Toward the end of August, Nymphadora and her family were invited to the Burrow for both Ginny's seventeenth birthday and a back-to-school celebration. They all gathered in the entrance hall of the Tonks house so they could leave together.
Appearing at the Burrow, Tonks knocked on the door and stepped back. Rodolphus squeezed Tonks' hand, smiling at her slightly as they waited. After a moment, the door flew open and Percy greeted them, motioning them to come inside.
Ginny hurried up and threw her arms around Tonks, grinning. "Welcome," she said breathlessly. "Come in!" She marched away into the house, and the others followed, laughing.
Tonks, her mother, and Rodolphus seated themselves in the backyard with the others, Rabastan heading off to talk with George and Ron. "May I hold Teddy?" Ginny asked, looking at the adorable, blue-haired child in Andromeda's arms. The woman nodded and handed Teddy to Ginny very carefully.
Ginny held the child proudly, smiling as Teddy looked up at her in wonder, grabbing a lock of her beautiful red hair. "You're so cute," Ginny whispered to the baby, laughing slightly as he looked around, his eyes wide.
Hermione hurried over to Ginny and began to play with Teddy, giggling and laughing as the child cooed. Tonks felt Rodolphus tense beside her, and glanced sideways, noticing his troubled expression. She let her hair fall in front of her face, blocking almost everyone's view of her and whispering, "It's okay, Rodolphus. They want to see Teddy because he's my son. The Weasleys love babies, you know." Nymphadora smiled slightly, then straightened up in her chair and looked around.
Tonks realized that her mother had gone into the house and was speaking with Molly Weasley, helping to prepare the evening feast. After a while, Molly called two of her boys to set up the tables, and everyone sat down, the food appearing on the table at Molly's command.
The boys cheered and began to eat, and everyone followed their example. When Ginny was finished, she pushed her plate away and grinned across the table at Tonks. "Guess what?" she asked.
"What?" Tonks asked, grinning back.
"Hermione's going to be Head Girl, and I've been elected Quidditch team captain," Ginny said happily. "And guess what else?" Her face turned dark.
"What?" Tonks said slowly, concerned at Ginny's expression.
Ginny yanked a letter out of her pocket and thrust it across the table into Tonks' hands. "Look who the Head Boy is."
Tonks took the letter and scanned down it. Beside the words "Head Boy" were the words "Shaul Lestrange." Rodolphus looked at the paper quickly after Nymphadora gave a slight start and looked at him. He didn't say anything after he read the paper, but looked at his plate thoughtfully.
"Who on earth is that?" Ginny asked. "Do you know him?"
"Um," Tonks began, but she didn't say anything else, feeling that she had no business telling Ginny about the Lestrange twins.
"He's my son," Rodolphus said, very quietly. He looked up, straight into the Weasley girl's eyes. "I don't know him, but he's one of my boys."
Everyone at the gathering became silent, and Neville glanced at Nymphadora in shock, realizing that the "Lestrange relatives" she'd questioned earlier that year had been the twins! "Boys?" asked Hermione tentatively.
Rodolphus didn't look at her. "Twins," he said flatly. "Shaul and Mordor Lestrange. They were born while I was in prison, and I've never met them."
"Tonks," Neville began, and she lifted a hand, silencing him.
"I met them in Knockturn one evening," Rabastan spoke up. "They helped me, and I didn't even know who they were so that I could speak to them."
"They were captured by Aurors and brought in for questioning because of what happened in Knockturn," Tonks told them.
A smirk touched Rodolphus' mouth. "Both of them were Death Eaters," he said in a quietly proud tone.
Rabastan smirked as well, thinking of the two boys. "Indeed," he chuckled. "Death Eater Head Boy."
"So you didn't know anything about them?" Ginny asked incredulously.
"No," Rodolphus replied. "Bellatrix told me that she'd miscarried them, and so I didn't know that she lied."
"Death Eaters?" Harry asked in disbelief. "How old were they when they joined up?"
"When they were fifteen, or just before they turned fifteen," Tonks answered when Rodolphus looked at her. Ron frowned at her, and she said, "I learned about them by questioning them when they were brought in for questioning. One of the twins said that Bellatrix had wanted them take the brothers' places" Tonks pointed to Rodolphus and Rabastan "after Battle of the Department of Mysteries. It makes perfect sense for her to pressure them to step up that way."
Rodolphus snorted. "Dad goes to Azkaban, and the sons all take the Dark Mark," he said. "Wonderful how that works out for the Dark Lord."
Some of the Weasleys glanced at each other carefully, and Tonks took Rodolphus' hand under the table. "When we escaped prison," Rabastan continued, "the boys were shunted to the side to play the lesser role of Junior Death Eater.
Tonks snorted. "And they were not impressed with that," she said, remembering how the twins had complained about Draco. "I don't know what they're up to now: I haven't seen them since I spoke to them at the Office." She smiled grimly. "They kind of hate me," she said nonchalantly, looking down.
Rodolphus squeezed her hand gently and she glanced over at him. "They were raised to hate," he said quietly. "Raised to hate your kind, and your mother's kind of people."
"So what does the existence of these twins mean for you?" Neville asked the brothers and Nymphadora.
"Merely that the House of Lestrange continues through them, thank Merlin," Rabastan said. "And it complicates—life." Rabastan changed his sentence at a sharp glance from his brother.
"But anyway," Tonks said to Ginny and Hermione, trying to draw the conversation back, "you'll have a very interesting time with Shaul as the Head Boy. He's much more calm than his twin: Mordor's a bit off."
"Anyway," Ginny told Hermione brightly, "you should have lots of fun trying to work with him while you're the Head Girl."
Hermione frowned at Ginny, who grinned mischievously. "But the boys are in your year," she said with a frown. "Shouldn't you have noticed them before now?"
Ginny shrugged. "I don't think they've gone by their real names before," she said after a moment. "I do know a pair of Slytherin boys in my year, but whether they are the right ones, I really don't know. Although when the one's eyes flash, he does remind me..." her voice trailed off.
Rodolphus and Rabastan both looked at the Weasley girl sharply. "They remind you of Bellatrix," Rabastan finished. "Yes, of course they do. When I first saw the twins, that was one of the things I first noticed about them: their eyes."
Rodolphus remained quiet after that conversation, not joining in on the discussion between his brother and George about a certain kind a soap that would make you look and smell like you'd rolled in dung.
After a while, Harry grinned around at some of the people. "Anyone up for a game of Quidditch?" he asked.
"Under cover of a darkened sky," Tonks sang with a grin.
Ron, George, Ginny, and Hermione jumped up, some of them laughing. Harry glanced at Tonks, then said, "Want to play with us, Tonks?"
She grinned back at him. "Sure," she said, and stood, following them out to the orchard. Nymphadora apparated home to get her broom so she could fly with the others, who were already in the air, tossing an old, worn Quaffle around.
Taking off, she flew up to Harry and Ron, who were discussing teams. The two boys finally decided that each team should have one beater, one chaser, and one keeper. They left the seeker out because they didn't have much time in which to catch the snitch: they wouldn't be releasing the snitch with the other balls.
Tonks was a beater for Neville and Ron's team, and she happily protected them from the bludgers zooming around the orchard. Ron guarded his hoops while Neville tried to score goals against Harry and Ginny, the keeper and chaser for the other team. George flew as the beater for Harry and Ginny, and Hermione had been appointed referee in spite of Ron's heated protests.
Finally, tired out from the high-action game, the seven players landed and trooped back to the table, now completely covered by darkness. Tonks sank into her chair beside Rodolphus, grinning tiredly. "That was awesome," she said breathlessly.
He smiled at her and asked, "Are you ready to leave?"
"Yeah," she answered, grinning, her cheeks still flushed with excitement.
"You're so beautiful," he murmured, leaning closer to her as they stood.
Nymphadora smiled, slipping her hand into his and stepping closer to him as they began to move to the edge of the garden, where they could disapparate. Before they could leave, however, an apparition appeared directly in front of them with a soft pop, and two boys materialized before them. "Proximity," Rodolphus warned them quietly.
The boys looked at him with a sneer, then froze. The two straightened up, and one said coldly, "Hello, Father." Without preamble, the two boys began to take turns speaking to Rodolphus in rapid French.
Nymphadora's heart sank when she saw Rodolphus' face harden and felt him tense. He released her hand and Tonks realized that Rodolphus was preparing to draw his wand if he needed.
One of the twins motioned to Nymphadora and snapped something that made Fleur gasp and put her hand to her mouth. The boy glanced at her, then said coolly, "Excuse my French."
Ginny giggled, but no one else said a word. Rodolphus hissed something at the boy, and his twin smirked. Rabastan stalked over to stand beside his brother and snapped at the twins.
Mordor sharply replied, then turned back to his father, asking a question. Rabastan lifted his right hand and Nymphadora noticed a ring she'd never seen before on his hand. Rabastan continued, his voice becoming very quiet.
Shaul listened for a moment, then began to speak quickly, pointing first to Rabastan and then at Mordor, insistent on something.
Rodolphus shook his head and replied in a quiet voice so not many could hear. Mordor answered angrily, motioning to Nymphadora again, and Rabastan glanced at his brother, wondering what he was thinking. Rodolphus continued to speak, and the twins fell silent. Rabastan raised an eyebrow, but made no comment.
The boys looked at each other, then nodded and said a single sentence before turning on the spot and disapparating. No one spoke, but everyone stared at the two Lestranges.
Rodolphus was looking away from everyone, standing perfectly still. Rabastan glanced at his brother's face, then looked over at Nymphadora, who was watching Rodolphus worriedly. Rabastan was about to say something when Nymphadora stepped forward quietly and slipped her hand into his reassuringly.
Without a word, Rodolphus turned and put his arms around her, holding her close. Pressing his face against her hair, he whispered, beginning in French and switching to English, "Shall we go home now, Dora?"
"Yes," she whispered back, "although the Weasleys will want an explanation for that."
"And you will too," he sighed heavily. "But not right now. Please?"
"All right," she replied, "but we must tell them something, or they'll ask Fleur, and goodness knows what she'd say!"
Rodolphus caught his breath sharply, then glanced up and look around at the others. "Well," he began uncomfortably, knowing that some of them wanted him to release Tonks from his embrace. "I suppose you realized that those boys were my sons. They came to talk about the continuation of the House of Lestrange, Mordor, of course, being the heir."
Fleur leaned forward, tossing her head and shaking her silver hair over her shoulders. "You deed not geev 'im zee seegnet ring," she said. "Eef 'e ees zee heir, vie deed you not geev eet to 'im?"
"I told him I wasn't going to for a while," Rodolphus said blandly.
Rabastan raised his right hand and showed them the ring with the Lestrange crest on it. "He cannot give it without my cooperation because I hold the ring. It was given to me when Rod and Dora became engaged, and it will not be given to Mordor until their wedding."
Nymphadora lifted her face and look at Rodolphus, but he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Let's go home," she told him softly.
He didn't say anything to her, but spoke quickly in French to Rabastan in an undertone. Rabastan looked scandalized. "Are you sure?" Rodolphus glared at him and disapparated with Nymphadora.
They appeared in front of an ivy-covered, impressive-looking iron gate. Rodolphus raised his hand and magically unlocked the gates so that they swung open to Tonks and Rodolphus, creaking.
Rodolphus drew his wand and Tonks did the same, whispering, "Where are we? What is this place?"
Walking forward, Rodolphus did not reply, but motioned for her to stay with him, blasting Devil's Snare out of the way as he walked. Tonks tripped over a stubborn piece of the dangerous weed, and it wrapped itself around her legs, holding her down. Rodolphus Incendioed the plant, freeing Nymphadora. She jumped to her feet, nervous because she had felt the flames of his spell on her face.
After she'd tripped over the broken stones in the overgrown path several times, Rodolphus grabbed her arm and marched her by his side. "Sorry," she whispered guiltily.
He didn't speak, and Tonks was silent, waiting for him to talk. After a few minutes, they turned a corner in the path and Rodolphus stopped, Nymphadora walked straight into him. "Sorry," she whispered, blushing.
Rodolphus lifted his hand and pointed ahead of them. A dark building stood a little way from them, suspicious-looking and daunting. Nymphadora opened her mouth to speak, but Rodolphus walked on.
Nymphadora caught up with him and stayed by his side as they approached the door together. She frowned as she looked around, for, although the place seemed old, it was remarkably well taken care of.
The black doors were perfectly clean, although the wood was slightly cracked in several places, and Tonks noticed the silver doorknocker shaped like a serpent. She was about to walk up onto the porch when Rodolphus stopped her, pointing to something above the door.
Looking up, Nymphadora was surprised to see the Lestrange crest boldly displayed above the door. "Beautiful," she whispered, noting the artwork on the crest. "But, Rodolphus, where are we?"
"Stay with me," he told her, stepping up to the doors. They opened on his command, and he led her inside quickly.
Nymphadora looked around, trying to get her eyes used to the dimly lit sitting room. Rodolphus flicked his wand, turning some lights on. She blinked, seeing a long hall, several doors, and at least two staircases. Noticing a sleeping portrait on the wall, she fell silent as Rodolphus led her down the hall and opened another door. She followed him down the second, shorter hall to a dimly lit sitting room. Rodolphus walked directly into the room, drawing Nymphadora with him, and sank down onto the couch.
"Rodolphus?" Tonks began softly, sitting down beside him. "what is this place?"
He didn't look at her, closing his eyes. "Home," he told her very quietly. "I grew up here: this is—well, was—my home."
Nymphadora was surprised. "Your parents lived here?" she asked. "Rod, does this house belong to you?"
"Yes." He felt Nymphadora's hand on his arm and leaned forward, putting his hands over his face. "I inherited it as the older son. I have to hand the mansion down to Mordor before our wedding."
"Why?" Nymphadora asked with a feeling that she already knew.
"Because the Lestrange Mansion cannot belong to a blood-traitor," Rodolphus whispered.
"Is that what family tradition says, or what you say?" Nymphadora asked him quietly.
"It's both, Dora," he began with a sigh. "I want to keep the traditions for the boys' sake. Besides—" he stopped and looked at her, guilt written on his face. "Once I marry you, I cannot come back here without special, magical permission from both the twins and Rabastan."
Nymphadora was shocked. "I'm sorry—" she began.
"Don't!" shouted Rodolphus, and anger exploded inside him. "Don't you dare apologize, Nymphadora! This is not your fault! It's mine!" He turned away from her stiffly.
She stared at him for a moment, feeling terrible for him. She wanted to comfort him, but didn't know if he would allow it. Debating what to do in her mind, Nymphadora suddenly realized that Rodolphus was trembling.
"Rodolphus?" she said softly, drawing her feet up onto the couch and putting her arm around him. She gave him a little hug and told him, "It's going to be okay."
Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I love you," he said, emotion evident in his voice, "but it hurts."
She slipped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. "Love is a sacrifice sometimes, Rodolphus," she murmured in his ear, "but I love you very much and I want to help you with whatever the boys were saying to you."
Rodolphus took a deep breath and began to explain. He told Nymphadora that the boys had shown up to see if he was really going to marry the half-blood as she had said. He scowled, his eyes darkening as he spoke. "I told them that I was going to, without a doubt, marry you. They wanted me to know that although I am unmistakably their father, the House of Lestrange does not claim me. Mordor wanted the signet ring that is rightfully his, but I had already given it to Rabastan."
Rodolphus nearly smirked. "I gave it to Rabastan, but because I'm still alive and haven't married you yet, Rabastan cannot give the ring to Mordor: he can only give it back to me. Only I can give it to Mordor, and I'm not giving it to him yet."
Tonks laid her head on his shoulder as he continued, "Only right after or directly before we are married will I hand over the ring. I'll have to discuss that with Rabastan."
"All right." Nymphadora nodded, then asked, "Well, then, will you show me your Mansion? You never said anything about it before." She sat up, looking over at him. "You said this is where you grew up?"
Rodolphus looked up and nodded. "This is where I was when Bellatrix came to take me to the Dark Lord. We argued because I didn't want to go, but she used her body to persuade me, and I followed her." He grimaced bitterly. "She was pleased, and showed me so when we came back here. This house is full of my memories of Bellatrix's seduction, lies, and ruthless manipulations."
He stood, holding out his hand to Nymphadora. "Come on," he said quietly. "I'll show you the house. Oh, and it might be better for you to look like someone else. Like maybe Bellatrix, because the portraits know her."
Nymphadora took Rodolphus' hand and stood, becoming Bellatrix and transfiguring her robes almost instantly. Before she knew what had happened, Rodolphus had pulled her into a full-bodied embrace, kissing her forcefully and demanding a response from her.
She stood there, her heart beating furiously as Rodolphus deepened his kiss and tightened his embrace, the hard buttons on her black robes pressing painfully into her ribs. He drew back jerkily and looked at her for a moment.
"Rodolphus?" she gasped, horrified at the madness in his eyes. He did not seem to have heard her, but pressed his lips against hers again, then allowed his lips to trail across her thin cheek and down her neck. A soft moan escaped her as he heatedly kissed her neck.
"Oh, yes, you like it," he whispered passionately. "But what? No attempted seduction today, Bella?"
Nymphadora looked down, wondering why Rodolphus had told her to become Bellatrix if he was just going to act this way. She knew she should not in any way act seductive, because she felt him tense, as if he was preparing to fight for his life. Bellatrixwouldn't have needed to seduce him, Tonks thought to herself. He was caught in her trap anyway!
He grabbed her by the hair, lifting her head and smirking when her eyes watered in pain. "Don't avoid my gaze," he told her coldly, calling her several unpleasant words.
Nymphadora, hurt even though she knew he didn't mean those words to her, gulped, "I'm sorry, Rodolphus. I love you." Her eyes changed from seductive black to warm brown, filling with tears.
Rodolphus gasped and shoved her away. "Dora!" he groaned, stumbling back against the wall. "I did it again!"
"Why did you ask me to change if you knew that you would do that?" she whispered.
"I—I—the house is not safe for you, but it is for Bella," Rodolphus told her, staring at the floor. "I didn't mean to—oh, Dora, I—I've abused you!"
Nymphadora slipped her hand into Rodolphus' hand and said, "Rodolphus, you've been hurt deeply by Bellatrix, and it's not going to heal easily. But you're so angry with her—that anger will hurt you, Rodolphus."
"I don't want to talk about it," Rodolphus said miserably. He motioned Nymphadora to follow him and led her on a tour of the house. They saw several different rooms, but one made her very curious. Rodolphus sighed. "Rabastan is living here, or at least, his things are here even if he stays at your house," he explained to Tonks.
She nodded, then followed him to another room. This one was much larger, and when Nymphadora stepped into the room, her jaw dropped.
On one wall was a picture of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy with their baby Draco, and above the large bed hung a picture of a newlywed Bellatrix and Rodolphus. On another wall, two dark-haired boys grinned from their frame.
"Sirius," whispered Nymphadora, recognizing one of them.
"Aw! She knows me," jeered the taller boy. "What do you think about that, Reggie?" The picture-Sirius sneered at Tonks, glancing at his brother.
"Leave her alone!" the voice came from a picture behind Tonks. She turned to see a brown-haired girl frowning at Sirius from across the room, two other girls looking at her from the picture.
The dark-haired girl turned to the blonde girl and said, "Did you hear that, Cissy? They're standing up for each other! How sweet!" She laughed derisively and completely missed the sympathetic look that the girl Cissy gave Sirius and the brown-haired girl.
Rodolphus slipped his arm around BellaDora and said softly, "That is Andromeda, with Bellatrix and Narcissa. With Sirius, of course, is his brother Regulus."
Picture-Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. "And why are you explaining us to my living counterpart?" The unsuspecting portrait winked at Nymphadora. "You've finally succeeded in driving him mad. Well done if I do say so myself!" She laughed at her own joke.
BellaDora glanced at Rodolphus, who gave a slight shrug. She turned her hair to its normal pink, making herself look very odd, as Bellatrix had never sported pink hair before.
Most portraits stared, but Sirius smirked. Bellatrix asked, "Andromeda?"
"I'm not Andromeda," BellaDora denied it. "I'm her daughter." The portraits, except Sirius, still looked confused, so Nymphadora morphed back into her completely natural, black-haired state.
"I am not Bellatrix Lestrange, or even Andromeda," she said coolly. "I am a Metamorphagus and my name is Nymphadora."
The picture-Bella shrieked in horror and screamed, "Unfaithful, son-of-a—"
"Don't you dare!" Nymphadora shouted at the portrait, her eyes flashing dangerously as she stomped her foot. "The real you is dead! Rodolphus has always been faithful to you!"
"You better have been," said the newlywed Bellatrix to the portrait of Rodolphus, sitting on his lap and moving suggestively as she kissed him. His response was to begin petting her as they kissed heatedly.
Nymphadora turned red, looking away from their frame to the other wall. "Dead?" the other picture-Bellatrix said in shock. "What happened? And who are you?"
"She was killed fighting for the Dark Lord," Rodolphus replied, a note of pride in his voice.
Picture-Bella laughed. "You're so proud of me," she giggled. "You're almost as good a liar as Lucius!"
Both portraits of Narcissa replied to this statement angrily, but picture-Bella ignored them. "Who are you?" she asked Nymphadora again. "Where did you come from?"
"I am Nymphadora Tonks," she said calmly. "I am the only child of your sister Andromeda and her husband, Ted Tonks. My father has died, however."
Bellatrix choked. "The Mudblood?" she shrieked, glaring at the portrait of her sister within the frame. "Get out!"
"No!" Nymphadora protested, seeing the mortified look on the face of her girl-mother. "She hadn't done anything wrong at that time, nor had she even met him. You can't blame her now!"
The girl Narcissa looked stricken. "Bella, please don't," she whispered. "It hasn't happened yet, and she's still innocent!"
"Willful child!" ranted Bellatrix at her brown-haired sister. "Ungrateful, shameful, blood-traitor!"
"I wouldn't!" cried the girl Andromeda in horror, one hand over her mouth. "You know I hate Mudbloods!"
"You did," said Narcissa Malfoy, "but your views changed two or three years later."
Andromeda once again looked mortified. "You never told me!" she cried out to the other portraits, then looked at the real Rodolphus. "You didn't, not even when you returned! I always wondered why no one talked about me! I married a Mudblood and had his child!" The girl flung herself to the ground and tore her robes, Narcissa hurrying to her side.
Nymphadora stared at the portrait in shock, feeling Rodolphus' arm go around her. The portrait of her mother looked up from the ground and demanded, "Are you really my daughter?" Tonks nodded finally, and Andromeda demanded, "What do you do? What do I do and look like now?"
"I'm an Auror," said Tonks, and her words were met with screams of derisive laughter from both portraits of Bellatrix. Andromeda stood and moved away from Bellatrix slightly, looking at Tonks, slightly impressed. "I've been an Auror for almost six years, and I'm twenty five years old. I have also been part of the Order of the Phoenix."
Sirius stared at her, then grinned. "Congratulations!" he said, a bit sarcastically. "How long do you think you'll last?"
"The Second Wizarding War is over, Sirius," she replied, annoyed. "And by the way, you didn't survive it, dear cousin."
Sirius looked shocked, and his brother started laughing. "Shut up," Sirius snapped at him, then turned back to Nymphadora. "I'm dead?"
Nymphadora sighed. "Yes," she said finally. "We went to rescue some school children who'd been lured into a trap by some Death Eaters." Looking at Sirius, she added, "You were there to protect James' son Harry. By the way, Harry's an Auror too now!"
"Tell us about Sirius' death," the younger Bellatrix said happily, ignoring the bit about Harry.
"Well," Tonks began, her eyes narrowing, "we had a mass breakout of Death Eater prisoners from Azkaban because the dementors revolted, and these Death Eaters were the ones who helped set the trap for the children. Bellatrix, you, the brothers, and Lucius were there along with Dolohov, Avery, Nott, and several others. I came in with four other members of the Order, including Sirius, Remus, and Mad Eye."
Nymphadora took a deep breath and continued, "We found the Death Eaters and the children in the Death Chamber at the Department of Mysteries. During a fiery duel, Bellatrix cursed Sirius through the veil, never to be seen again in this life, and Remus had to stop Harry from running into the veil after Sirius." She shook her head. "Harry didn't understand what had happened."
Bellatrix laughed uproariously at the outraged look on Sirius' face. "See? I am the better duelist!" She grinned at Tonks wickedly. "What were his last words?"
"His last words were something like, 'Come on, Bella, you can do better than that!" Tonks replied. "And you improved. Almost immediately, too."
Rodolphus smiled, squeezing her shoulders. "This was my room," he told Nymphadora as Bellatrix laughed. "And as you can see, Bellatrix decorated it after we were married. I told her that I didn't want the portrait of her sisters staring at us, so she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on it." He smirked. "Then, when Andromeda left to be with your father because she was pregnant, Bellatrix couldn't take her portrait down, and it infuriated her. She was furious with me even though it wasn't my fault." Rodolphus smiled to himself proudly.
"Are you ready to leave?" she asked him.
"In a minute," he replied. "Dora, anything of Bellatrix's that is here is yours, if you want it. I believe that some of her robes are still in the closet."
"You can't do that in front of my face!" shrieked the newlywed Bellatrix.
Rodolphus smirked at her. "I wouldn't have if you hadn't permanently stuck yourself to the wall! But you could turn your back, you know." He turned his back on her, joining Nymphadora, who was looking through the robes in the wardrobe.
Giggling, she pulled out a dark green and silver robe. "Wow," she said. "Fancy much, Auntie Bella?"
"Don't you call me your aunt," Bellatrix snapped.
"She's so fancy," sang Nymphadora, twirling around and holding the robe up to herself. "Ms. Trixiebella! Bellatrixie!"
Rodolphus raised an eyebrow. "If you want it, take it and let's go. In fact, you could just shrink them all and take them home to look at them," he told her, noting the furious portrait of Bellatrix.
Nymphadora grinned and did as he said, turning toward Rodolphus and the door. He took her hand and they left the room together, Rodolphus leading her out of the house. He paused on the doorstep and asked, "May I kiss you?"
Blushing, she nodded, and Rodolphus slipped his arms around her. Beneath the Lestrange coat of arms, Rodolphus kissed Nymphadora lovingly until she melted in his embrace, laying her head on his chest. "I love you," she breathed, clinging to him tightly.
"I love you very much," he murmured, his face hidden in her hair. "But, Dora, my love, it seems to me you keep getting shorter. When you were completely natural, you were much taller. Why don't you stay tall?"
"Because—because—" she blushed again. "I don't like being taller than you, and—" Nymphadora blushed a deeper pink. "Small girls are easier to cuddle."
"And bigger girls," Rodolphus said, his eyes twinkling, "have better curves." He chuckled at her expression and touched his lips to her cheek, whispering, "Your ears are red, mon amour." His fingertips ran over her back, feeling her ribs through her robe. "You're so thin," he said to her teasingly. "Do you think your mum's cooking, or Molly's cooking will help you with that?"
Nymphadora leaned up and kissed him on the corner of the mouth before she asked softly, "Will you take me home now?"
Rodolphus guarded her from the Devil's Snare all the way out of the grounds and disapparated with her outside the gate. They appeared in front of the Tonks house, and the door burst open, Rabastan poking his head out of the doorway.
"Nymphadora," Rabastan began, "Molly and the girls want you to meet them at the Burrow on September first so that you can go with them to King's Cross Station. Rodolphus, I need to speak to you."
"Yes," Rodolphus nodded. "And I have matters of great importance to discuss with you as well." He led Nymphadora into the house and told her goodnight before heading off to speak to Rabastan.
Nymphadora went to the Burrow early on September first and joined Harry, Hermione, and most of the Weasleys on their way to King's Cross. On the platform, Molly cried as she hugged the two girls goodbye.
"Mum!" Ginny groaned, trying to pull away from her mother. "Stop it!"
"Well, I've got to get up to the prefect compartment," Hermione said. "You know, to give them their instructions."
"Have fun with Shaul," Nymphadora chuckled.
Hermione looked a bit worried, but Ginny laughed. "Don't worry," she said easily. "Just remember: I'm the prefect. And you'll have the DA behind you if you need it. You know, just in case he needs a little jinxing to keep him in line."
Nymphadora frowned. "I suggest that you be very careful if you try jinxing them," she warned. "Neville said that when they were brought in for questioning, the team had a hard time subduing them."
Ron and Harry glanced at each other as the train whistle blew. Ron jumped, grabbed Hermione, and yanked her behind a brick pillar as she protested. Harry glanced at Ginny and raised an eyebrow, making her shrug slightly and roll her eyes.
Nymphadora watched Harry help Ginny carry her trunk onto the train and wondered if the two of them were a couple. She knew that Ginny had once had a crush on Harry, and was very curious to know if the two of them would work out.
When Hermione appeared, her face was pink and Ron had his arm wrapped around her. "Come on," she hissed, and levitating her trunk, she hurried toward one of the compartment doors, Ron bounding after her.
Harry glanced at Tonks, seeming a little embarrassed for his friend. The second whistle blew, and the train doors closed, the train beginning to move. "I didn't think he was going back to school," Harry said.
"He might ride there with them and apparate back," Tonks replied.
As the train picked up speed, one of the compartment doors was forced open, revealing several people struggling in the doorway. Someone was shrieking behind them, but they paid no attention to her. Tonks gasped when she realized what was going on in the doorway.
The Lestrange twins were holding a struggling Ron at wandpoint while Hermione shrieked at them. One of them jabbed Ron in the ribs with his wand, and Ron froze, staring out at the passing platform. The other twin roughly shoved the redhead out of the open door so that Ron smashed flat into the wood and stone of the platform. Harry dashed toward Ron, horrified at what he'd just seen.
Mordor glared out at everyone, his twin at his side. "You're done, Auror Weasley!" he shouted over the rumbling and roaring of the train. "So stay out!" As one, they turned back, hexing the door shut with their wands.
"You could have killed him!" Molly shrieked at the closed door. She hurried toward Ron and Harry as Hermione stuck her head out of one of the windows and cried Ron's name.
"He's okay!" Harry called loudly. "Just got the wind knocked out of him!"
"The train wasn't going fast enough to kill him unless it ran over him," Tonks said, kneeling down by Ron. "And it didn't."
Ron groaned as Harry helped him sit up. Glancing up at the train, he painfully waved at Hermione, who could barely be seen hanging out the window. She waved back until the train rounded the bend out of sight.
Molly looked at Tonks sharply. "They could have killed him!" she hissed.
"They didn't," Tonks said flatly, pushing her blonde hair out of her face.
Harry helped Ron to his feet and Ron breathed, "I'm okay, Mum."
Molly was pale, and moved to put her arm around Ron, but he brushed her away and said, "Mum, get off! I've already said I'm fine!"
She turned to Tonks once again. "If those two hurt Hermione or Ginny, I'll—"
"Don't talk to me about it," Tonks said, holding up a hand to stop Molly from ranting. "I'm just their cousin."
Bill grinned, and George snorted. "But zey do not claim you," Fleur told her callously. "Zey said zat shree days ago—but of course, you do not speak French." And she smiled to herself in a very irritating way.
Tonks just stared at her, deadpan. "I really don't have a use for speaking French," she said sweetly. "It's not as if speaking French is something impressive—or necessary." Tonks saw a sharp look in Fleur's eyes and smiled a little more. "Besides, it's been how many years—and you still can't pronounce the word 'they'?"
Fleur's eyes narrowed. "'ow dare you?" she hissed, her accent more pronounced because she was angry.
"What are you gonna do?" Tonks asked, the smile disappearing from her face. "Gonna turn into a fish and eat me?"
Molly stared at Tonks in shock, and Ron snorted. "I'd like to see you explain that to Rodolphus," Ron gasped, choked with laughter. "Sorry, Lestrange you can't marry Tonks: I ate her!"
George and Molly glanced at each other, both very unsure what to do. Nymphadora nodded at George, Bill, and their mother. "See you around," she said calmly. "Maybe." Nymphadora raised a hand in farewell and disapparated.
She appeared outside her house just as Rabastan came outside to disapparate to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "See you later," she told him, heading into the house. Nymphadora hurried up the stairs toward her room, met Rodolphus in the hall, and smiled at him. "Good morning," she told him softly.
"Send the girls off?" he asked, pausing to speak with her.
"Yes," Nymphadora said, a smile creeping onto her face. "Rodolphus, the twins threw Ron off the train as it was leaving the station, and he made a splat on the platform. And Molly wasn't happy with them, and Fleur—ugh, she's infuriating. But she's nice enough if she's not talking to me."
"She's married to the oldest Weasley boy, isn't she?" Rodolphus asked. "Weird woman. Silver hair!—and it's natural!" He frowned thoughtfully as Tonks laughed quietly. "Isn't she a Veela?"
"Part Veela," Tonks corrected with a grin. "Her grandmother—" Nymphadora mimicked Fleur's accent "was a full-blooded Veela. But Fleur's quite enough of herself."
Laughing, Rodolphus agreed. "There were Veela on the Dark Side," he told Tonks. "They're nasty, but so many were enticed by them."
Tonks grinned into his eyes. "You didn't care for them?"
Rodolphus curled his lip in disgust. "Veela are—" he glanced at Tonks apologetically "—they're generally not considered human. We called them creatures. But they hold no interest for me: I have something much better than them."
Nymphadora smiled a little, then reached out and took his hand in hers. "I love you," she said quietly, squeezing his hand. She kissed him on the cheek, then said, "I've got to get ready for work."
"All right," Rodolphus said, releasing her hand, then looked back into her eyes. "Tomorrow, I'm going to work." She seemed confused, and he said, "I've got a job in Diagon Alley now."
Her blue eyes widened and she jumped forward, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Oh, Rodolphus!" she breathed in his ear.
"It's just at the bookstore," Rodolphus said, rubbing her back gently.
She closed her eyes and smiled, thinking of her conversation with Molly about Rodolphus' chance of getting a job. "I didn't even know you were looking for a job," she said softly.
"Yes," he sighed. "It wasn't easy, and I think Knockturn might have been more welcoming except that the entire world knows I'm going to marry you."
"Knockturn embarrassment," she chuckled. "Oh, well. You're so sweet, Rod."
He hugged her gently, then released her. "You should probably get ready for work," he said, and she winked at him before dancing off to her room.
Throughout the next few days, Nymphadora noticed that both Rodolphus and Rabastan were staying away from the house more than the normal eight or nine hours. She met Rodolphus at the door after several days of this and greeted him with a hug and kiss. "Did you have to work late?" she asked him.
"Yes," Rabastan said easily, and Nymphadora glanced at him, not having realized that he was there too.
She looked back at Rodolphus innocently, her brown eyes boring into his. "No," Rodolphus told her with a sigh. "I went to meet the twins, Dora. We're trying to work out a solution to handing down the inheritance of the House of Lestrange."
Nymphadora hugged him gently. "Progress?" she asked, leading him inside as Rabastan followed.
"Some," he said quietly. "It's difficult, Love."
"Do they remind you of Bellatrix?" Nymphadora asked softly.
"Mordor does," sighed Rodolphus heavily. "He's wild, Dora."
She embraced him and whispered, "He'll be all right. After all, he—" she stopped, remembering that the Lestrange twins were at school. "Ah," she began again, "you're not meeting on Hogwarts grounds, are you?"
"No, we're not," Rodolphus admitted. "We meet away from the school."
"Be careful that you don't get them in trouble," she warned.
"I won't," Rodolphus replied, then looked at Nymphadora carefully. "You won't say anything, will you?" he asked her anxiously.
"No," she reassured him. "Just be careful." He nodded at her, and the two of them headed to supper.