Harry Potter: The Making of a Dark Lord

October 11th, 1995 – Oxford, England

Nymphadora Tonks approached the door of a two-story Tudor home on the outskirts of Oxford. The lawn was well kept, and the neighborhood seemed quiet and prosperous. There were no sounds of dogs barking or children playing. She took a moment to glance around, wary of being watched, and was a little unnerved by the undisturbed stillness of the morning. Such tranquility seemed ominous to her, knowing that a violent conflict could erupt at any second.

The muggles aren't going to know what hit them, she thought grimly.

She rang the doorbell and waited patiently for it to be answered. Her form today was far more reserved than usual; her spiked pink hair was now long and black, and she was wearing a gray muggle pantsuit. Madam Bones had insisted that she look like a professional, someone whom a muggle family would take seriously. If they dismissed her as crazy, after all, it could very well cost them their lives.

Tonks was, truthfully, a little excited by the secret missions she was engaged in for Director Bones. Professor Dumbledore had no idea that she was reporting on the Order's activities, so she felt a bit like a double agent in one of the muggle spy novels her dad liked to read. She still felt a little conflicted about 'betraying' the Order, but on the whole she felt that Director Bones was doing far more than the Headmaster to prepare for a real conflict.

She and two other trustworthy Aurors had been tasked with warning the families of muggleborn wizards and witches of the potential danger they were in. They were to counsel the families to go on an extended holiday, or, if that wasn't possible, to move or stay with friends in a new location. It was too impractical to erect advanced protective wards around hundreds of muggle homes, so this was the best they could do under the circumstances.

She had already made four visits this morning, but this was the one she had been anticipating. This was the home of Hermione Granger.

Tonks had specifically requested the Granger home, more out of morbid curiosity than anything else. She knew of Hermione's former closeness to Harry, and wanted to meet the family of the girl who had betrayed him.

The door was eventually answered by a thin, pinched-looking woman with long, bushy hair. Her relationship to Hermione would be immediately obvious to any friend of Hermione's, although Mrs. Granger was thinner and had a more forbidding air.

"May I help you?" the woman asked cordially but curtly.

"Hullo, ma'am. Are you Miranda Granger, Hermione's mother?"

A momentary look of alarm washed over Miranda Granger's face. "I am. Is…is she alright? We haven't heard from her for awhile."

"Relax, Mrs. Granger, as far as I know she's fine. My name is Nymphadora Tonks, and I work for the Dept. of Magical Law Enforcement. May I have a few minutes of your time? It's important."

Mrs. Granger's face relaxed somewhat, and she stood aside to let Tonks enter her home.

"Please, come in. You said you were with law enforcement; surely Hermione isn't in any kind of trouble? She's always been an exemplary young lady."

Tonks was led through a lavish foyer and into a sitting room. The room looked cozy, but Tonks felt that it had a slightly artificial atmosphere. She sat hesitantly on the edge of an armchair that didn't look like it was made to be sat on.

"No, Mrs. Granger, Hermione isn't in any kind of trouble. But you may be in some danger. Is your husband at home? This will concern him too."

Miranda Granger frowned at the word 'danger.' "No, I'm afraid he isn't. He's at our practice today, and won't return until later tonight. What precisely is this about?" she asked impatiently.

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