(no subject)

The wizarding district of Rome is nestled between the Forum and St. John Lateran, lost to Muggle eyes in a sea of alleys and ancient, cobblestoned streets. Nymphadora emerges from just such a shop, and walks down the street towards a small fountain. She pauses, looking first left and then right, keeping a keen eye out for a flash of golden hair in the warm, late summer sun.

(no subject)

"Tonks. Come with me." Allbright didn't even slow down as he passed her cubicle, merely beckoning her to follow him.

Blinking, Nymphadora dropped her quill and followed after him, shrugging in response to the questioning look Kingsley shot her from the water cooler.

Once she was inside his office, Allbright closed the door after her and waved her into a chair. "Sit. Listen, Tonks." The Auror leaned on the edge of his desk, arms crossed, and looked down at her gravely. "Prophet's got something on you. Reporter caught me outside Gringott's this moning and wanted a comment on your personal life. That, combined with you being followed the other night--"

"My personal life?" she interrupted, baffled. "What about my personal life?"

"Wanted to know if I'd ever seen you with a redheaded bloke. I told her it was none of her damn business, of course, because it isn't. None of mine, either," he added frankly.

"Christ." Nymphadora sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Bernard's got red hair. And he was with me in London during our honeymoon."

"Well, that's probably it, then. Like I said -- I didn't tell them anything, so there's no telling what they know, really. Probably not much. Someone saw you with him and made an idle reference to a friend of theirs at the paper. You know how it goes."

The witch looked up at him again, her hand tangled in her messy hair. "Reckon they know he's a Muggle?"

Allbright was quiet for a moment, and then nodded. "Reckon they probably do."

"Shite."

"Yep."