Lady Tonks, Lord Potter

The million galleon question

"No! No way in bloody hell."

Everyone surrounding the pensieve at Gringotts looked at Nymphadora Tonks. They had just viewed a memory and had learned, via a rather unofficial looking parchment that apparently was official, that she was now contracted to marry Harry Potter. Her mother was the first to break the silence, as she knew exactly what it meant that her daughter's hair had turned a pale shade of green. Most people thought that when her hair turned red it meant that she was angry, but that was when Dora felt excited. Pale green, on the other hand...

"Dora, dear, let's go have a cup of tea..."

"I don't want any fucking tea!" She jerked her arm away from her mum and without another word stormed out of the room. As she made it out into the hallway she blinked her eyes several times to get used to the difference in light, which for some reason seemed to irritate her. Bloody goblins, couldn't they make the hallways easier to navigate? Probably did it on purpose to be intimidating. Little fuckers. As she made it to the main floor of Gringotts she heard them call to her. Who was that calling her Lady Black? Ron Weasley? Well fuck him, fuck Sirius for this awful fucking joke and fuck everything. The moment she exited Gringotts she took off her robe, threw it over her shoulder and Apparated away.

The moment she landed in the alleyway behind the Muggle club she knew that, for a few hours at least, she was going to forget that whole farce at Gringotts and just pretend that it did not happen whatsoever. With a slight look of determination on her face she turned her hair bubblegum pink, brought it up to her shoulders and had the ends flip up a bit. Once that was complete she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small leather wallet. To most of the population, magical and non-magical, it would simply look as if she had appropriated a man's wallet. In truth she had appropriated a man's wallet, a rather posh leather one, but with a few added features, specifically the accordion-folding photograph holder. Most people that carry wallets with photos fill the slots with photos of their loved ones. Tonks carried photographs of different men and women, references for when she wanted to use her metamorphagus skills. She flipped through the photos, finally landing on one that hadn't been used for a while.

The freckled girl with pink hair and a slight figure walked over to the bar, put down a crumpled ₤100 note and looked up at the shocked man wiping a glass with a rag. "Let me know when that's gone. Pint of bitter and a whiskey double, keep 'em coming."

-ooo-

Tonks' exit left everyone around the pensieve a bit stunned. Harry glanced from person to person, trying to make sense of it all. It was while watching Mr. Tonks calm down his wife that Harry had a startling thought; those two are going to be my in-laws.

"Harry?"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, looked up and saw Arthur Weasley giving him a chagrined look. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

Arthur shook his head slightly. "No, my boy, just Arthur please. I think we need to have a chat." He motioned to the chairs, glanced at Barkshield and nodded slightly. Once the goblin had informed the others that Harry required a bit of privacy they moved away, Molly quite reluctantly but after a glance from Arthur she acquiesced. Once they were alone again Arthur took a deep breath. "Bit to take in, isn't it?"

"A bit?" Harry snorted and shook his head. "Mental. It's all mental." He stopped suddenly and looked intently at Arthur. "Did you know about Sirius being Lord Black? And why has nobody ever told me about my dad being Lord Potter?"

Arthur's eyes widened and he exhaled loudly. "Whhhhppph. Well, I have to say Sirius surprised us all. I don't recall him ever saying he was Lord Black. If he did it, sorry, whenever he did it, becoming Lord Black, it must have been not too long before he passed. Knowing him as I did, mind, only recently, I don't believe it was something he would have spread about. Terribly stuffy business, being a Lord of a Noble House, Wizangamot seats, all the...oh dear." He winced. "Sorry, Harry. Forgot you're Lord Potter."