Chapter Three
"My name is Diethelm Stoole," the portly man was telling Andromeda as he guided her into the dimly-lit main hall. He jiggled the sack of Galleons she had handed him moments ago. "Your generous donation will go towards buying food and boarding supplies for Muggleborns on the run. This is just one of many S.M.U.G.G.L.E. safe homes. Not sure where headquarters is since everything is so hush-hush nowadays. But if your husband's in the area, this will likely be the spot to find him."
Andromeda's heart pounded as she turned the corner to a large and loud room full of men, women, children and make-shift bunk beds. They were crammed together as uniformed witches and wizards delivered each bed site food and blankets. They all looked up at the new arrival, and - as always - bristled at the initial sight of Andromeda before relaxing upon further inspection.
"Do you see him?" Diethelm asked as Andromeda desperately scanned the room.
"No," Andromeda conceded, disappointment heavy in her voice. "No, he's not here."
"Sorry, ma'am," Diethelm said earnestly. "From what I hear, there's another place like this about 30 miles east. He could easily be there."
She nodded and turned to leave, a lump forming in her throat.
"Why don't you stay here tonight, Mrs. Tonks?" Diethelm suggested, noticing the weariness on Andromeda's face. "We have very comfortable accommodations for our volunteers and spare robes fresh from the laundry."
She saw his genuine look of concern and was touched at the display of generosity.
"Thank you," she said heavily, and he guided her into a spacious living room away from the noisy S.M.U.G.G.L.E. stowaways. He summoned a plain but fluffy-looking bed and set it down in the middle of the room. He bowed slightly and made to leave, and she sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands.
Suddenly, the air around her exploded. She was thrown backwards, toppling behind the bed. Screams echoed from the hallway, and Adromeda sat up, head swimming.
She peered around the corner of the bed. A gaping hole had been blasted through the wall. Huge chunks of stone littered the room, and dust caked the air. More explosions. More screams. A faint sound of mad laughter. As she squinted to see through the dust, she saw a tall, hooded man towering over Diethelm, who was backing up against a piece of ruined slab of wall.
"And what's your blood status, scum?" the man snarled.
"H-half-blood!" Diethelm managed, visibly shaking.
"That can easily be proven or disproven," the man laughed humorlessly. He flicked his wand, and Diethelm froze in place. Then ropes shot out of the man's wand and tied themselves tightly around the prone figure. The man swept the room for more occupants.
Andromeda scurried back behind the bed. She sat deathly still, ears straining for telling signs of movement. She heard his heavy, foreboding steps sweep the dark room. They were soon accompanied by a new set of footsteps. Lighter, faster.
"Wait 'til you see the main room, Dolohov!" a woman's voice barked gleefully. "This is a nest of Mudbloods!"
Andromeda's blood froze in her veins. That voice. It was foreign and familiar all at once. No. It couldn't be. Of all places. Of all possibilities. No.
"What have we here?" The woman was saying, as Andromeda looked around for her wand.
"Claims he's a half-blood," Dolohov said.
"A half-blood?" The woman repeated, a haunted laugh filled the room. Chills ran up Andromeda's spine. "Then what is he doing in the company of such vermin? The trace of filth in your blood yearning to be with its kinsmen? Finite."
"P-p-please, Miss," Diethelm stuttered after the curse lifted. "I am a half-blood. Doesn't your lot have a list of names?"
Andromeda spotted her wand just past the end of the bed, lying in plain sight of the Death Eaters.
"Associating with Mudbloods is as good as being one," the woman snarled, suddenly serious. "CRUCIO!"
A ear-splitting scream erupted across the room. Andromeda covered her mouth, trying not to scream herself. After what felt like hours, the woman lifted the curse.
"He's not going anywhere," she said mirthfully. "I have two dozen Mudbloods in the other room waiting to be played with."
For five full minutes, Andromeda listened. When she was sure all she could hear were Diethelm's pathetic whimpers, she grabbed her wand and crawled across the room towards him. The enchanted ties still held him in place. He had a nasty gash on his wrinkled forehead and blood trickling out of his mouth.
"Mrs. Tonks!" He choked out in surprise.
Andromeda held a finger up to her mouth. She tapped the ropes with her wand, and they disappeared. A green flash lit the neighboring hallway.
"You know how to Apparate, don't you?" She whispered hurriedly.
"Wha-? Yes," He looked confused. "But why?"
"Get out of here. They'll kill you when they find out what you were doing for those Muggleborns," Andromeda whispered. She told him her address. "Go there. Wait for me."
"But - the others?" He craned a look over her shoulder.
As if on cue, another loud bang followed by an agonized scream resounded down the hall.
Andromeda closed her eyes. "They're beyond saving. But I'll see what I can do."
She paused, hearing a voice in the hallway.
"Just go!" she pleaded.
Diethelm scrambled outside through the gap in the wall, and with a loud pop, he was gone.
"Go on ahead. I am going to check this room one last time," the exhilarated woman called out.
Andromeda froze. There was no time to hide. The woman's voice grew louder, closer.
As she neared the doorframe, the woman began to jeer, "Come out, come out wherever y-..."
The imposing frame of Bellatrix Lestrange, the most feared witch in the wizarding world, filled the doorway. Her face contorted with a mix of bewilderment and rage.
"YOU."
Andromeda stood up to her full height and faced her sister.
She got the strangest sensation that she was looking in some sort of twisted, demented mirror. Twenty-five years and a long stint in Azkaban had taken their toll on Bellatrix's looks more than Andromeda could have guessed. The two sisters stared at each other from across the room. The silence hung thick in the air.
"Andromeda," Bellatrix spat, recovering quickly. "Here. In a safe house for smuggled Mudbloods. But then you've always been a Mudwallower, haven't you?"
Andromeda gripped her wand tightly. She had been fearing this moment for a quarter of a century. And now that it was finally here, finally a reality, she felt oddly calm. "Hello, sister."
"SISTER?!" Bellatrix roared, black eyes ablaze. "You haven't been my sister since the day that trash put its filthy ring on your finger." She broke into a crooked smile. "Tell me, have they caught it yet? Is your little Mudblood on the run?"
Andromeda took a deep breath. "You can't antagonize me, Bella-" (who flinched at the old pet name) "-I grew up with your baiting methods. It doesn't work on me."
"Expelliarmus!" Before Andromeda could react, she felt her wand leave her hand and heard it clatter far out of reach.
"I never could beat you in dueling, Bella," Andromeda said softly, not breaking eye contact.
Bellatrix's grin faded. Her mouth became an angry, thin line. "Do you think you're going to appeal to my nostalgic side, Andy?" She snapped. "Do you think reflecting on the 'good old days' will save you? Or did you forget that I killed our dear cousin? And that I would have killed your blessed daughter had I not been distracted?"
Andromeda studied Bellatrix's face. Her once-alluring eyes were wild and mad and surrounded by dark circles. Her once-gorgeous raven hair was a fly-away mess. Her cheeks were hollowed, and her skin was deathly pale. And yet, she could still see Bella, her big sister, underneath it all. She was still beautiful and feral and fearless, just as always. Andromeda couldn't help but smile smally.
"You've built quite the reputation," she said mildly, desperately racking her mind for an impossible escape. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's right-hand woman? That's what I hear anyway."
Bellatrix sneered. "I alone am the Dark Lord's most loyal - most faithful - servant. I alone actively maintain the proud traditions of the House of Black," she said, pride gushing from her low voice. "While you lay in hiding with that disgusting Mudblood, I revel in the glory the Dark Lord bestows upon me. The power to break minds at any whim. To destroy. To kill."
Andromeda recognized the tactics. After all these years, she was the same brash little bully.
"Are you going to kill me, Bella?" she asked steadily, absentmindedly fingering the silver three-leaf clover that dangled from her necklace.
Bellatrix raised her wand dramatically, a look of long-awaited triumph on her face. Then she paused. Her eyes were fixed on the charm. And for a fleeting moment, the hate and anger melted away and was replaced by...could it be anguish? Disbelief? The wand wavered.
"You still wear that?" Her voice wasn't taunting. It wasn't bitter. It was distress.
Andromeda stared down at the charm in surprise, as if she had forgotten it was there. "Yes...I guess I just never thought to take it off," she said, examining it gingerly. She looked back up.
Bellatrix was lowering her wand with a look of utter disgust.
"Get out," she said finally, staring at the ground, disgusted with herself.
"Bella-"
"Get. OUT," she repeated harshly, raising her wand again to drive the point home.
Andromeda backed into the front door and grasped behind her back for the knob. Bellatrix was growing more and more furious.
"Get out. GET OUT. GET OUT. GET. OUT!" She cried maniacally, fists clenched, cheeks flushed. An animalistic fury spreading across her face.
Andromeda fumbled the door handle and scrambled outside, watching in awe as Bellatrix screamed at herself. As soon as the cool air hit Andromeda's face, she Disapparated, the echoes of her sister's crazed screams still filling the night air.