When Tonks arrived home, Teddy came running into the room and jumped into her arms, squeezing her tightly. "Mum!" he said firmly, his little arms around her neck.
"Hi, Teddy," she greeted him with a hug. "Where is grandmum? And daddy? And Belle?"
"Belle sleep," Teddy reported with a frown. "Mummy, Belle cry!"
She nodded understandingly. "Was she loud?"
Teddy nodded vigorously. "Belle loud!" he informed her. "Belle LOUD!" She jumped at his sudden increase in volume, and he laughed, laying his head on her shoulder. Tired out from the day, he yawned, rubbing his eyes.
Andromeda came into the room and smiled at them. "How was it?" she asked Nymphadora.
"Uneventful," she replied. "I received some indecent comments when I told them of the new baby. I didn't tell them it was twins—I'm not telling anyone that—well, maybe except for the boys."
"Shaul and Mordor?" Andromeda asked. "Wise, I think, not to spring too many surprises on Mordor."
"Mor?" Teddy questioned, looking around.
"We're just talking about him, Love," Nymphadora reassured her son.
Teddy pouted. "Mor!" he protested. "Mor!"
Andromeda smiled at the child. "Rodolphus is in your room, and the baby is asleep in the nursery," she told her daughter.
Nymphadora nodded. "Thanks, Mum," she said, and began to walk toward her room. Teddy wriggled to be put down, and Tonks looked at him.
"Down!" he pleaded. "Down! Pwease!"
"I can keep him with me," Andromeda volunteered, and Tonks set the child down, allowing him to run to his grandmother.
Tonks continued on to her bedroom and walked inside to be greeted by her husband, who was sitting at his desk. She came over to him, slipping her arms around his neck from behind, and he turned, pulling her down to give her a hug. "I love you," he murmured.
She leaned down and brushed her lips against his. "I love you too," she replied, then straightened up and walked over to her closet, taking her boots off. She sighed happily as her boots landed on the floor, opening her closet to find something to change into. She selected one of the lightest robes she owned, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized the robe didn't fit her like it used to. She frowned at herself in the mirror and gave a little huff of exasperation.
Rodolphus turned in his chair to look at his wife and asked, "Is something wrong, Dora?"
"This robe doesn't fit anymore!" Nymphadora complained, disappointed, glaring at herself in the mirror. "That's not supposed to happen to me!"
"It's okay, Love," he said, standing and coming over to her.
"No, it's not," she retorted, then bit her lip. "I—I didn't mean—" she began, but he slipped his arms around her from behind and she stopped, seeing that he had his wand in his hand. He touched the tip of his wand to her robe, and her robe changed so that it fit her much better. "Rod—" she began again, but he merely leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
Nymphadora turned around and flung her arms around her husband, burying her face in his shoulder. "Roddy," she choked, and he hugged her firmly.
"When you're not impressed with yourself, just remember: I'm impressed with you," he murmured into her ear.
"Thank you," she mumbled into his shoulder, and he hugged her again.
After a moment, she drew back and fanned herself with her hand. "Cooling Charm?" he suggested with a smile, and when she nodded and he had done it, she threw herself back into his arms, kissing him delightedly. The Charm he'd just placed on her made him shiver as she kissed him, and she clung to him tightly as his arms pressed her closer to him.
"Rod," she whispered after a moment, idly running her fingers through his wavy black locks, "you never asked me how my day went."
"Aside from now," Rodolphus began obediently, grinning down at her, "how has your day gone, m'love?"
"Well," she began slowly, smiling at his teasing expression. "I was accepted well, and Alice asked how Belle was doing. I told them all that she was fine, and then somebody sarcastically asked how long it would be until I was back on pregnancy leave—and I told them all. Right then. All of them were shocked, but most of them were not impressed. Reanne didn't speak to me at all today, even though he was there and saw and heard everything."
Rodolphus smiled, rubbing her back gently. "He'll prepare his speech and give it some other time?" She grimaced and he chuckled softly as she lay her head down on his chest. "I love you, Dora."
Nymphadora sighed softly, reaching up to clutch the material of his robe in her hand. "I love you too," she murmured back, snuggling against his chest.
"What about supper?" he asked her, grinning to himself as he rubbed her back thoughtfully.
"Yes, I love supper too," she admitted, making him sputter.
"That's not what I meant!" he protested, sticking his lip out at her.
Giggling suddenly, she spun away from him, out of the room, and strode, laughing, down the hall. He hurried after her, catching her tightly against the wall at the head of the stairs. "He pouts," she giggled, smirking up at him.
Rodolphus looked up slightly into her eyes, his dark with passion. "You're going to pay for that," he growled at her softly, and her eyes glittered as she snaked her hands up his chest and around his neck.
"Gladly," she purred softly. Nymphadora could see the slightest tinge of madness in his eyes, and hoped she hadn't pushed him too far already. She tilted her head and kissed him, murmuring, "I love you, Master Lestrange." His tight grip became more firm, but much less restraining, and she was about to suggest they go eat supper when Rabastan suddenly appeared there in front of them.
"Make her pay?" he chuckled at his brother. "Make her squirm." He sneered at both of them and went downstairs.
Rodolphus seemed frozen in place, and Tonks looked up at him, a little nervous. He looked at her without really seeing her, then whimpered softly. Tonks watched him, not knowing what he was thinking or seeing, and her husband breathed, "Bella, no—no—Dora!"
She stepped back to him, slipping her arm firmly around him and holding him against herself. He did not respond for a few minutes, but finally hid his face in her robe. "Dora," he said weakly, and she squeezed him gently. "Dora, why?"
"Because I felt like teasing you," she answered, gently stroking his hair as if he were a small child. "I wanted you to come after me. But I didn't plan on little brother being around. I'm sorry, Roddy."
"You're so much like Bellatrix," he said bitterly, then pulled away from her and walked away.
"Rodolphus!" she cried in pain. "Rodolphus, no!" Walking after him quickly, she gasped in horror when he turned on her, his wand drawn.
"Leave me alone," he said, his tone an icy warning. "BellaDora."
She stopped, showing him her empty hands and watching him in worry. She had no doubt that he was hurting from her actions, but she had not meant them for bad—when she got her hands on Rabastan, she was going to hurt him!
Rodolphus looked at her, seeming to see her as someone else entirely, disappointment and betrayal on his face. "I am not a toy," he said coldly. "In fact—" he suddenly grabbed her by the arm and forced her back into their room, casting strong Silencing Charms. She was watching him, trying to discretely rub her arm where he'd grabbed her, wondering what he was going to do. "I am not to be played with," he hissed at her, angrily pacing the room with his wand in his hand.
"I wanted you to play with me," Tonks ventured to say, and he advanced on her so that he stood nose-to-nose with her.
"With you?" he scoffed. "I don't believe it. Bellatrix—"
"I'm not Bella—"
"You're as bad as!" he shouted in her face, clenching his fists over crackling magic.
Nymphadora shrank within herself for the first time ever since she'd met Rodolphus, hurt beyond any hurt she had ever felt. She wanted to scream at him that Molly had warned her about him, and wanted to burst into tears, but she merely looked into his stormy face until he stalked away and resumed pacing, not saying a word.
Anger...rage...betrayal...hurt—no, Rodolphus refused to feel it this time. More anger. He couldn't look at Nymphadora, couldn't even think straight. Fury was consuming him, and he wanted to tell her to flee, but he couldn't. Dora, he thought, terrified of what he knew he would do to her, but felt the heat of anger creeping over every thought. Anger, so much anger...betrayal...hate. He had hated Bellatrix. Now he hated—and then she spoke.
"Mother—always told me that—that I was like Bellatrix." Nymphadora swallowed hard, seeing Rodolphus freeze, his back to her. "She told me that I had the same demeaning, destructive sense of humour. Mum said that I had to make sure that I kept my sense of humour free from sadacity. I—I overstepped my bounds. I deserve...punishment."
"And what do you suggest?" Rodolphus asked coldly, not turning to her. His mind was whirling, the uncharacteristic answer to his angry outburst startling him out of his rage.
"I—" she stopped, and was silent for a long moment. Her husband finally turned to see what was wrong with her tongue and saw her staring at the ground, fists clenched. She looked up at him, seeming small and scared. Her eyes told him exactly what she thought, and he stepped forward, toying with his wand, making her eyes grow wide in anticipation of the pain.
Rodolphus stopped in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "Crucio? Surely you do not suggest that, little Auror." Nymphadora tensed when he said it, as if she fully expected pain. "No, not for you," he said softly. "You see, I too like to play, Nymphadora." He pocketed his wand suddenly, and she gave a little start. "Shall we go to supper?" he asked, offering her his hand.
Swallowing hard and not looking into his eyes, she took his hand. She was shaking—in fear, he supposed. "You should morph back to yourself," he told her, and she gave a small dry sob.
"I can't when I'm like this," she whispered without looking at him as they exited the room.
"You mean, when you're angry at and terrified of me?" Rodolphus asked her conversationally. He felt her tremble and turned her toward him. "If you're going to cry, do it now."
Nymphadora looked at him, her eyes not even tearful, and gulped, "I'll be okay. Please—" He waited. "Aren't you angry?"
Rodolphus shrugged. "I got over it."
She watched him for a moment, then looked away, but not before he had seen her lower lip quiver slightly. They walked downstairs into the dining room and sat down to eat. The others were already mostly finished with their meal, and Teddy was already playing in the other room.
Andromeda looked up at her daughter and frowned. "Are you all right?"
"I'm okay, Mum," Tonks sighed, dropping into a chair tiredly. "I'm tired out. I forgot how much work filling out papers is..." Her mother smiled, and Tonks continued, "I think I'd like to go to bed early tonight. Do you think you could take care of Belle and Teddy for me? Please?"
"Yes," Andromeda replied, shaking her head slightly. "You should get more rest, Dora. You look exhausted. And you look like Bellatrix."
"Thanks," Tonks said in a dead voice, and Andromeda gave her a peculiar look. "I can't help it." The black-haired witch began to eat, and didn't say another word, escaping back upstairs before Teddy even knew she'd been downstairs.
Shutting the door to their room, she sank down onto their bed and stared at the wall bleakly. What had just happened to her? She knew she'd made a grave mistake, but didn't know exactly how she'd done it, or how she was to fix it. Rodolphus had nearly Cursed her silly, she was sure of it, but he was now pretending that nothing was wrong! Nymphadora buried her face in her hands and groaned in agony, unable to express her feelings. She couldn't begin to sort out her emotions, or even try to figure out why Rodolphus had reacted the way he did.
Several minutes later, Rodolphus entered the room, glanced at the forlorn figure of his wife sitting on the bed, and sat down at the desk. Nymphadora looked up at his back, then bowed her head once again, closing her eyes in hurt. Love me! she sobbed inwardly, wanting to scream and throw things at him, and also to burst into hysterical tears and refuse to have anything to do with him.
Finally, she lay down on her side of the bed and curled up, staring at the wall with a dead expression on her face. Rodolphus looked at her after a moment and asked, "Are you going to change your clothes?"
"No."
Rodolphus did not press the matter, but came to sit on the bed behind her after quite a while. He had readied for bed, and now he lay down on his side, looking at her curled-up, tense body. Reaching out, he began to rub her back and felt her tense when he laid his fingers on her back. She relaxed a tiny bit when she realized there was no Curse coming and took a deep breath.
"Hold me." The words burst from her before she could call them back, but Rodolphus sat up slightly and drew her more toward the middle of the bed so he could lie with his arms around her. His hand rubbed over her stomach, and he thought of the two unborn children she carried—and he knew that he could not pretend that there was nothing wrong between them.
"Dora—" he began at the same time that she whispered, "Roddy, please—" She stopped, catching her breath in fear of his anger at her interruption. "I'm not angry, Dora," he told her. "Go on."
"Please," she began again, and Rodolphus felt her heart pounding in furious haste, "Rodolphus, I can't—I won't be able to—I need—Roddy!" A sob broke from her, and the floodgates burst. "Please!" she sobbed hysterically as he forcefully turned her over and pulled her into his arms. "Rodolphus, stop it! Stop!"
He held the hysterical witch carefully, knowing exactly what she meant. "You were teasing me," he said softly, but loudly enough to be heard over her sobs. "And you made me angry enough to Curse you."
Nymphadora's body trembled in his arms, and she sobbed, "Roddy, no! No, I didn't mean to! I never did! I just wanted you to play with me! But you said—you said I was like Bellatrix—oh, Roddy!"
Rodolphus sat up and held the sobbing girl in his arms, against his chest. "I ought not to have spoken to you so bitterly," he said. "I always knew you had it in you. The Black blood is hard to overcome. You are different from her, I know. I was angry, and I do not speak kindly in anger."
"I'm sorry," she wept, sobs shaking her body against his. "I'm so sorry, Roddy. I didn't mean to."
"I know," he said, and gave her a tiny squeeze. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I should not have said that you are as bad as Bella. You are nowhere near that evil, Dora."
"It hurt!" Nymphadora wept, her tears falling differently now, softer and more sweet.
Watching her cry like a child, Rodolphus realized what he had done. In his furious shouting, he had told her that she was just as bad as the image she had always striven to overcome, and he knew why she had seemed to shrink inside herself when he'd said it. He had cut her deeply, to the core of her heart, and he knew that it was in his hands, to destroy it fully, or to try to mend the gaping hole he had made.
Rodolphus took a deep breath and asked softly, "Dora, may I be completely honest with you?" She nodded, tears running down her cheeks, and Rodolphus gave her a gentle hug. "I was not angry with you until Rabastan said what he did—I'm not excusing what I did!" he said sharply as Nymphadora was about to speak. She cringed and hid her face again, and Rodolphus groaned softly. "Dora, I'll make an idiot of myself time and again, but I'm not going to hurt you now."
Nymphadora's body shook against his as he spoke, but he continued, "His words reminded me of old times, and twisted the situation inside my mind. When I called out her name, then yours, I was trying to keep the image of her away from me. You came over, and I asked why you had done it. When you had answered, I was bitter, because I had both the images of you and Bella in my mind, and I hated myself for it. I walked away, and you followed. I wanted you to stay away, and I threatened you." Rodolphus lifted one hand and magic crackled ominously.
Her eyes grew wide and her breathing quickened slightly, but she hid it quickly, looking away from him. "I brought you in here," he continued. "And I shouted abuse at you in my anger—don't excuse it, Dora," he added as she flinched. He rubbed her back soothingly as he continued once again, "I know I hurt you deeply; don't deny it. You cringed as if I'd slapped you, and you acted terrified of me. I've never known you to be afraid of me before."
Her eyes filled with tears again, and she hid her face in his robe, once again weeping for the pain of the wound Rodolphus had given her that night. "As I paced, I became more angry," Rodolphus said. "I was still thinking about Bellatrix, and I became angry, furious with you, because I saw you as her. I knew you were not her, but I saw that you could have been if you were raised differently. I almost—" Rodolphus bit his lip nervously, and said, "Dora, I—I felt hate. I don't want that between me and you—that was only between me and Bellatrix. I don't want it poisoning our relationship."
Nymphadora merely lay against his chest and cried bitter tears of sorrow over the whole affair as he talked. "I don't hate you," he said softly, "but at that time, hate was directed at you. If you hadn't spoken up and told me what your mum had said, you would be screaming under Crucio at this very second."
Her body jolted in horror, and she looked into his eyes. "I expected it every second," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
"I knew that, and I played off of it," he said. "You wanted me to play, and I did."
"Not that way," Tonks wept, closing her eyes. "To teasing play, not torture play!"
"I'm sorry," Rodolphus whispered, hugging her gently. "I'm so sorry, Dora."
Nymphadora lay limply in her husband's arms, sick at heart. "What are we going to do?" she whispered, looking up at him, her dull eyes full of tears.
Rodolphus looked down at her, one hand resting on her stomach and the other brushing her hair away from her face. "I don't know," he admitted, and she closed her eyes, her lips trembling as tears trickled down her cheeks. "But I'll start with this: Dora, I've been evil to you, and I've hurt you terribly. I'm very sorry. Will you forgive me?"
Her entire body tensed when he asked, and she looked up at him, shrinking away from him. "Rod—" she whimpered, and he kept his hand on her stomach, keeping her from moving off of his lap. She closed her eyes, her body quivering slightly as she wept softly.
"Perhaps later," Rodolphus said, swallowing his disappointment. "It's all right, Dora. Some things are very difficult to forgive." He bit his lip hard, keeping himself from going on. Had he finally succeeded in doing something she could not forgive? He wanted to beg her forgiveness, but his pride rebelled, and he worried that it would send her into hysterics again as well.
"I'm—sorry," she breathed with a sobbing gasp. "Sorry, Roddy. I can't right now. It hurts too much—"
He rubbed her forehead gently until she closed her eyes. Rodolphus knew that she was probably exhausted from the emotional strain on her and would fall asleep if he allowed her to. He leaned down and touched his lips to her forehead. "I forgive you," he said. "It's okay."
She opened her eyes a little and gave him a tear-filled look of gratefulness. He lay her down on one of the pillows and went to her dresser, pulling out one of her nightgowns. Coming back to her, he gently helped her change into it, and kissed the tears away from her cheeks. Crawling into bed next to her, he drew her, with her consent, into his arms and held her gently, rubbing her back carefully.
She sighed deeply, sniffling as she pressed her face into his nightshirt. Nymphadora was asleep in minutes, her body finally relaxing against her husband's. Rodolphus rubbed her back until he fell asleep himself, holding his wife close.
Rodolphus was awaken by Nymphadora jolting violently in her sleep. He sleepily opened his eyes—and she let out a scream, suddenly writhing next to him as she slept. "Nymphadora!" he called sharply, reaching out and grasping her shoulder. She fought him, and he shook her firmly. "Nymphadora, wake up!"
Finally, her eyes opened, full of terror. When she saw Rodolphus sitting next to her, she realized where she was and began to breathe more quickly. Tonks threw herself into his arms and sobbed. He did not ask her what she had dreamed, because he knew already. She had dreamed of him torturing her.
As she wept, Rodolphus rocked her gently in his arms, now and then kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry," she choked. "It hurts still." She looked up to see her husband frowning in confusion, and said, "No, no, my—my refusal to forgive—I'm sorry—" A sob escaped her again, and she hid her face in his robe.
"When you're ready," Rodolphus murmured in her ear, "whenever that is. It's okay, Dora, m'love. And I forgot to tell you something last night." She looked up at him, and he cupped her chin in his hand. "I love you, Nymphadora Tonks Lestrange." He touched his lips to hers chastely, and after a moment of being quite still, Nymphadora slipped her hands up behind his neck and returned his affection.
"I love you too," she whispered after a moment, drawing back and snuggling against him.
"Listen," Rodolphus said. "Isn't that Belle crying?"
Nymphadora listened, then bit her lip and nodded, disentangling herself from Rodolphus and slipping off of the bed. "Come with me," she said, and Rodolphus obeyed, following her from the room. They stopped outside the door to the nursery, finding the door ajar. Frowning at each other, the two peeked in through the crack in the door and spotted a small figure standing beside Belle's crib, putting a hand through the bars.
The small figure touched Belle's hand, and she turned toward him, her cries stopping for a moment. "Belle?" asked the figure uncertainly.
"Teddy," Nymphadora whispered in surprise, and Rodolphus gently brushed his finger across her lips to remind her to be quiet.
"Belle okay?" Teddy asked. "Belle want Mummy?" Belle began to cry again, and Teddy sighed. "Belle noisy!" he scolded her fiercely. "Be quiet, Belle!"
Nymphadora pushed the door open and slipped inside the nursery, making Teddy turn to her, startled. "Belle cry!" Teddy pouted. "Belle hungry 'gain?"
She smiled at the child and lifted her baby girl out of the crib. "Probably," she answered, sitting down in the rocking chair to feed the baby.
Teddy came over to her, still pouting. "I want you!"
"I need to feed Belle," Nymphadora told him, trying to think of the best way to do it, because she was wearing the wrong nightgown.
"Just take your nightgown off," chuckled Rodolphus softly, coming in and sitting down in the other rocking chair. "It's the middle of the night. No one should be coming in here." He lifted his hand, warding the door against unwanted visitors.
Nymphadora shrugged and pulled her nightgown off, laying it over her shoulder to cover herself still while she fed Belle. Rodolphus grinned at her, but she merely grinned back mischievously, unfazed, and leaned against the back of the chair, crossing her legs as she began to rock. Teddy came over to her, wanting to climb up on her lap, but she scooted over to let him sit beside her. "When did you wake up?" she asked the toddler with a smile.
Teddy looked up at her, then at Belle. "Belle crying," he pouted.
She smiled at him, and he leaned his head against her side sleepily. Tonks guided him to lie down on her knee, helping him get comfortable. Teddy moved around a lot, but when she placed her hand on his back and rubbed it gently, he sighed softly and relaxed, closing his eyes.
"Motherhood becomes you."
Nymphadora glanced up, startled, then blushed when she saw Rodolphus sitting nearby, watching her and the children. "Thanks," she murmured, looking down at her baby as she continued to rub Teddy's back.
Rodolphus leaned forward in his rocking chair. "Do you think you would be able to morph back to yourself now?"
Nymphadora was startled, glancing into the nursery mirror. Her eyes widened in surprise as the eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange stared back at her. "Have I been Bellatrix all this time?" she asked in horror.
"When I told you that you were like her, then you morphed to look like her," Rodolphus answered. "I don't think you did it on purpose, or even knew that you did. But after you became her, you told me you couldn't change yourself back."
"I—I can't morph when I'm upset," she said, lowering her eyes to her hungry daughter and shifting her baby's position. "I get stuck on my morph whenever something spectacular happens."
"Can you change back now?" Rodolphus asked her quietly.
Tonks looked back at her reflection in the mirror and nodded. After a moment, her face filled out, and her eyes turned a warm brown colour. Her hair straightened and turned brown, hanging down her back in a tangle. She frowned at herself, then asked, "Roddy, does my body need to be morphed? I can't tell."
Rodolphus' chuckle made her blush, and he said, "Dora, Love, you can't tell the difference between you and Bella?"
She closed her eyes, holding Belle closer and moving her nightgown to cover herself better. "Between Bellatrix and my natural self," Nymphadora whispered. "My natural self has changed—I'm not as thin as I used to be."
"You look fine," Rodolphus told her softly. "Just fine, mon ange." He came over to her and picked up Teddy, putting the sleeping toddler back into his bed and putting the blanket over him. He came back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you. Are you going to try to go back to sleep?"
"If I can get Belle to sleep," Tonks yawned, looking up at her husband. "I'm not sure if she'll go back to sleep again." She put Belle up on her shoulder, patting her back gently. Rodolphus watched for a moment, then smiled at the mother and child.
"I'll never cease to marvel at the picture you make with the children," he said softly. "I've got to get a picture of you with them—one that I can display." He raised an eyebrow at her state of dress, and she frowned at him slightly.
"You told me to," she told him. "And you dressed me."
Rodolphus shrugged, grinning. "Of course," he said. "I wanted you to be comfortable; I wasn't thinking of convenience."
Nymphadora smiled and nodded, then brought Belle down to her lap to let her see around the rest of the nursery. "It's okay," she said, tilting her head. "We made it work." A little while later, Nymphadora laid her sleeping baby in the crib and tip-toed out of the room, Rodolphus' arm around her.
She got to her room, then gave Rodolphus a half scandalized look and motioned to her nightgown, still lying over her shoulder. He chuckled and shrugged, tossing her nightgown over a chair. "It doesn't matter," he said. "No one was out there anyway. Come then."
He went and lay down on the bed, looking over at her. She bit her lip slightly, then walked over to him at his beckoning and lay down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her strongly for a moment, then lying back down and hugging her against himself, rubbing her back.
"See you tomorrow," she sighed sleepily, her face half hidden in his nightshirt. "I love you."
"I love you too," he replied, and fell silent to sleep.
In the morning when she woke up, Rodolphus was already gone from the room. Tonks rolled over sleepily, staggering out of bed and over to her closet, pulling out her robe for work. Dressing halfway, she hurried downstairs to find Rodolphus already leaving for work. Hurrying forward, she caught him in the entryway and turned him toward her.
"Yes?" he asked her quietly.
"I forgive you," she answered, looking down at him slightly. Tonks bowed her head a moment, then looked back at her husband. "I love you, Rodolphus Lestrange."
Without hesitation, he took her into his arms and embraced her lovingly. Tonks melted into his arms, closing her eyes as he kissed her. "Mmm," he murmured, pressing his lips to the soft spot below her ear. Rodolphus felt her shiver and smiled as he kissed her neck gently. "I love you, Nymphadora," he whispered, then hugged her again. "Have a good day."
"You too," she breathed, and when she stepped back, he left without another word. "I love him," she said aloud in the entrance hall, tears of awe sparkling in her eyes. "Oh, I love him!"
"Did you fight last night?" asked Andromeda, coming over to her and slipping an arm around her daughter's waist.
"Um—yeah," Nymphadora answered, "but it's okay." Under no circumstances was she going to explain what had happened the previous night to her mother. Tonks didn't want to hear her mother's infamous "I told you so."
Andromeda gave her a squeeze. "You looked like the world was about to end when you came down to supper last night," she said. "I hoped you two could work it out." Dora nodded, fingering her Lestrange necklace. "It looked like you had."
Nymphadora glanced sideways at her mother, then blushed and looked down. "Yes," she admitted.
"Good," Andromeda said softly. "Now come to breakfast. You won't have time to take care of Belle before you leave—I'll do that for you."
"Thanks," Tonks answered, tilting her head slightly. The two women walked into the dining room and found Rabastan sitting at the table, seeming a little unsteady.
"Rabastan, what is wrong with you?" Andromeda asked, eyebrow raised.
Nymphadora suddenly grinned and clapped her hands together. "Rodolphus cursed him this morning!" she said. "Isn't it obvious? Raben was being a prat last night, and Rodolphus got him this morning!"
Rabastan looked at the two of them, but didn't say a word, finishing his breakfast and leaving the house.
Tonks shook her head after he'd gone and quickly hugged her mother and Teddy goodbye. Belle was still asleep, so Tonks picked up her wand from beside her plate and left the house, apparating to the Ministry.
Later that night, Tonks apparated to her home, bruised, her arm newly mended. Rodolphus met her in the living room, gawking at her appearance, and Andromeda smiled at his astonished expression. "She gets injured sometimes," Andromeda said mildly, and Rodolphus drew Nymphadora to a seat beside him.
"Are you all right?" he asked her in concern. "Your arm—was it broken?"
"Yes, and yes," she answered. "I was hit by a curse that broke my left arm—thank goodness it wasn't my wand arm. One of the others healed it; I think they did a pretty good job. It's only been a little bit stiff since the healing."
Rodolphus simply wouldn't let it go, continuing to act worried until Nymphadora placed her right hand flat on his chest and said, "Rodolphus." He looked up into her brown eyes, and she smiled quietly. "I'm fine."
He smiled weakly, and she gave him a hug. "Thanks for your concern," she whispered in his ear. "I was already examined at St. Mungo's and they said that I was already taken care of as much as possible, and that time would heal the rest. The healers said that the twins weren't disturbed at all—I think they were scandalized that I was pregnant again so soon."
"It's not like you're the first to have children ten months apart," Rodolphus said with a straight face.
"Nope," Tonks grinned. "They're just horrified that there are going to be two more Lestranges."
Rodolphus snorted, and Tonks smirked, snuggling closer to him on the couch. "So...how are you going to let your friends know?"
Tonks shrugged. "I don't know."
"You're not going to tell them?" Rodolphus asked, raising an eyebrow. "What will Mrs. Weasley say?"
"I don't care, quite frankly," Nymphadora said hotly, stomping her foot on the floor. Rodolphus grinned, and she huffed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I don't even want to tell her. She's so—I just can't. And I even knew, last time I was at the Weasley house. I saw her, and the trio—that's when I accidentally told them about Draco and Ginevra's child."
"Oops," chuckled Rodolphus. "So you're just going to let the twins tell their own existence?"
She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe not. But I'm really not sure whom to tell or how to go about it. It is kind of more difficult. I asked Neville to not tell the trio about it—I hope he remembers."
Rodolphus grinned. "Did you threaten him?"
"No," answered Tonks with a slight shrug. "Did you know that Alice is back to work in the Office? It's weird, having her in there, but she's fun—although most of the others find it awkward to be around me and her."
"When did she get out of St. Mungo's?" Rodolphus asked with a surprised look. "I remember her being with the Aurors in America, but I didn't know she was back on duty!"
"I think it was when I was in America," Tonks answered. "Because she was already independent of St. Mungo's by the time I was well after the battle. Supposedly the Office threw a huge party when she returned—then when I returned, everyone seemed to be wary of me." The girl sighed and closed her eyes tiredly. "At least Alice understands. I don't know how she can, even more than those who have known me longer, but she does. She defended me when someone busted me for calling the Cruciatus Crucio."
Rodolphus laughed, and Tonks smirked a little. "I'm a bad influence on you," he said, and she grinned. "You should be careful."
Tonks shrugged, then answered, "It's their problem, not ours. Fear of a word..."
"Well-deserved fear," Rodolphus noted. "Especially if it's as powerful as Bella's. And mine was stronger than hers."
"Legit?" Tonks asked, and Rodolphus gave her a strange look. "What?" she asked.
"Since when do you say 'Legit'?" he frowned.
"It's like saying 'really,' or 'seriously,'" she answered. "Jack Stewart says it all the time—oh, and by the way, he wants us to come to his wedding. He's marrying that girl that we rescued from that Muggle chophouse. Anyway, I was on duty with Jack today, and he kept saying 'Legit' until he got me stuck on it too. Now I can't stop saying it."
Rodolphus shook his head, then looked up as Andromeda poked her head into the room. "Come eat," she told them. "Supper is ready. Nymphadora, I have a letter that came for you while you were gone. Apparently Ginevra Malfoy didn't want the letter going to the Ministry."
Tonks bounced up off of the couch and hurried after her mother, who handed Belle to her and gave her a bottle to feed the little one. Tonks accepted her task and sat down at the table, asking, "Where's the letter?"
"Here," Andromeda said, tossing the letter onto the empty plate in front of her daughter. "It came some time this afternoon."
"Okay." Tonks picked up the envelope and opened it, laying the letter on the plate so she could read it while she fed Belle her bottle. "Dear Tonks," she read out loud. "I am bored. Come visit me on Friday. Lucius will be out that night—he told me that you were back to work." Nymphadora looked astonished. "Mum, I've got Malfoys creeping up on me!"
"Well," Andromeda said passively, "you have made history several times."
Rodolphus snorted, and Nymphadora turned back to the letter, shaking her head. "Narcissa is up to who-knows-what, and Draco says it's okay for you to come on Friday. I haven't heard anything from the outside world for ages, and because I'm two and a half weeks away from delivery, Narcissa won't let me leave the house. I've been staying out in the garden a lot, but I'm still going stir crazy. Please come see me! Ginny."
Rabastan shook his head. "She should have known what she was getting herself into."
"How could she?" Nymphadora asked, turning to him. "The Weasleys aren't exactly the high society type."
"Narcissa does not want to lose any more of her family," Andromeda said quietly, "so she is holding those she still has rather close. Ginevra will have to understand that, for she is the new girl on the block, not Narcissa."
"Are you foreseeing conflict between Narcissa and Ginny?" Rodolphus asked Andromeda.
The older witch looked at Rodolphus, then turned back to serving supper. "Not necessarily," she answered, then turned to her daughter. "When you go to Malfoy Manor, remind the girl that while she is married to Draco, she is not yet Lady Malfoy." Andromeda raised her hand to her throat significantly, and Nymphadora nodded.
Rabastan frowned. "Do you expect the girl to try to take over Malfoy Manor?"
Andromeda seated herself at the head of the table. "I do not know what to expect from her, but since she aspired to become a Malfoy, she might wish to be much more."
"She'll be all right unless she goes off on one of those Gryffindor streaks she has in her," shrugged Tonks. "I'll warn her. Ginny isn't nearly as headstrong as most of her family—she thinks before she acts."
"I think your friendship with her has encouraged her to continue her relationship with Draco," Rodolphus said. "Her parents are probably correct in putting some of the blame on you."
"Most of it," Nymphadora corrected. "I do nothing but encourage rebellion anyway."
"Oh, you do not," scolded Andromeda. "And if you do, then so do I. I neither discouraged, nor encouraged the girl to go through with her decision when I spoke to her in America."
Tonks frowned. "And Molly still accused you."
Rodolphus sighed and said, "Dora, Love, she's never going to stop accusing. That's just the way she is."
Andromeda smirked. "Everyone accuses when they don't know what goes on behind closed doors."
"Yes," Tonks agreed, frowning. She then smiled. "Very well, I'll be going to see Ginny on Friday after work."
"All right," nodded Rodolphus. "Remind me on Friday, because I'll forget that you'll be late getting back."
"I might forget to remind you," she said, tilting her head and giving him a warning look. She winked.
Rodolphus looked at her for a moment. "Right."
She grinned to herself and quickly finished eating, putting the note in her pocket. Handing Belle off to Rodolphus for a moment, she took Belle's empty bottle over to the sink, washing it out. As she was washing it, Andromeda allowed Teddy down from his high chair and he toddled over to her, tugging on her robe. "Mum!" he pleaded, lifting his arms to her when she looked down at him with a questioning smile. "Mummy!"
Nymphadora smiled, then set the bottle on the counter to dry and dried her hands quickly before bending and picking up Teddy. "Did you have fun playing today?" she asked him as his little arms wound around her neck.
Andromeda snorted. "He did nothing but play," she said. "He refused to take a nap, and when I was out of the room, he climbed into Belle's crib and threw everything out of it. Then he lay down in the crib and started sucking his thumb." She shook her head, then looked at the child, who had put his head down on his mother's shoulder. The boy merely looked at her and blinked, one of his fists grasping his mother's robe tightly.
"I love you, Teddy," Nymphadora said softly, giving him a small hug and rubbing his back gently. He yawned and she smiled. "I think I should rock him and put him to bed," she told the others. "Excuse me. Rodolphus, you can take care of Belle, please. I didn't get a chance to burp her."
Rodolphus rolled his eyes and she grinned at him, then whisked Teddy away to the nursery. The child snuggled up against his mother, and as the boy grew more sleepy, he relaxed until he was lying across her lap, his curly brown hair soft against Tonks' arm.
She watched her little boy sleep and sighed with the love she felt for him. "I'll be here for you," she promised him quietly. "No matter how many other children I have. You're such a good child, Teddy. Your father would be proud of you." After several minutes, she stood, carried him to his bed and lay him down gently, pulling his blanket up over him. Nymphadora took a small teddy bear from one of the shelves in the room and placed it in Teddy's arms, where it was immediately squeezed and cuddled as the toddler continued to sleep.
Nymphadora had bought the little bear when Teddy was a newborn and it had helped him to sleep. She figured that the bear might help Teddy sleep better and keep him from getting out of his bed at night. She worried that Belle was making Teddy feel ignored, and that Teddy felt he needed to find other ways to be accepted. Nymphadora didn't want her little brown-haired boy to become scared or reclusive: she wanted to find a way to help him, but she didn't even completely understand Teddy's actions. She really had no idea if he wasn't sleeping just because of Belle or not. She sighed, then turned as the door opened.
Rodolphus came in with Belle asleep in his arms. "How do you get her to sleep so fast?" she demanded in a hushed voice."
"How do you calm Teddy and get him to sleep so well?" Rodolphus answered, allowing Tonks to kiss her baby girl before he put the baby in the crib. "Dora, I think Teddy's become a bit less comfortable with me," he told her.
"Oh?" she asked him, taking his hand as they walked out of the room together.
"He used to be perfectly fine with me, and I could hold him and play with him and he loved it," Rodolphus sighed. "But now—well, it's not like he's avoiding me because he's scared or anything, but I just don't play with him anymore. And he doesn't come to me, either."
Nymphadora turned toward Rodolphus as they entered their room. "I think Teddy feels jealous over the time I spend with Belle," she said. "Because I came home from work, and went straight to feeding Belle without even greeting him. And as soon as I gave Belle to you, Teddy wanted me to pick him up. And did you hear what Mum said? That Teddy crawled into Belle's crib and started sucking his thumb? It means he needs more emotional support than he's receiving."
Rodolphus frowned. "That's not the only thing it could mean, Dora m'love. It could just mean that he wishes he was still a baby too. Or maybe that he wishes we'd take Belle back from where we got her."
"I don't think he'd wish that," Dora said thoughtfully.
"Maybe you should take him to work with you," Rodolphus said after a long silence. She looked up, intrigued, and he added, "You'd probably have to be on paperwork duty only, though. At least until he got used to someone there who you could leave him with."
Nymphadora turned from pulling her nightgown on and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'll check on that," she said. "That would be fun."
Rodolphus smiled at her. "And perhaps, love, after the twins are born, you shouldn't go back to work for a while."
She bit her lip and nodded. "I've been wondering that too," she sighed. "I'm afraid that the twins will upset Teddy even more."
"Now, now," Rodolphus murmured as they slipped into the bed together, "don't borrow trouble, Dora. We've got quite enough anyway. We've got time to work through the problems we've got before we have to deal with those we haven't got."
Nymphadora gave a small laugh, and Rodolphus kissed her goodnight, squeezing her gently before she snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes. "I love you," she mumbled, and he replied, "I love you too," squeezing her once more before they fell silent, sleep coming upon them.
