Beat the Clock

Lupin and Tonks hurried to the second floor and followed a strange series of noises.

Ching. Eek! Thud. Ching. Eek! Thud.

This cacophony changed by the time they reached the door to the room that housed the library at number twelve.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

They peered inside to find Hermione and Ginny crouching behind Ron and Harry who in turn were crouching behind a rather tired and worn looking Chesterfield couch. Hermione and Ginny were no longer squealing, although the boys seemed to whining about stomped toes.

Steel bolts were being ejected by the rather staid Grandfather clock on the east wall. The hickory clock stood over two meters tall and the Roman numerals on its face held a sinister slant. The glass door of the case would open as another round of bolts serving as weights for the mechanism would fly.

But the bolts were being repelled quite successfully by the Gryffindor beaters: Fred and George Weasley. Lupin soon realized that the clubs they wielded were actually the wooden feet from the hapless rolling chair by the roll top desk. The leather chair resembled an overturned spider who had its legs ripped off.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

The Grandfather clock would eject the bolts and the twins would systematically send them back. Instead of battering the timepiece, the glass door would open to swallow the weighted bolts.

"Immobilus." Tonks and Lupin called the spell.

The Grandfather clock ignored it and sent another round of bolts.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

"It didn't work," hissed Tonks, but then whistled. "Wow! Fred and George are great beaters."

The twins heard the appreciative whistle and attacked the next set of bolts with zeal. They were having no trouble connecting since the trajectory of the bolts was unchanging.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

"What the hell?" asked Sirius as he appeared at the doorway.

"We were just passing by it when it started flinging bolts," Ginny said as she ducked behind Harry again.

"But it won't let us move. It sends the bolts right after us," added Harry.

"At least the twins are having fun," observed Sirius as Fred and George knocked their makeshift beater clubs together in victory. Another volley soon began.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

Lupin turned to Sirius. "We can't freeze it, so it's been protected. Do you know the history of the clock?"

Sirius frowned for a moment, but before he could respond, Tonks asked, "Where's Molly?"

"She said she needed a nice, long, undisturbed shower when she finished scourgifying the twins," said Hermione. She was using Ron as a second shield, but had to stand up a bit to be seen. Something long was wrapped around her neck.

"What's that thing around your throat? It's not a snake, is it?" asked Sirius. Something in the back of his mind had set off an alarm.

"It's NOT a snake," said Hermione in an offended tone. "It's a scarf!"

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. The twins were starting to do some fancy clubwork, but the bolts just retreated back into the clock.

"Of course, the scarf! I remember now," proclaimed Sirius. "The clock was bought in the late 1800's by my crazy, great-great-Uncle Corvus Black."

"He was a collector?" asked Lupin.

"No, he was bloody insane! Claimed to be from some planet--Gladfly? Garrily? Gallifrey? Anyway, the old codger lived forever. He demanded to be called Master and had very peculair habits even for a Black. He would try to squeeze himself into the Grandfather clock."

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

"Well that's an interesting fetish," quipped Tonks.

"No, he honestly thought he could time travel in it," said Sirius.

"What does the scarf have to do with any of this? Was he afraid of wool?" asked Lupin.

"No, he was afraid of people wearing long scarves. Claimed they were his arch enemies, especially this one poor chap who worked as a baker on Diagon Alley."

Lupin and Tonks exchanged a glance, but shook their head quickly.

Tonks called, "Hermione, you need to get rid of that scarf. Toss it away from you and run to the door. Fred, George, let the bolts target the scarf."

The adults could hear some squabbling from the teens.

"But I spent hours--"

"You kept tripping on it," said Ron as he grabbed one of the ends.

"You can knit another." Harry had taken hold of the other end.

"Don't strangle her," cautioned Ginny.

"Hey!" Hermione was clearly offended at her treatment, but especially at the way her hair had frizzed as the boys tried to tug the scarf off of her. She smiled a bit when the static electricity shocked Ron, but then gasped when in inadvertent tug almost choked her again.

"She's got to breathe!" admonished Ginny as she pulled the boys' hands away and unwound the scarf.

Harry quickly threw the scarf into the corner. They made a mad dash to the door while Fred and George kept between their escape and the Grandfather clock.

The bolts slammed into the scarf and lay still as Lupin and Tonks sealed the door. Sirius and the twins remained with them. They watched in fascination as the bolts suddenly levitated and returned to the safe haven of the Grandfather clock.

Silence. Squawk!

"Looks like the fun is over. I'm going back up to Buckbeak before he gets any more upset." Sirius turned as they heard another squawk from the hippogriff.

The twins looked askance at Lupin and Tonks. Fred spoke first. "Is this it, then? We just let the clock act up anytime it wants?"

"So far it's been a fun afternoon, disregarding the stinky bit," said George.

"You're right. That clock is dangerous," said Tonks.

"We need to nullify its ability to launch bolts," added Lupin, "I think I can discover how to subdue the clock if I can just get that spell book on the low shelf," he said as he pointed to the far wall. "Magical Mechanical Menaces."

"You can read the title from here?" asked Tonks in disbelief as she squinted her eyes.

"No, I recognized the binder on the book. It's the bright purple that gives it away."

Tonks and the twins nodded as they understood how Lupin was able to detect the book. In the meantime, Lupin looked at the clock with suspicion before taking a step forward.

Ching. Whack. Slam.

"I don't think it likes people with brown hair," muttered Fred as he lowered his club.

"Here, I'll go." Tonks took three steps forward.

Ching. Whack. Slam.

"I don't think it likes anyone passing in front of it now," offered George as he twirled his club in his hand.

"Maybe if I stay low," began Tonks. She dropped to her hands and knees and wriggled forward, keeping the Chesterfield couch between her and the clock. It was obvious that the Auror had a very trim derriere.

And it was apparent that the twins were noticing this. While Lupin wouldn't call it leering, exactly, Fred and George were staring appreciatively at the feminine form of their comrade as she crawled to the bookshelf.

The twins soon felt a large hand on top of their heads turning them to face the clock.

"Keep your attention on the right target, boys."

"Hold on. You're not our professor anymore," whispered George.

"That's right, you can't tell us what to do," hissed Fred as he joined his brother in trying to stare down Lupin. Of course, both had to tilt their heads up to accomplish this.

"I may not be your professor, but I am still a werewolf," said Lupin with a pleasant smile.

"Right, then." "Good point." The twins were now enraptured with watching the clock, but their sentry duty now seemed more important than ogling Tonks assets.

Tonks extracted the volume quickly after rapping her head on the edge of the shelf in her haste to retrieve the item. Rather than crawl back with it, she tossed it toward Lupin.

The force of her throw would have sent the book tumbling downward several feet shy of her target had Lupin not raised his hand to catch the book. Tonks knew he liked to cover up his use of wandless magic, although the twins were maintaining sufficient vigilance to make Moody proud.

Tonks scurried forward in a low crouch to settle by Lupin who was down on one knee with the open book. The twins maintained their guard.

"What are you looking for? That's not a volume that Aurors have to learn," said Tonks. Her head was peering directly over Lupin's shoulder.

"It contains obscure spells and counter-spells to use on mechanical objects. You have to interface the physics and the magic. Ah, here it is."

He pointed to the passage and Tonks looked at him in disbelief. "Remus, that's very complicated. How are we going to coordinate all this?"

"Just a bit of improvisation and a lot of help. Go get the others. We'll need Pigwideon and Crookshanks, too."

- - - - - - - - - - -

"But what if he eats him?" asked Ron with concern. He eyed Crookshanks suspiciously, especially when the cat licked its chops as he looked at the owl.

"Don't worry, Ron. As a mouse, Pig will scurry along fast enough," said Tonks. All the teenagers in the household were now gathered around Lupin and Tonks in the hallway outside of the library. Molly and Sirius had elected to leave the taming of the clock to them.

"Now remember, timing is everything," said Lupin. "You know your assignments. Fred, George, go."

Fred nodded. He had the long scarf wrapped around his neck to ensure the clock's attention. He walked forward two steps before the first bolts came flying out at him. In the meantime, George scurried along the wall to approach the clock. He perched on an armchair near it and leaned over to adjust the face of the clock to the time indicated by the spell book.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

Fred was beating back the bolts with furious movements as they suddenly proliferated. One bolt ricocheted so that George felt it whiz by his face before it entered the clock. He sent his twin a glare reserved for Slytherins since he couldn't shout at him, but Fred was oblivious.

George adjusted the hands on the clock face quickly just as Fred tossed the scarf away and leapt toward the safety of the doorway.

Lupin was peering at the hands on the clock and nodded. "Perfect. That should give us just enough time. Ron, put your owl on the table."

Ron put Pig on the table. The little owl was about to flutter away when Tonks waved her wand and transformed Pig into a mouse. The mouse scurried along the tabletop as if wondering why he couldn't fly.

"Go now," ordered Lupin. The twins suddenly leapt in front of the clock, taunting it to fling bolts up at them as decoys for the activity on the floor.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

Ron took the mouse off the table. He and Harry then got on the floor on their stomachs to approach the clock from the right. Ron held Pig while Harry had his own club to beat down any stray bolts.

In the meantime, Ginny and Hermione approached the clock from the left in a crawl that mirrored the boys. Hermione was carrying Crookshanks who was trying to twist out of her hand to get at his prey, but Hermione hung onto him tenaciously. Ginny had a club in her hand in case bolts should fly their way.

Lupin and Tonks watched with some amusement as the teens slithered to their goal. Fred and George were leaping about trying not to kick their younger siblings and friends as they deflected the bolts.

Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam. Ching. Whack. Slam.

"Release Pig now," called Lupin as he checked his wristwatch.

Ron bit his lip, but did as he was told. Hermione immediately released Crookshanks who began to chase Pig. Rather than run up the clock, the silly creature began to run in a circle.

"If only Pig could fly," muttered Lupin, but a mouse is what the spell required.

Harry looked at Lupin and made a gesture with his hand. Lupin quickly nodded his approval, so Harry picked Pig up and tossed him up toward the clock.

The mouse clutched at the wood only to find Crookshanks literally on his tail. Pig began to run up the clock.

"Chant the spell!" Tonks hoped they remembered it.

"Hikauree dikauree dauk." The young voices cried in unison.

The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, which had an odd effect on Crookshanks. The entire feline body seemed to shake with the same resonance. This gave the mouse a chance to run down while the teens again chanted, "Hikauree dikauree dauk."

Ron grabbed Pig just before Crookshanks recovered sufficiently to finish the chase. The chiming seemed to extend for a time and began ringing in everyone's ear. The teens pressed against the floor and covered their ears with their hands. Even Fred and George were bent over at the sound.

Tonks could see the wince that shot through Lupin and wondered if his hearing was sensitive to the noise.

Then suddenly, there was silence.

Harry looked up first, but waited for Lupin's nod before helping up his friends. In the meantime, Lupin and Tonks approached the Grandfather clock for a final inspection.

"I think it's fixed," remarked Lupin. The Roman numerals now sat with appropriate angles. Lupin checked his wristwatch and adjusted the clock to the right time. Nothing happened.

"I'm going to miss the old fellow," said Fred with a note of sadness.

"Yeah, we haven't had to deal with this many projectiles since our last game against Slytherin," said George.

"Keep him away, Hermione," warned Ron. Crookshanks seemed to find it amusing to harass the transmuted owl.

"Here we go," said Tonks. She flicked her wand and the owl gave a hoot of surprise. Pig immediately began preening himself. "You can go help your Mum with dinner now."

There was mild complaining from the teens, but they walked away rehashing the recent events. It was a memorable afternoon at Grimmauld Place.

- - - - - - - -

After dinner, Tonks and Lupin cleared the dishes. She looked at the time and sighed. "I'll come up and help you pack. It looks like we've run out of time for an on the spot quiz before your train leaves."

"Packing won't take long," assured Lupin.

But when they entered his room, Tonks found herself embraced in his arms. She closed her eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the feeling of his solid chest. She pulled away to lead him to sit on the bed but was thoughtful for a moment as she held his hand.

"This is what it's going to be like, you know. Between our responsibilities to the Order and my job, we might have little more than stolen moments. And we don't know how long this war will last." Tonks voice had a note of regret.

"You don't think it's worth the trouble?" asked Lupin. He tucked his fingers under he chin and tilted her head so she would look at him.

"Aren't you the least bit disappointed at how little time we had together?"

"Yes, I am, but it's worth it to swing by London between my missions just to have one moment with you," said Lupin sincerely. "I also want to check up on Sirius, but you're the one who's constantly on my mind."

As a reward for his confession, she kissed him tenderly. She ended the kiss and let her head fall on his shoulder for a moment.

"I check up on Sirius when my schedule allows, so don't worry." She sighed, "I just wanted to give you a proper send off, if you know what I mean."

Lupin quickly understood and kissed her to convey this. Then he pulled away and said, "You can indeed give me a proper send off. Walk with me to the train station? I haven't had anyone to wave good-bye since I was in school."

Tonks smiled brightly. "I"ll meet you a few blocks away. You'll know me, don't worry."

- - - - - - - - -

"Now, Johnniekins, remember not to talk to strange women while you're away," said the old crone with the silver hair and bright eyes.

The tall man leaned into her and responded, "I'll be a perfect gentleman, Auntie Nyms, don't you worry."

He kissed her chastely on the forehead before he moved to the train. As he was about to enter the car, he turned to her for one last look over his shoulder. That bashful smile was in place, but with a last wave of his hand, he was gone.

Tonks felt her heart swell for a moment. Mission accomplished. She had gotten her wish of sending Lupin off with a smile but sex had not entered into it at all. Still, she couldn't deny the intimacy she felt as they had walked to the station. Stolen moments were inherently precious, she thought.

And as she made her way home, the other pedestrians smiled at the spry step with which the old woman walked.

The End

Author Notes;

There is no specific library that I remember at number twelve, so I just made up a room on the second floor because of the furniture I wanted to include in the story. Weird, perhaps, but then so are the Doctor Who references throughout the story. Yes, it was a direct reference to the character of the Master. And of course, who can resist a nursery rhyme? Well, actually, most of you probably can, but I'm a sucker.

Thanks for reading!