Nymphadora Tonks was sprawled across the couch in her living room. It had been a rough week for everyone in the wizarding world, but it was worse when you were an Auror. Everyone was doing double shifts and this left very little time for a life. Tonks was trying to sneak some time with Remus Lupin since he had finally accepted that they loved each other. Most of the time, she ended up eating the food he had prepared for her and then slept in his arms.

A pile of Chocolate Frogs was on the table beside her. Two wrappers and Chocolate Frog Cards lay beside the pile. Remus knew that she had been part of a confrontation with Dementors that morning, so he had lots of chocolate waiting for her when she got home. He was in the kitchen making up something a little more filling while she was supposed to be dozing and waiting to eat.

Albus Dumbledore smiled up at her from one of the cards. He looked happy and cheerful. A wave of sorrow flashed through her as she remembered how the blow the loss of Dumbledore had been to the entire Wizarding community in Britain. He would be glad to know that he was still on the cards. A wave of hope and peace flowed through Tonks as she looked into those wise eyes.

Tonks let her gaze wonder over to the other card. The name Morgan le Fay was printed across the bottom, but the witch wasn’t immediately visible. As Tonks studied the card, she realized that Morgan was there, but in the shadows. Tonks felt something sinister and dark when she looked at the card.

Tonks let her head fall back and rest on the couch cushion. She then returned her gaze to the article she had been reading in the Daily Prophet. Thinking about contents, she reached over to the table and picked up the Chocolate Frog Card of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore would have been thrilled to read the article on Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Knowing the joy and laughs that Fred and George Weasley were spreading would have made him proud to be one of their professors, considering the paper was usually filled with deaths and news about attacks, Tonks had to applaud the Daily Prophet for spreading some good news and cheer for once.




Tonks woke with a start when she heard tapping coming from the window. Exhaustion must have caught up with her for she had fallen asleep. Slowly, she rose from the couch and walked over towards the window. Halfway there, she tripped over the side table and ended up face down on the carpet. Her yell as she fell brought Remus out of the kitchen.

“Tonks, are you okay?” Remus asked with concern.

“I’m fine, could you just open the window. Some owl is outside trying to get in,” Tonks replied as she pulled herself off the floor. Her shin was really smarting from the blow it received as she fell.

Remus opened the window and the owl flew over and landed on the back of the couch by Tonks. It held its leg out and Tonks carefully untied the letter. After she took the message, the owl immediately took flight and quickly exited the way it came. Remus closed the window after it.

Tonks unrolled the letter to find purple parchment that had a familiar watermark she couldn’t place.

Ms. Tonks,

I’m proud to announce that you have won the Quibbler’s Sweetest Sweet Tour. You will be given tours of several sweet factories around Britain and given a year’s supply of free sweets. The catch is that you must find a hidden clue at each of the factories. Your first clue is hidden at the bottom of this letter and will lead you to the next one.

The first of the tours will happen at 3pm on Friday August 4th at the Chocolate Frog Factory. You may bring one guest with you.

Once again, Congratulations, and good luck with the hunt!

Verona Pectorin
Junior Editor

PS Your clue is: I’m best known for enchanting men. Beasts are my company. Find my statue and comprehend, the pigs are pigs no more.

Tonks looked at Remus in surprise. She never won anything. This was going to be fun. That was when she realized it was 2:30 pm on August 4th. She had ½ hour to get to the Chocolate Frog Factory.

“Wow! I can’t believe my luck! Would you go with me?” Tonks asked Remus.

“Go with you where?” Remus asked.

Tonks handed him the letter. Remus read through it, and smiled. “Sure I’ll go with you. I’m glad that you have the weekend off. This will be a nice relaxing way to spend it.”




Twenty minutes later, Remus and Tonks were standing in front of her fireplace and ready for some fun and sweets. Both took a pinch of Floo powder and were shortly spinning through the Floo Network.

Tonks stumbled as she landed, but Remus caught her since he had arrived first. She looked around the room in which she found herself. A large sign stood next to the fireplace, which read Welcome to the Chocolate Frog Factory

Seven people were blocking the main door and each held a picket sign. They were chanting, “Stop the injustice, no more Gnomes!”

Remus looked at Tonks and said, “Looks like things aren’t going well here.”

“I didn’t know that they were having work problems.” Tonks looked at the workers in concern.

A tall man came out of the doors and tried to get the workers to leave. “Please everyone go home. There is nothing to protest here.”

A woman stepped up and started to argue, “What do you mean? More of the workers are being replaced by Gnomes everyday! Every one of the workers in there should be protesting with us!”

“Well, there are seven less workers now to worry about,” an elderly man said as he joined the taller man. “You have all been replaced. Gnomes now hold your positions. Leave now or I will have to call security to make you leave.”

The tall man looked up and saw Remus and Tonks standing there. “You must be the winners of the Sweetest Sweet contest. I apologize for this rabble. Please come in and enjoy our gallery while we clear up this mess.

Remus and Tonks were ushered through the doors and into a gallery with statues and paintings. All the artwork seemed to be of people from the Chocolate Frog Cards. Tonks saw Dumbledore’s statue right away, and had to fight back tears.

Tonks pulled out the letter to read the clue. It had to be someone in this room.

Remus read it again over her shoulder. “If I’m not mistaken, this is referring to Circe.”

“Do you see her anywhere?” Tonks asked.

Remus looked around for a moment and gently pulled Tonks towards a statue in the corner. “This is her.”

Tonks saw a pig at her feet and felt around it. On its belly was another piece of purple parchment. As she pulled it off, a stunning charm flew over her head. Remus and Tonks ducked behind the statue. It seemed that the protesters were putting up a fight before leaving.

“I think we better get out of here. I would have loved to tour the factory, but I’ll just take this clue and get out of here. Aurors should be headed here shortly to break this up. I don’t think we can take care of this situation ourselves. There are too many people involved, plus it is finally my weekend off.” Tonks ran towards the statue of Dumbledore, but pain flashed through her back and everything went dark before she made it.




Tonks woke to a dim room. There were lots of little moving creatures around, and it took a moment for her to realize that it was full of Gnomes. She squinted and tried to get a feeling for what she was facing. Her eyes strained to see through the dimness surrounding her.

Little beds lined the walls. Tonks realized she must be in the dormitories for the Gnome workers. How she got there, she had no clue. Nine different colored doors left the room at various places.

“Psst, Tonks, can you hear me?” someone asked from her pocket.

Tonks started with surprise and looked in the pocket. She pulled out Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog Card and studied it after realizing nothing else was in that pocket.

Dumbledore stared directly at her and to her surprise, started talking. “Remus said that you had been carried away, but he was unable to help you. He is still in the gallery. Somehow by talking to my statue, he was able to bring awareness to this card. He needs you to try to find your way back to him.” The portrait of Dumbledore seemed to concentrate somewhere else for a moment, and then continued, “The fighting has moved to different parts of the factory, so be careful and keep you eyes open for trouble. “

“Tell him I’ll do my best to be there quickly. Thank you for your help!” Tonks studied the doors for a moment, and picked a pink one that exited the room across from where she had been laying.

Tonks emerged into a vast room that smelled strongly of sugar. The smell was so overwhelming it was making her feel sick in her stomach. Huge mounds of candy lay all around and reached from the floor up to the ceiling, and it took her just a moment to realize that each pile was a different combination of Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Beans.

Singing filled the room and Tonks stopped to listen to the high-pitched voices.

We work all day and we play all night,
Fun shall come in the bright sun light.
Lots of candy will we color bright!
Gnomes work away from the garden.

Candy Apple will we color red,
Grass is green and we head to bed.
Blood is rare but throughout we spread,
Gnomes work away from the garden.

Puke is one most people find gross,
Strawberry is the one people love the most.
A mild one is the flavour toast,
Gnomes work away from the garden.

A different taste is the sense of pine,
Then to pickle is the taste of brine.
The adults love the hint of wine,
Gnomes work away from the garden.

Mix and match for your favorite pair,
Boogey ones we have found quite rare.
Cantaloupe we must now prepare,
Gnomes work away from the garden.

We have little need for a rest or break,
There is so much that we have at stake.
Dozing is something we have to fake,
Gnomes work away from the garden.

It took a few verses for Tonks to realize that the Gnomes were singing about the Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Beans, but inserted a verse about their work conditions every few verses. Many of the lines had to do with different flavours, and many of which Tonks was glad she had never found. She did think she would like to try one of the wine flavoured ones sometime.

Tonks started moving through the room and saw lines of Gnomes working around several of the piles. As she walked towards the door on the opposite side of the room, she heard deep laughter coming from inside a pile slightly bigger then average one in the room. Beans were being shaken off and rolling all over the floor.

Tonks watched for a moment, but her curiosity got the better of her. She moved in closer to see what or who was laughing.

Tonks walked around the pile, and found that there was what appeared to be a doorway. Slowly she moved until she could see what was inside the pile. What she saw surprised her.

Remus was standing in front of what looked like a huge Gnome. Beside Remus stood a house elf dressed in a clean candy sack that seemed to be acting as his guide. The Gnome was studying the two as if considering an answer.

“Remus, how did you get here? I thought you were going to wait in the room where I last saw you.” Tonks said as she walked in to join them.

“Tonks! You have no idea how glad I am to find you.” Remus turned and gave Tonks a hug and kiss. “I was going to wait, but that was before I talked to Libby here.” Remus indicated the House Elf.

“Libby is sorry Miss, but without a guide, it is unlikely Miss would find the same door.” Libby looked happily at Tonks. “The factory is huge, and many are the dormitories. I’se saw Blink help carry you away and thought his was the dormitory you’d be placed in, and it seems Libby was right.”

“Guess you don’t need my help now, Libby. I shall go back to my nap. It was nice meeting the humans. I had a nice laugh,” the giant Gnome said. “Come back to visit and tell me how your adventures end.”

“That we shall, thank you for listening to my story.” Remus offered his hand to the tall Gnome before turning and leading Tonks from inside the pile.

Tonks looked baffled and asked, “What was that all about?”

“Shorty there is the reason the Gnomes help make the candy. He is very smart for a Gnome and decided that he would like to do something other then invade gardens. Contacting the owners of the factory, he made arrangements to give the owners cheap labor in exchange he gets all the candy he can eat. It seems that candy can really help Gnomes grow.” Remus laughed as they walked into a hallway.

“Shorty? Why are tall or big people or creatures called Shorty?” Tonks asked no one in particular. “I wouldn’t have thought this factory to be so big.”

Gnomes were walking up and down the hallways, humming as they went. Tonks’ eyes were drawn to the window and almost popped out of her head. The building they were in was huge. There was no way it was just the Chocolate Frog Factory. It was too huge to be devoted to just one candy.

“Most Masters don’t realize that all wizarding candies are made in one factory,” Libby cheerfully explained. “This factory has one hundred floors and one hundred rooms devoted to making candy!”

Tonks stood still to ponder this announcement. That was a lot of candy!

“It took me a minute to comprehend how much that was too!” Remus laughed at the look on her face. “Talking to Dumbledore’s statue helped a bit. There is some connection between that statue and all of his Chocolate Frog Cards. All seem to have a small part of the man we all loved in them.”

“How long was I out that you had time to get up here and talk to a statue?” Tonks asked in amazement.

“A few hours would be my guess. I’m surprised you are moving. That looked like a powerful Stunning Charm that hit you.” Remus answered. “You should see the statue in the courtyard! It is more lifelike then the ones we saw earlier.”

Tonks looked out of the window again, and down into the courtyard. A huge statue stood there, and Tonks moved closer to get a better look. The statue was of a stately looking woman and man. Tonks had no idea who they were, but she did recognize the coat of arms that rested in front of them. It had been watermarked on the letter she had received from the Quibbler. It was also on the front of the parchment she had found attached to the pig statue when she came to the factory.

“Remus, do you know what happened to the parchment that I had found when we got here? It wasn’t on me when I woke up,” Tonks looked to Remus in excitement.

“Oh, I found it on the ground after you had disappeared. Here it is.” Remus pulled the trampled parchment from a pocket in his robes.

Tonks took the parchment and opened it.

Tonks,
As you can tell, the contest was a bit of a ruse. We needed a way to get you to the factory without getting anyone else’s attention. You went to school with me, and I knew you had trained as an Auror. I was hoping I could get your help. Death Eaters have taken over parts of the factory. I am being kept as a prisoner in my office on the Fizzing Whizbees floor.

It is the Death Eaters who have fired many of the workers. They don’t want any wizards or witches left to report their hold on the factory. The Gnomes are innocent, but you can’t expect any help from them. Libby can help you find me and get around the factory.

Please be careful. Suspect any human worker to be a Death Eater.

Thank You!
Caitlyn Hurst

Tonks finished reading the letter and knew she had to help. “Remus, there are Death Eaters here. Caitlyn was a close friend of mine from school. I had recognized the coat of arms, but I had no idea from where before I read this letter. It has been so long since I saw her and I’ve been so tired that I was unable to remember how I knew it. We have to help her!”

“We can’t do this on our own. We need to get some help. I’ll send my Patronus to rally the Order.” Remus turned to Libby and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? I could have had help here already.”

Libby looked sad now. “Mistress said to tell Miss Tonks only, sir. I knew you was with her, but I couldn’t go against Mistress.”

“I understand Libby.” Remus said as he sent his Patronus off. “Where is it that your mistress is being held?”

“I’se take you sir, miss.” Libby answered.

Remus and Tonks followed Libby up and down several corridors. Tonks was all turned around after just a few turns. They did find two Death Eaters on their way. Remus and Tonks saw them before being seen, so they stunned them and left them tied in a side room. Libby said she would remember where they were to pick them up later.

Libby stopped in a staircase just before the ground level. “This is the floor Mistress’ office is on. There will be lots of bad people here. Most of them hang out here when they aren’t going to steal candies.”

“We better wait for the Order to arrive then.” Remus stepped into a small alcove and pulled Tonks with him.

“I can go on ahead. I’ll disguise myself as one of those men we stunned. I need to make sure that Caitlyn is ok.” Tonks changed her looks as Remus looked on.

“You know you are a little shorter then both of them,” Remus observed.

“I know what I’m doing! Don’t treat me like a child. I’m an Auror, and you better not forget it,” Tonks retaliated and Remus took a step back to let her pass.

Tonks entered the room and headed towards the door Libby had indicated was Caitlyn’s from the doorway. Luckily, no one seemed to pay her any mind and she made it without incident. She unlocked the door with a simple charm and entered.

Caitlyn was sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up and her head hidden in her lap. She gasped when Tonks entered, but relief and shock showed on her face as Tonks returned to her normal appearance.

“Tonks! I knew you would make it in to save me. Please don’t tell me you came alone. There are so many of them!” Caitlyn said after Tonks had locked the door from the inside and cast a charm to keep sound in but would still allow them to hear what went on outside the door.

“No, my friend Remus is in the corridor with Libby, and we have lots of friends on the way. They should be here shortly. How were they able to get control here?” Tonks asked.

“One of them had been working here for years. He earned father’s trust and became manager of several of the floors. His name is Montgomery. No one ever calls him by his first name, so I don’t even know what it is. I think he was one of the Death Eaters that managed to avoid Azkaban by claiming he was under the Imperius Curse,” Caitlyn said. “After You-Know-Who returned to power, he was in the position to hire anyone he wanted. Slowly he found reasons to fire the normal workers and replaced them with either Gnomes or other Death Eaters. He isn’t too happy now though. One of the Death Eaters that escaped from Azkaban took control from him, and that was when I was imprisoned.”

“Someone else has to be in charge now. All the Death Eaters that escaped before with the exception of Bellatrix Lestrange are back in Azkaban, where they belong.” Tonks informed Caitlyn. “Do you know where they are holding your wand?”

Caitlyn paused for a moment. “There is a new guy that seems to be in charge. The last time I saw my wand, he had it in his possession.”

“Hmmm, I bet I’ll know him when I see him. Sounds like they have a lot of interest in the factory, but I have no idea why.” Tonks paused, thinking hard.

“I over heard them talking. They want to put potions in the candies to control, kill, and injure the population. Because they took over without anyone knowing, it might have been a success.” Caitlyn said. “I think the first shipment went out today. They were waiting until they had a bunch made to put them all out at once. Hopefully we can stop all the contaminated candies before they do any harm, or my family will be ruined.”

“That makes sense. It would have a bigger impact that way.” Tonks thought out loud.

Flashes of spells all of a sudden caught Tonks’ eyes through the door window. She looked out and saw the cavalry had arrived. Remus was behind a crate firing stunning spells. Fred and George Weasley were setting off fireworks that seemed to be chasing Death Eaters and wrapping them in fire. When one victim shot water at the fire, it seemed to be fueled stronger. Bill Weasley was disarming the people that George and Fred caught. Moody was firing Body-Bind Curses wildly.

Tonks finally saw two Death Eaters she recognized. Alecto and Amycus Carrow were sneaking towards a side door. She opened the door to the office and fired stunning charms at them before they could escape.

The fighting was over with very quickly. The Order had taken the Death Eaters by surprise. Caitlyn and Tonks went over to where the Carrows were laying. Caitlyn searched Amycus and pulled her wand out of his pockets.

Remus walked over and levitated the Carrows over to where Moody was gathering the rest of the prisoners. Moody was casting Anti-Apparation spells and sending them to Azkaban by the look of things.

“Thank you so much for your help Tonks! Now we have to find the contaminated sweets and destroy them. You have saved my family’s name and reputation, along with lots of children and sweet lovers.” Caitlyn smiled. “I hope that you will allow me to show you my appreciation. I hope you and your friends can come to my house for dinner tomorrow night.”

“I will invite them all. Do you still live at the same address? I remember visiting you that one summer. We had all sorts of fun playing pranks on your parent’s friends. I guess owning a candy factory they have always had a special place in their hearts for children.” Tonks laughed.

Caitlyn seemed lost in memory for a moment. “Oh yes. They opened several orphanages all over the country. They were always sending candy to hospitals. Mom had always wanted more children, but though they tried it never happened.”

Tonks smiled as Remus headed back to where she was talking with Caitlyn. “This is Remus Lupin, the man who has stolen my heart. Remus, this is Caitlyn Hurst.”

Remus blushed as he walked over and held his hand out to Caitlyn. “So, you were one of Tonks school friends. You’ll have to share some stories with me sometime. I would love to hear about how she was at school. Hurst? Are you related to Declan?”

“Declan is my Uncle! Do you know Aunt Binne too?” Caitlyn exclaimed with excitement.

“Know them! We visit them all the time. Who do you think made me these robes?” Remus laughed.

“That is Aunt Binne for you! Always giving and asking nothing in return.” Caitlyn said.




After finally getting some rest, Tonks was ready to head to Caitlyn’s for the promised dinner. Remus and the Weasleys would be joining them there. Moody was on duty this weekend and therefore couldn’t come.

Tonks tapped herself on the head with her wand and found herself standing outside the mansion that she remembered from her visit there when at school. Remus appeared beside her a moment later. She turned when she heard something behind her and was bombarded with four plummeting meringues. Remus jumped back in surprise, but found himself splattered too.

Laughter came from a window over the door. Caitlyn was hanging out of it laughing so hard she started to fall. Her laughter stopped abruptly as she felt herself falling.

Before Tonks or Remus could react, a huge cushion appeared and Caitlyn started to laugh again as she bounced and then slid herself to the ground. A man with salt-and-pepper hair walked out of the door with a huge grin on his face.

“You really need to have better control when enjoying your jokes! You don’t want to end up a victim of yourself,” Declan Hurst laughed at his niece.

Caitlyn looked ashamed for a moment, but then smiled impishly at her Uncle. “I just had to test your reflexes.”

Declan cleaned Remus and Tonks off before giving them a hug. “Binne wished she could be here, but there will be too many people. She sends her love, and dessert!”

As they walked inside, Tonks couldn’t help but feel everything would be ok. Love and laughter was flourishing, even with Voldemort’s effort to eradicate both. She pulled Remus close and hoped that Declan, the head of the love room in the Department of Mysteries, would soon be joining Remus and her in marriage. First she had to convince Remus to ask her…