packed everything with his help in half an hour, not leaving behind even a single spoon.
When Barnaby enveloped them in the cocoon of shadows and they arrived at the new location, the first thing they did was rush to Tonks and hug her, making sure she was in perfect condition.
"Is this…?!" Andromeda activated her inherent mother's observation skills and immediately caught sight of the glint on Tonks' ring finger, moving at lightning speed to get a closer look.
"Barnaby proposed to me!" Tonks brought her hands to her cheeks, smiling as she recalled the perfect proposal he had made.
"Oh, Merlin," Ted looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
His little flower had been transplanted to another garden while he had let his guard down!
He turned to look at Barnaby, raising his head, determined to fulfill his duty to threaten him once and for all, and after three seconds of contemplation, he nodded decisively.
Yes, there was no way he could win a fight against his future son-in-law.
Peace is beautiful; harmony is contagious.
Definitely not intimidated, not at all.
Tonks and Andromeda joined in a high-pitched squeal of excitement that threatened to shatter the new windows of the house, completely forgetting about the men present as they talked about how everything had happened in great detail, with Sanshi joining in to complement the story as a live witness.
Listening to how meticulously planned the proposal was, Ted nodded inwardly, giving his absolute approval and eliminating the last bit of resistance in his heart. Someone who knows his daughter so well, makes her happy, has enough strength, decent financial backing, and goes to such lengths to make her smile, is trustworthy.
Andromeda was also absolutely delighted for her daughter. By comparison, when she remembered how she had once tried to match her with someone like Charlie Weasley years ago at Molly's suggestion…
It's not even worth mentioning in the same sentence.
Tonks hadn't been able to do too much, but at least the bedrooms and dining room had the basics to store their things for the night. Tomorrow, Tonks and Barnaby would go get real furniture that wasn't a temporary transformation, while Andromeda and Ted would buy a good amount of supplies and daily necessities in the nearby village.
They had to, if they wanted to fill the house's enormous pantry, and recalling her future son-in-law's appetite…
Lastly, Barnaby made sure to send a message to his father, letting him know that everything was fine and he didn't need to worry about him.
They all had a simple dinner with the ingredients Tonks' parents had brought and soon fell asleep, exhausted from the hectic day they had experienced.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone