9 August, morning. Hogsmeade.

It is almost ten o'clock when Andromeda Apparates into the little side street next to the Three Broomsticks, and she is painfully aware that she is later than she'd planned to be, later than she should be. Malfoy Manor has a habit of throwing complications into one's path, and she has dallied rather longer than she'd planned, due to her concerns about Narcissa's health.

There is nothing she can do about it now though, except try not to be any later. She hitches the bag on her shoulder to a more comfortable position, then walks around to the Three Broomsticks' front entrance and pushes on the door. The bar is empty this early, but there is a young wizard with lank long blond hair polishing the tables in somewhat half-hearted fashion. He looks up to gape at her as she walks in.

"Good morning," she says. "I'm looking for Madam Rosmerta. Is she about?"

Without troubling to speak, the youth nods towards a corridor off to the right, and goes back to his polishing. She heads in the direction indicated, out of the bar and down a corridor, which turns off to the right again, before opening out into a small reception area with a highly polished counter. This faces a side door which is wedged open to allow air in to circulate around from the garden behind the pub. Madam Rosmerta is leaning against the counter, poring over paperwork with the young female wizard standing behind it. They both turn to look as Andromeda approaches.

"Hello," she says. "I'm Mrs Tonks. I've booked a room for three nights, starting from tonight. I know that it's rather too early for the room, but I have business elsewhere in Hogsmeade today and my bags are rather heavy. I was wondering whether perhaps I could check in now? Or at least leave my bags here until later?"

Madam Rosmerta looks thoughtful. "What room have we allocated to Mrs Tonks, Marigold? And was it occupied last night?"

Marigold pulls out a ledger from underneath the papers they are studying, and opens it at the page for today's date. "It's the Red Room, Madam Rosmerta. Hasn't bin nobody innit since Sunday."

"Very well, Marigold." Rosmerta smiles at her guest. "In that case, Mrs Tonks, we'll just have you sign the register and then you can leave your bags here and I'll have young Alistair take them up to your room for you." She clicks her fingers and the young girl rummages around behind the counter and hands her a piece of parchment. "Here you are then. Just fill this in and I'll give you the key to the room. Are you likely to be out late in the evenings?"

"Not tonight, I don't think," Andromeda says, thinking about it as she fills in her name and address details in the places indicated on the parchment by a fat red bouncing arrow that scurries around to point at the next field as she completes each one. "But my husband will be joining me tomorrow, and we have plans to go out to dinner. I don't know what time we'll be back afterwards."

Madam Rosmerta nods. "Then you'll be wanting a key to this side door as well. Make sure you add that to the keyring for the Red Room, Marigold." The girl nods her head vigorously, and picks a set of keys off a hook on the wall which she places on the counter in front of Andromeda. The keyring has three tiny red broomsticks hanging off it.

Andromeda signs her name with a flourish, and picks up the keys. "Is there anything else I need to do?"

Rosmerta runs her eye over the registration form. "No, everything is in order. Your husband won't be joining you until tomorrow, I think you said? So I take it that you will only require breakfast for one tomorrow morning?"

Andromeda agrees that that is the case. Then Rosmerta instructs Marigold to put her bags behind the counter for Young Alistair to take upstairs, and she thanks them both, heads out the door into the garden, through it to the side street, then into the main street, and on along the lane that heads towards Hogwarts.

She hurries a little, breaking into a jog once she leaves Hogsmeade itself behind. She is late, and she imagines that her daughter will already be waiting for her up at the house.