Jon Hart spent only a few short days in France.
He took the opportunity to visit several famous landmarks—Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Palace of Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower.
After receiving Madame Maxime's reply, he began preparing for his return to England.
With the Channel Tunnel officially opened in May 1994, it now took just over three hours to travel from Paris to London aboard the Eurostar express.
The trip itself was pleasant enough—but upon arriving in London, Jon ran into a bit of trouble.
...
The Eurostar train came to a stop at St. Pancras Station.
Jon stepped off the train and joined the crowd streaming toward the exits.
Suddenly, a woman's voice called from behind him.
"Hello, are you Mr. Christophe Patrick from Austria?"
"Hello—yes!" Jon turned around and saw a young woman in her early twenties.
She wore a Weird Sisters T-shirt and patched jeans—an odd but striking look. Her dark eyes gleamed as they scanned him up and down, and her bubblegum-pink hair was so bright it practically glowed.
In her hand, she held a small booklet.
"And you are...?" Jon asked warily, frowning slightly. His gaze dropped—and sure enough, a wand hung at her waist.
She looked like a witch—but how did she know his name?
The witch didn't answer his question. Instead, she glanced at the booklet again and said, "You're from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, coming to Hogwarts for a year as an exchange student, correct?"
"That's right," Jon confirmed with a nod.
"The Ministry of Magic received a letter from Beauxbatons yesterday," the witch explained briskly. "All foreign wizards entering England must undergo a hazardous materials inspection. Underage wizards also need to be registered."
"So... I have to go to the British Ministry of Magic with you?" Jon asked.
"Yes!" she replied, nodding. Then she extended a hand toward him with a bright grin. "You can call me Tonks—Auror of the British Ministry!"
They shook hands.
"Follow me," Tonks said cheerfully, waving for him to come along. "Let's head somewhere away from the Muggles first."
...
Tonks moved with an energetic spring in her step, and Jon had to work to keep up.
When they passed a large mirror, she suddenly stopped, eyeing her reflection critically.
"I don't think pink suits me," she said worriedly, tugging on a spiky strand of hair. "Don't you think it makes my face look too round?"
"It's... fine," Jon said cautiously.
"Right, that's what I thought," Tonks muttered, nodding gravely. Then she shut her eyes tightly, her face tensing with concentration... and a second later, her hair turned a deep violet.
"Much better, isn't it?" she said, tilting her head from side to side to admire herself in the mirror.
"Not bad," Jon admitted, before adding curiously, "You're a Metamorphmagus?"
"Exactly!" Tonks said proudly. "Means I can change my appearance however I want. During Auror training, I got top marks in concealment and disguise without even trying—pretty impressive, huh?"
They continued walking, Tonks chattering non-stop.
"I inherited it from my mum—she came from a rotten old pure-blood family. My dad's Muggle-born, though. What about your parents, Patrick?"
"They were both wizards," Jon said evenly. "They died when I was three."
"I'm so sorry," Tonks said quickly, looking apologetic.
But her silence didn't last long. Within half a minute, she was talking again.
"Exchange students at Hogwarts are pretty rare! I never met one while I was there... Oh, and you'll have to go through the Sorting Ceremony once you arrive. I hope you end up in Hufflepuff—my dad and I were both there. Slytherin's nice too—my mum came from that house..."
Jon lowered his voice, glancing nervously at the people around them. "Should we really be talking about wizards, Sorting, and Muggles out here in public?"
It was clear Tonks's loud voice had already drawn several curious looks from nearby passengers.
"Oh!" Tonks clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around.
"Sorry! This is my first solo mission... Auror training takes three years, and I only finished last November. Kingsley keeps saying I'm too reckless and clumsy, so he never lets me go out on my own..."
"I see," Jon said, speeding up a little, hoping to avoid attracting any more Muggle attention.
Inwardly, he had to admit—Kingsley Shacklebolt's assessment of Tonks was entirely accurate.
...
At last, they stepped out of the station and into a narrow, quiet alleyway.
"Can you Apparate?" Tonks asked.
Jon shook his head.
"Right, you're too young," she said, tapping her forehead. "Then just grab my arm."
Jon hesitated, reaching out with his right hand—only to pull it back immediately.
"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked uncertainly.
"Uh..." Tonks scratched her head. "It should be safe enough... I mean, I've never tried Apparating with someone else, but really, what could go wrong?"
Jon instinctively took a step back. Apparition was no joke—especially for the inexperienced. It could easily lead to serious accidents... missing limbs, decapitation, even being split in half.
If it were Dumbledore offering his hand, Jon wouldn't have hesitated. But Tonks... somehow didn't inspire the same level of confidence.
"How about we just take the Underground?" he suggested cautiously.
"Brilliant idea!" Tonks said brightly, her eyes lighting up. "The Muggle subway, right? I've never been on one before!"
...
Jon wasn't entirely sure bringing Tonks on the Underground was the better idea.
By the end of the journey, he was fairly sure they'd broken several clauses of the International Statute of Secrecy.
Tonks acted like an overexcited child—first marveling at a single coin token, then lingering forever at the ticket gate, and nearly pulling out her wand at the sight of a poster featuring a bikini model.
Still, it was arguably the safer option for getting to the Ministry of Magic.
Finally, they arrived on a desolate little street lined with a few shabby office buildings, a small pub, and a bus.
Behind the bus stood an old, battered red telephone booth.