Title: Shift
Author name: IckleRonniekins
Author email: ickleronniekinz@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: PG-13-R. R to be on the safe side.
Summary: Power: some have it, some want it, and some have to take it in order to survive. Dark and twisted Bellatrix/Tonks.
Disclaimers: Anything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling and a number of large corporations. I am, alas, not making any money here.
This fic was written for Lasair's HP Flashficathon over on LiveJournal, and the pairing was chosen for me by eleret.
Many thanks to everyone who reviewed over on LJ - your words of encouragement mean the world to me.
* * *
When Tonks awoke, all that she could be sure of was that she was still alive, because surely if she was dead she wouldn't be laying face down in the dark, cold and hurt and scared. As a child she'd never been afraid of the dark, teasing her little brothers about the monsters hiding under the bed. But this darkness terrified her, as only the darkness of an unfamiliar place can. It was eerily silent, and she knew that real monsters lay in wait not too very far away. Human monsters.
Heightened by the dense blackness, her other senses were buzzing. Her face was pressed against a flagged stone floor, and the atmosphere was chilly and humid, suggesting that she was below ground level. The strong stench of damp and decay crawled up her nostrils like some slimy creature, and caused her lungs to hitch. All the while, she was aware of the salty-sweet tang of blood in her mouth, and the dull throb at the back of her skull.
After taking a few moments to gather herself, she checked that her limbs were all working, then slowly stood up. She hadn't been bound, which was a positive sign. Up higher, she could feel that the ceiling was very low - and sure enough, when she stretched upwards, her fingertips touched cold stone. The uncomfortable feeling in her ears suggested that the room was, indeed, soundproof. There would be no point calling for help.
Without warning, she heard a sound behind her, and became aware of light entering the room. She turned quickly, too quickly, and had to clutch at her head to alleviate the sudden sharp pain and dizziness. A door had opened, and a shaft of light illuminated her where she stood. The light was not very bright - torchlight, she decided, or perhaps many candles - but her eyes had grown used to the darkness, and it hurt nonetheless. Silhouetted in the doorway were two tall, gaunt figures. They entered the room, and closed the door behind them. With the rectangle of light still imprinted on her vision, Tonks stood and waited for them to come to her, sure that though she couldn't see them, they could certainly see her.
Time passed. Perhaps only a few seconds, perhaps longer. It was hard to tell. Tension built up in her chest until she bit the inside of her lips to keep them closed, sure that if she did not, all the fear would come rushing out in one long yell, like the whistle from a boiling kettle. Just when she thought she could bear it no longer, a high, cold voice rang out, near her left ear. Voldemort.
"Who is this strange girl? She has the look of a Muggle about her."
"She's a Pureblood, my Lord. Works for the Ministry . and Dumbledore." This second voice by her right ear was a woman's, and it was laced with madness. Tonks recognised it immediately; it was the voice of the one who had killed Sirius - Bellatrix Lestrange. She was one Tonks feared the most - while most of the other Death Eaters killed because it was a necessity, Bellatrix killed because it was fun. She was completely deranged, and out of control.
"My, Bella. You have done well."
"What will you have me do with her?"
"Anything you wish. Just make her talk. Come to me when she does."
Tonks' heart plummeted to her feet. She heard the soft shift of fabric as Voldemort turned away from her, and his slow, deliberate footsteps towards the door. It opened, and he went out, leaving her alone with the madwoman.
"Now it's just us girls," Bellatrix said happily. "And we're going to have lots of girlie fun, aren't we?"
"You're fucking cracked," Tonks said, her voice shaking with fear and anger. Almost as soon as the words had left her lips, she felt a rush of air, then the sharp pain of a hand striking her across the face with almost enough force to knock her over.
"Bad girl," Bellatrix said. Her voice was becoming more and more childlike - that sick, baby voice she had used to taunt Harry. The voice Tonks still heard in her nightmares, months on. "A lady never uses that kind of language. If you're going to be a bad girl, I'm going to have to punish you. Are you going to be bad, little girl?"
This time, Tonks kept her mouth shut. She was still reeling from the first blow, and was in no way looking for a second.
"Now," Bellatrix continued, obviously not waiting for an answer, "let's have some light. I want to see my little Auror properly." She clapped her hands together twice and the room was filled with a dim green light.
Bellatrix stared at her, unblinking. Tonks stared back defiantly. Her captor had filled out a little since she had last seen her. She was still thin but her face was not as skeletal as it had been. But the mad glint in her eyes, and the crazy tilt of her head, were as frightening as ever.
"So pretty," Bella murmured, reaching out to touch Tonks' bright pink shock of hair, then tracing the contours of her face with her fingertips. "Such a pretty little Auror. Such a shame I'm going to have to break you," she added, and dug her nails into the side of Tonks' face.
Tonks winced, tears springing to her eyes. But she held them back. She wouldn't give Bellatrix the satisfaction.
"I once met another little girl like you," Bellatrix said, her eyes unfocusing as she reminisced, nails still dug into Tonks' skin. "Just as pretty, just as fiery. And she was a Metamorphmagus too. She was so beautiful, like a little porcelain doll, but I had to break her, and her husband too. And do you know how I broke them?"
Tonks shook her head, even though she knew. God, everyone knew how Bellatrix and the others had broken the Longbottoms' minds. This time the tears spilled over before she could stop them, and trickled slowly down her cheeks and onto her neck.
"I made her change, over and over and over. For Him, you see, always for Him. Because they made our Master go away, and I loved Him so much. So I made her become everyone who had ever hurt us, and I punished them all just like they deserved. She was so tired, but I didn't let her stop. And I made her husband watch." Here, she closed her eyes, an expression of ecstasy at the memory. Tonks wanted to be sick.
"She changed, over and over and over, until she screamed and begged for mercy. But still it was her husband who broke first. I saw it happen. He began to cry, like a little baby, and just kept crying. He cried his mind out," she said happily. "But I just kept going. Over and over and over, until she couldn't do it any more, because she'd forgotten who she was. All she could do was scream at the top of her lungs. I heard she screamed for a whole year before they could get her to be quiet."
Her eyes refocused, and fixed on Tonks. "Was that a nice bedtime story? Did baby enjoy it?"
"What do you think?" Tonks replied bitterly.
"Did baby get fwightened? Mummy Bella is very sorry. She'll kiss it better."
Tonks grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut, the urge to vomit now very strong. She felt Bellatrix's mouth against the nail marks on her cheeks, sucking at the blood, and suddenly, the other witch's wand was against the side of her head. I'm going to die, she realised with complete certainty, as Bellatrix pressed her lips against her own, and pushed her tongue into her mouth. She's going to kill me.
Maybe it was the panic, or perhaps the calm that comes before shock sets in, but at that moment her mind became very clear, like an icy stream welling up from underground. Yes, she was going to die, but not yet, and not here. Change, she thought desperately, squeezing her eyes shut and willing it with every ounce of concentration she possessed. Change.
And she did.
Bellatrix's eyes sprang open, and when she saw Tonks, she fell to her knees. "Alice?" she whispered. "Alice Longbottom?"
"M-my Lord?" she whispered, averting her gaze. "Forgive me, I don't know what came over me."
"It is unacceptable," Tonks said, her voice high and cold, "that you should disrespect your Master in this way." Voldemort said that kind of thing . right? "Give me your wand, Bella." Was Bellatrix this stupid? Was she buying it?
"But Master -"
"You have displeased me, Bellatrix. Give me your wand." Tonks held out her hand, and looked Bellatrix in the eye. "Now."
Bellatrix crawled forwards on her hands and knees, and proffered her wand. "Be merciful, My Lord," she whispered. "Have mercy on your most loyal servant."
"The punishment will fit the crime," Tonks said, and shifted her shape. "Remember me, Bellatrix?"
Bellatrix's crazy eyes filled with confusion and horror. "Alice?"
"Yes, but not just Alice." Tonks changed again and again, so many times she lost count, picturing the names and photographs on the Ministry War Memorial as she changed. "I'm Lily Potter . Jennifer Bones . the Browns . Frances Finnegan . the Smiths . Sirius Black . Harry Potter . We're everyone you hurt, Bellatrix, and everyone you killed. We're here to punish you."
Bellatrix Lestrange opened her mouth and began to scream.
Author name: IckleRonniekins
Author email: ickleronniekinz@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: PG-13-R. R to be on the safe side.
Summary: Power: some have it, some want it, and some have to take it in order to survive. Dark and twisted Bellatrix/Tonks.
Disclaimers: Anything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling and a number of large corporations. I am, alas, not making any money here.
This fic was written for Lasair's HP Flashficathon over on LiveJournal, and the pairing was chosen for me by eleret.
Many thanks to everyone who reviewed over on LJ - your words of encouragement mean the world to me.
* * *
When Tonks awoke, all that she could be sure of was that she was still alive, because surely if she was dead she wouldn't be laying face down in the dark, cold and hurt and scared. As a child she'd never been afraid of the dark, teasing her little brothers about the monsters hiding under the bed. But this darkness terrified her, as only the darkness of an unfamiliar place can. It was eerily silent, and she knew that real monsters lay in wait not too very far away. Human monsters.
Heightened by the dense blackness, her other senses were buzzing. Her face was pressed against a flagged stone floor, and the atmosphere was chilly and humid, suggesting that she was below ground level. The strong stench of damp and decay crawled up her nostrils like some slimy creature, and caused her lungs to hitch. All the while, she was aware of the salty-sweet tang of blood in her mouth, and the dull throb at the back of her skull.
After taking a few moments to gather herself, she checked that her limbs were all working, then slowly stood up. She hadn't been bound, which was a positive sign. Up higher, she could feel that the ceiling was very low - and sure enough, when she stretched upwards, her fingertips touched cold stone. The uncomfortable feeling in her ears suggested that the room was, indeed, soundproof. There would be no point calling for help.
Without warning, she heard a sound behind her, and became aware of light entering the room. She turned quickly, too quickly, and had to clutch at her head to alleviate the sudden sharp pain and dizziness. A door had opened, and a shaft of light illuminated her where she stood. The light was not very bright - torchlight, she decided, or perhaps many candles - but her eyes had grown used to the darkness, and it hurt nonetheless. Silhouetted in the doorway were two tall, gaunt figures. They entered the room, and closed the door behind them. With the rectangle of light still imprinted on her vision, Tonks stood and waited for them to come to her, sure that though she couldn't see them, they could certainly see her.
Time passed. Perhaps only a few seconds, perhaps longer. It was hard to tell. Tension built up in her chest until she bit the inside of her lips to keep them closed, sure that if she did not, all the fear would come rushing out in one long yell, like the whistle from a boiling kettle. Just when she thought she could bear it no longer, a high, cold voice rang out, near her left ear. Voldemort.
"Who is this strange girl? She has the look of a Muggle about her."
"She's a Pureblood, my Lord. Works for the Ministry . and Dumbledore." This second voice by her right ear was a woman's, and it was laced with madness. Tonks recognised it immediately; it was the voice of the one who had killed Sirius - Bellatrix Lestrange. She was one Tonks feared the most - while most of the other Death Eaters killed because it was a necessity, Bellatrix killed because it was fun. She was completely deranged, and out of control.
"My, Bella. You have done well."
"What will you have me do with her?"
"Anything you wish. Just make her talk. Come to me when she does."
Tonks' heart plummeted to her feet. She heard the soft shift of fabric as Voldemort turned away from her, and his slow, deliberate footsteps towards the door. It opened, and he went out, leaving her alone with the madwoman.
"Now it's just us girls," Bellatrix said happily. "And we're going to have lots of girlie fun, aren't we?"
"You're fucking cracked," Tonks said, her voice shaking with fear and anger. Almost as soon as the words had left her lips, she felt a rush of air, then the sharp pain of a hand striking her across the face with almost enough force to knock her over.
"Bad girl," Bellatrix said. Her voice was becoming more and more childlike - that sick, baby voice she had used to taunt Harry. The voice Tonks still heard in her nightmares, months on. "A lady never uses that kind of language. If you're going to be a bad girl, I'm going to have to punish you. Are you going to be bad, little girl?"
This time, Tonks kept her mouth shut. She was still reeling from the first blow, and was in no way looking for a second.
"Now," Bellatrix continued, obviously not waiting for an answer, "let's have some light. I want to see my little Auror properly." She clapped her hands together twice and the room was filled with a dim green light.
Bellatrix stared at her, unblinking. Tonks stared back defiantly. Her captor had filled out a little since she had last seen her. She was still thin but her face was not as skeletal as it had been. But the mad glint in her eyes, and the crazy tilt of her head, were as frightening as ever.
"So pretty," Bella murmured, reaching out to touch Tonks' bright pink shock of hair, then tracing the contours of her face with her fingertips. "Such a pretty little Auror. Such a shame I'm going to have to break you," she added, and dug her nails into the side of Tonks' face.
Tonks winced, tears springing to her eyes. But she held them back. She wouldn't give Bellatrix the satisfaction.
"I once met another little girl like you," Bellatrix said, her eyes unfocusing as she reminisced, nails still dug into Tonks' skin. "Just as pretty, just as fiery. And she was a Metamorphmagus too. She was so beautiful, like a little porcelain doll, but I had to break her, and her husband too. And do you know how I broke them?"
Tonks shook her head, even though she knew. God, everyone knew how Bellatrix and the others had broken the Longbottoms' minds. This time the tears spilled over before she could stop them, and trickled slowly down her cheeks and onto her neck.
"I made her change, over and over and over. For Him, you see, always for Him. Because they made our Master go away, and I loved Him so much. So I made her become everyone who had ever hurt us, and I punished them all just like they deserved. She was so tired, but I didn't let her stop. And I made her husband watch." Here, she closed her eyes, an expression of ecstasy at the memory. Tonks wanted to be sick.
"She changed, over and over and over, until she screamed and begged for mercy. But still it was her husband who broke first. I saw it happen. He began to cry, like a little baby, and just kept crying. He cried his mind out," she said happily. "But I just kept going. Over and over and over, until she couldn't do it any more, because she'd forgotten who she was. All she could do was scream at the top of her lungs. I heard she screamed for a whole year before they could get her to be quiet."
Her eyes refocused, and fixed on Tonks. "Was that a nice bedtime story? Did baby enjoy it?"
"What do you think?" Tonks replied bitterly.
"Did baby get fwightened? Mummy Bella is very sorry. She'll kiss it better."
Tonks grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut, the urge to vomit now very strong. She felt Bellatrix's mouth against the nail marks on her cheeks, sucking at the blood, and suddenly, the other witch's wand was against the side of her head. I'm going to die, she realised with complete certainty, as Bellatrix pressed her lips against her own, and pushed her tongue into her mouth. She's going to kill me.
Maybe it was the panic, or perhaps the calm that comes before shock sets in, but at that moment her mind became very clear, like an icy stream welling up from underground. Yes, she was going to die, but not yet, and not here. Change, she thought desperately, squeezing her eyes shut and willing it with every ounce of concentration she possessed. Change.
And she did.
Bellatrix's eyes sprang open, and when she saw Tonks, she fell to her knees. "Alice?" she whispered. "Alice Longbottom?"
"M-my Lord?" she whispered, averting her gaze. "Forgive me, I don't know what came over me."
"It is unacceptable," Tonks said, her voice high and cold, "that you should disrespect your Master in this way." Voldemort said that kind of thing . right? "Give me your wand, Bella." Was Bellatrix this stupid? Was she buying it?
"But Master -"
"You have displeased me, Bellatrix. Give me your wand." Tonks held out her hand, and looked Bellatrix in the eye. "Now."
Bellatrix crawled forwards on her hands and knees, and proffered her wand. "Be merciful, My Lord," she whispered. "Have mercy on your most loyal servant."
"The punishment will fit the crime," Tonks said, and shifted her shape. "Remember me, Bellatrix?"
Bellatrix's crazy eyes filled with confusion and horror. "Alice?"
"Yes, but not just Alice." Tonks changed again and again, so many times she lost count, picturing the names and photographs on the Ministry War Memorial as she changed. "I'm Lily Potter . Jennifer Bones . the Browns . Frances Finnegan . the Smiths . Sirius Black . Harry Potter . We're everyone you hurt, Bellatrix, and everyone you killed. We're here to punish you."
Bellatrix Lestrange opened her mouth and began to scream.