Teddy had been awake for a while, staring at the sheets on his mother's bed, seemingly fixated on a particular worn out hole. He was cradled in his sleeping mother's arms. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but with the curtains pulled, the room was full of light. The boy groaned, turning on his side to face his mother, burying his face in her chest.
"Mummy..." He loudly whispered. She didn't move. Something felt very wrong. Her skin was pale-purple, even-and she refused to move. He grabbed her arm, which was limp, and tried to shake her awake. "Mummy?" Teddy asked. He jerked her shoulder to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't budge. Her entire body was limp and she fell over flat on her back on the bed. Teddy studied her face for expression, continuing to shake her. "Mum!"
The room was dark and Teddy was hysterical. He turned to his mother, who was breathing quietly next to him. The boy grabbed her arm and pulled at her, shaking her awake. "Mum?"
"Teddy?" She groaned, pulling herself awake. "Teddy, what's wrong?"
"I-" He didn't know how to explain that he had wet himself from a nightmare. But even in the middle of the night, she picked him up, changed his clothes and his bandage and the sheets on the bed and tucked him back in. The boy laid on her chest, listening to her heartbeat.
"Try and get some sleep, okay?" She encouraged, kissing his head. She didn't ask questions or yell at him. She snuggled right back up to him, and he was thankful for that. He drifted back to a dreamless sleep, mesmerized by the sound of her soft snoring and pounding heart.
Tonks was far from grateful for the unnaturally cool winter day in the middle of spring, because of course there was, on the very day she finally decided to come out of hibernation. She looked up at the sky. The clouds were a shelf of white above her head.
She shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat. This had to be a bad omen, if only she had paid more attention in Divination. Of course, she wasn't sure if her situation even qualified for bad omens, or if it was all a single omen for death. She hoped it was at least her own.
No, the bad omen wasn't the unnatural cold. The sign from whatever heavenly being that was watching over her was the crying baby in camp. She could tell it wasn't that old, and it didn't sound that healthy. She knew she needed to tread lightly between the makeshift shelters of the camp to find out what was going on.
Finally, the crying child was loud enough that Tonks could pinpoint which tent it was coming from. She flipped the side of the tent open to see a woman sitting on the ground, cradling a newborn in a blanket. She stared at Tonks with wide, terrified eyes. "I'm so sorry, I know she's keeping everyone up, I-" Tonks pressed her finger to her mouth. The woman stared, speechless, continuing to rock the baby.
"I need to know your name." Tonks said. "Your name, when you got here, and who fathered that baby. And I need to know if you're a witch."
The woman shook her head in shock, unsure of what to say. She was probably not much older than Tonks, with red hair that had become dirty and frizzy. Her face and neck showed signs of a beating. She had a thick accent that Tonks couldn't quite pinpoint. "My name is Alexandra, I-I just got here, I don't know how long, a few weeks? My husband, Stefan-"
Tonks stopped her again. "Is your husband a werewolf? Are you a witch?"
"How did you know-"
She crouched down in the tent. "You're in danger."
"I noticed." The woman named Alexandra said.
"Has your daughter been bitten?"
"No? My husband is a werewolf, but he would never-"
"Okay, I need you to listen to me. God, this is exactly as bad as I thought..." Tonks said. "You have no idea what's going on or how big this is. But because you're here, my life and my son's life is in danger."
"What are you going to do to us?" The woman pleaded.
"I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Not me. Just... this is hard to explain."
"What are you talking about? Who are you?"
Tonks made direct, unblinking eye contact. "My name is Nymphadora Lupin and I have a son named Teddy. I need you to remember this. Teddy Lupin. Last name sounds like... like... I dunno, loop-in. Like if you were tying shoelaces or something. Remember it. Teddy Lupin. We have to get out of here, do you understand?"
"What are you-"
"I've been here for five years. Lupin. Remember this. When I got here, I was just like you. I had a newborn baby once, too. I wasn't as compliant and Greyback would beat the shit out of me. He's... he's... He's been trying to get me pregnant and I've been taking pills to prevent that and now, he's angry and I know he's trying to replace me. He did that to a woman before me." Tonks grabbed the woman firmly by the shoulders. "What is my son's name?"
"Uh, what? I'm-"
"Teddy Lupin. You have to remember that. If you get out and I get killed, you have to report it." She demanded.
"Why are you telling me this?" The woman was now crying. "He's going to kill us? Rape us? What the hell is going on?"
"Shh, shh, shh. If I try to run away, he will kill me. Not you." Tonks said. "You've been listening to his orders, though, haven't you? That's why you're bones aren't broken and you can still talk. When I got here, I could hardly move. You don't fight back. And I need you to trust me."
"Why should I trust you?" The woman cried. "You're telling me to let him hurt me? My daughter?"
"Your baby, she's hungry, right?" Tonks coaxed.
"I've tried feeding her, but it's like I'm dried up or something." She explained.
"Just listen to me. I can figure out how to feed her. But you have to trust me. He's going to kill me soon, and possibly my son, and if he does, I need you to remember our names. Lupin. If you get out, and I'm dead, you have to tell people that he killed me. Lupin."
"Lupin." She nodded. finally regaining her composure. "Lupin. Okay, I can remember that."
"I can't get you formula right now, and I can't nurse either, but I can help you make do until then." Tonks said. "I have a house. You can stay there. But one of us has to get out of here, do you understand me?"
"Why are you doing this?" She pleaded.
"Do you remember the name I gave you?"
"Teddy Lupin! Why are you doing this?!"
Tonks paused and lowered her voice. "Because when I got here, I was in your exact shoes. And there was a woman with her own son, and she never spoke to me or gave me her name and she was killed because she couldn't have a child. Greyback killed her. I'm in her shoes and you're in mine. But one of us is getting out of here. I can't let this happen."
"And what if you get out? What am I supposed to do?"
"I'll come back for you. For you and our children and I'll bring help. Or you will." Tonks explained. "But I have no clue how to do that yet."
"He's going to kill you because of me?"
"He's going to kill me, and you're the replacement me."
Alexandra clasped her hand to her chest. "Oh my god... he's going to... no..."
"Trust me, okay?" Tonks said. "Hand me you're daughter. I can take her inside. It will at least be warmer near the fire. I can bring you with me soon."
"Why should I trust you?" The other woman whimpered.
"Who else are you going to trust here? You have to listen to me if you want to live and have a better future for your child." Tonks swallowed hard. "I'm... I'm working on getting out with my son, and I'm not going to leave another woman hanging. I was in your shoes once and it's not happening again. He can't hurt anyone else."
"Please, take me with you. If you can keep me away from these-these-"
"I'm not safer there than I am here." Tonks glanced over her shoulder. "And I have to get back to my son as soon as possible. I'm so sorry to keep you in the dark like this." Tonks was backing out of the tent with the baby in her arms.
"Wait! How can I find you?"
"I will find you." Tonks replied. "I have to think first, but I know we don't have a lot of time."
The other woman nodded solemnly. The last thing Tonks heard before leaving was, "Her name is Isobel, too!"
Having two babies to take care of immediately showed to be a bad idea. Milk was not supposed to be given to babies, but absolutely desperate times caused for absolutely desperate measures. Tonks tried mixing sugar water into it to help and the baby-Isobel, as her mother had called her-drank it fine. They were probably both severely dehydrated. She tried to think back to the woman who had been killed before her. She hadn't uttered a word to her, yet she saved Teddy's life when she couldn't feed him. Tonks felt guilty that she couldn't care for this other stranger's child in the same way, yet she was glad that Alexandra wasn't as hurt as she had once been.
It was hard to tell, but Tonks swore she could feel the door of mortality closing in on her. Any second now, Greyback could storm in and kill her. Worst of all, she wasn't completely certain if he would spare Teddy or not. For a second, she actually wondered if death would be more comforting to her son than being raised by a psychopath to be just like him. The baby eventually stopped crying but it was too late.
"Mummy? Why do you have a baby?" Teddy sleepily asked.
"Her name is Isobel. We're taking care of her for now." Tonks said. Teddy stumbled over and she let him get a good look. "Her Mummy, Alexandria's going to come live with us for a bit."
"Why?" He looked around. "Are we getting more beds?"
"We'll figure it out." Tonks assured him. "It won't be for long. Promise. She doesn't have a home and she can't feed her baby, so I'm trying to feed her some milk and sugar water."
"Can't you give her real food?"
"She's not big enough yet." Tonks said. "She has to drink milk."
"Oh." Teddy yawned. "I'm hungry."
"Cereal okay?" His mother offered. The boy nonchalantly shrugged and went to make himself a bowl of cereal. Of course his mother was being stingy with the food again. "We're going hiking."
"What's hiking?" Teddy asked.
"Like a... day long walk. I'm trying to decide when to go. One day we're going hiking and Alexandra and Isobel can stay here while we're gone. Sound good to you?"
"Will they steal our stuff?"
"No, our stuff is fine, Teddy. None of the stuff here really matters anyways." Tonks replied.
That night, Isobel slept in a makeshift crib on the couch with protective pillow bedding. Teddy had to return to his own bed tonight and was already sound asleep. Tonks worried that the food rationing was what made him so tired. She didn't want him looking like skin and bones like her, though. Greyback let himself in the door. At first, Tonks was worried he'd be wielding a weapon. He was silent, helping himself to their food, but he didn't seem angry of violent.
"I see you met the new girl." He remarked.
"I guess we're like... sister-wives now or something?" Tonks tried to joke.
"A what?" Greyback asked.
She shook her head. "Forget it."
He nodded towards Isobel. "I ain't mad as long as you got that bloody beast to shut up."
"She's just hungry." Tonks shrugged. Adrenaline pumped through her, her mind flipping through all of her options. One included fleeing. Another included stabbing him, while yet another she wanted to bash his brains out. Or suffocate him. Or just hit him between the eyes as hard a s she could. She felt violent fury building up in her chest, but she knew she had to swallow it back for tonight. Not yet. She told herself.
She grabbed ahold of the table he was sitting at and pulled it back from him enough that her body could squeeze between his lap and the table. For the first time ever, Tonks kissed him. It was the worst taste she had ever had the privilege of enduring. But she knew what it felt like. In that moment she knew who's hands were on the reigns and who was going to suffer. She could see her plan folding out in front of her and she didn't care what he did to her tonight. Part of her wanted to feel the pain to bring her back to the dangerous reality that she was living in, while the other part told her to let her be the one doing the hurting. Instead, she simply let him have his way with her-even if it meant him holding her down across the kitchen table-and believe that he was the one in control. It would all be over soon anyways...