Chapter 25 – Dark Mark

Hermione glanced anxiously up the Gryffindor table once again. Ron caught her gaze and shrugged. They were already half-way through the feast and Harry was still not there. They hadn't seen him since he left with Neville to join the new professor for lunch at the Hogwarts Express at said professor's request. Neville had come back with Ginny in a tow, merely twenty minutes before they had arrived at Hogsmeade, claiming that Harry had disappeared after telling them he'll catch up later.

Hermione and Ron could only speculate what that meant, but had shrugged it off since they figured he would explain once he got back. But then they had arrived at the station and got off the train, still without as much as a sight of him.

"Where is he?" Hermione had wondered out loud.

"He'll probably just take another carriage", Ron said.

The two of them, Neville and Luna had hopped up in a carriage of their own. Ginny had gone off to find Dean, whom she'd been seeing lately.

"Did you receive the Quibbler subscription, Hermione?" Luna asked as they jolted up the path to the school.

"I did, thank you, Luna", Hermione said.

Luna was a bit of an odd person, very different from Hermione. She talked about things that didn't exist, told uncanny and sometimes uncomfortable truths and her eyes often seemed unfocused. She repeated theories from her dad and his paper, the Quibbler. Hermione had been very doubtful of her all of last year, which was when they'd first met, but had grown to accept her oddities and even grew fond of them. Luna was sweet and a very loyal friend.

They arrived at Hogwarts and went ahead in to the Great Hall, expecting Harry to be there already. But he wasn't and he didn't show up behind them either. The Sorting started and finished, Dumbledore said a couple of words and the feast began.

"What do you think happened?" Hermione asked Ron.

"Who knows", he said, sounding a little bit worried. "But you know Harry. Sometimes he runs off with a gut-feeling."

Hermione frowned but agreed. But just as she picked up her fork again, she noticed a bit of a stir further away. People whispering and rising in attempt to spot someone or something. Then Harry showed up, still in muggle clothing and with his face covered in dried blood, and sat down between her and Ron.

"Where've you…?" Ron began questioning before noticing the blood. "Blimey, what have you done to your face?"

"What?" Harry questioned.

"You're covered in blood!" Hermione exclaimed, horrified. "Come here."

She got out her wand and made the blood disappear.

"What happened?" she questioned, but Harry shook his head and looked around at the many more curious looks he was receiving.

"I'll tell you later."

The food was soon replaced by dessert; which Harry ate a lot of since he'd missed dinner. When Dumbledore stood up for his speech, he'd eaten three slices treacle tart in a row.

"The very best of evenings to you!" Dumbledore wished everyone in the Great Hall with his arm outstretched.

But Hermione wasn't the only who gasped when the arm of his robe had slid down to reveal that one of his hands was all shrivelled up and completely black. It didn't look like anything she'd ever seen. Harry frowned and told them in a whisper that it had been like that when Dumbledore had visited him that summer.

Of course Dumbledore shrugged it off like it was nothing. It reminded Hermione a bit of Tonks who when hurt proceeded to worry more about other people. He merely continued to welcome the students and reprimanded them of what was forbidden.

"We are also pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?" Ron questioned out loud.

The three of them stared at each other. Even Harry, who'd met professor Slughorn – even helped Dumbledore convince him to join the Hogwarts staff – looked utterly confused. Hermione looked up at the man in question. He looked a bit like a walrus.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile", Dumbledore continued over the mumblings of the students, "will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

What?

"No!" Harry said, rather loudly, but Hermione understood him.

Snape as Defence Against Dark Arts teacher? How could that possibly go well? It was very well-known that Snape always wanted the position of DADA professor, but Dumbledore wouldn't let him. He had a certain interest in the Dark Arts that would probably conflict with the subject. And Dumbledore didn't want to encourage his affection.

But when the headmaster started talking again he did not comment on his previous statement. Instead he spoke to the now completely silent hall about Voldemort and his followers.

"I cannot emphasise strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe."

He told them about the strengthened security measures of the castle but asked the students to keep a watchful eye and report anything they thought seemed suspicious.

"I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and each other's safety."

His eyes swept over the hall and its students before he smiled and bid them goodnight. The hall rose to its feet under a new wave of buzzing. Nothing of what Dumbledore had said was surprising or even new to her, but Hermione still found it chilling to hear him talking about the threat and how real it was.

She, Harry and Ron hung back as the Great Hall emptied out. Hermione and Ron still didn't know what had happened to Harry, so the three only followed the flow of people once all the gryffindors had left the table to make sure they could talk in private. Hermione also noticed Harry keeping an eye out further away. Her guess was that he didn't want to bump into Malfoy.

She was right, it turned out, as Harry told them what had happened to his face. Hermione sighed quietly as he stubbornly kept to his theory that Draco Malfoy had become a death eater and gotten the mark to prove it over the summer. He'd shared this theory before, but both Hermione and Ron were doubtful. Why would Voldemort let a sixteen-year-old into his inner circle? It didn't seem likely.

But Harry thought so, and he had therefore tried to listen in on Malfoy and his fellow sixth-year slytherins' conversation the last bit of the train ride, hidden under his invisibility cloak. Unfortunately, he'd been discovered by Malfoy after everyone else had gotten off the train in Hogsmeade. He'd been stunned and Malfoy had stepped on his face and broken his nose.

"So how did you get off the train?" Ron asked.

"Tonks found me", he said and looked at Hermione.

"Oh, right, she's been stationed in Hogsmeade", Hermione nodded.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Extra protection for Hogwarts", Hermione said.

"Her and a couple of other aurors, it seems", Harry said. "Anyway, we jumped off the train in the last second and walked up to the castle. Tonks is…" he threw a glance at Hermione. "She seemed a bit down."

Hermione nodded absently.

"Is it because of Sirius?" Ron asked.

"Partly, yes", Hermione said. "That and… other things", she decided to keep the Remus-part to herself for the time being. "And it didn't help that Emmeline Vance died."

"They knew each other?" Harry said.

"They both worked in the Order", Ron shrugged.

"She also had a little to do with her parents", Hermione said. "But anyway, she's been down for a while. She even has problems with her metamorphing."

"What?"

"She has trouble changing her appearance."

"I didn't know that could happen", Harry said.

"Me neither", Hermione frowned. She'd already decided to go to the library and look it up as soon as possible.

"Snape also mentioned her patronus has changed", Harry said. "I didn't know it could do that?"

"When did you see Snape?" Ron asked.

"Tonks sent a patronus to the castle so someone would come let me in", Harry explained. "Unfortunately, it was Snape who showed up."

"It can happen", Hermione said slowly, regarding patronuses changing. "After an emotional upheaval or some sort of shock."

Harry looked over at her, clearly curious about it, but he seemed to see that she didn't want to talk about it, so he dropped it.

"But listen to what Malfoy said…" he said instead and retold everything he had heard while spying on the slytherins.

Hermione still wasn't very convinced that Malfoy was a death eater.

Tonks had a rare day off, where she was able to go back to her apartment in London, sleep for more than five hours and enjoy the day. Well, enjoying the day was maybe not the way to describe it. She would meet up with Mad-Eye, get some info from the Order and let him in on what she'd been doing. Hogsmeade had been quiet enough so far, though, so there wouldn't be too much to tell.

She was going to meet him at the Leaky Cauldron. On the way out the door, she stopped in front of the mirror. The figure that looked back at her seemed to be a stranger. Her eyes were the same, but she never used to change them anyway. Her hair was the most notable difference. It wasn't any of the usual vibrant colours she preferred, but a mousy brown. She couldn't change it, but she didn't really care. It seemed so insignificant to everything else that was happening and colours seemed unwanted in a time like this. By whom, she didn't know. It was just a feeling.

Sighing, she turned away from the mirror, grabbed her cloak and left.

Mad-Eye was waiting for her when she got to the pub.

"Okay, lass?" he asked and Tonks had to stop to think if there had ever been another time where he'd asked her how she was.

"Yes", she said determinedly.

"What do you have?"

"Hogsmeade is quiet enough at the moment", Tonks started. "No sight of any high securities", that meaning Voldemort or his most loyal followers, "only a couple of…"

She was cut off by a silvery animal, appearing beside her and Mad-Eye in the empty pub. She recognized it as Kingsley's and shared a glance with Mad-Eye's magical eye before it opened its mouth.

"Allison Abbott hasn't shown up for guard duty", Kingsley's voice told them. "You're closest to her home. Can you check it out?"

The patronus disappeared. Tonks and Mad-Eye shared another look and was out the door. They apparated to a hundred yards outside Allison's house simultaneously.

"Mad-Eye", Tonks instantly said.

They were staring up at a greenish scull with a serpent crawling out of its mouth, floating in the blue sky. The Dark Mark. Tonks' heart sank. That meant…

They made their way up to the house. The front door was halfway open. Tonks peeked inside with a vice grip on her wand. It was dark and quiet, but she instantly knew there had been some sort of fight in here. Furniture had been moved or knocked over. Pieces of glass from mirrors and pictures were scattered across the floor.

Silently, Tonks took a step over the threshold and continued through the home. She walked through a hall, listening for any sounds indicating anyone inside. She came into a living room where the damage seemed worst. Burn marks on the walls, shattered furniture, broken windows that let the wind ruffle through the ripped curtains.

Tonks' eyes scanned the room.

Her breath hitched.

Two still eyes were staring up at the ceiling.

Her hand shook ever so slightly as she walked closer. She bent down and put two fingers to her throat. It was still. No pulse.

"In here, Mad-Eye", Tonks' voice was quiet and hoarse.

She heard his uneven steps enter behind her.

"She's dead", she said.

The body of Allison Abbott seemed as broken as the furniture. Blonde hair lay around her head like a halo, her blue eyes staring into nothing.

Tonks couldn't break her gaze. Slowly, she reached out and touched Allison's hand. It was cold as ice.

"I've contacted Kingsley", Mad-Eye's rough voice said behind her.

"She was a good woman", Tonks said.

"Yes, she was."

That was all they said. Kingsley showed up with a couple of other people soon after that.

"Her husband, a muggle, is in France on business", Kingsley told them, his deep voice even lower. "I have people contacting him."

"They have a daughter", Tonks remembered.

"Yes, Hannah Abbott", Kingsley said. "She's in her sixth year at Hogwarts. I'm going to go see Dumbledore and tell her."

Tonks closed her eyes briefly. That meant she was in Hermione's year. They probably had classes together. Maybe they were friends.

"I'll come with you", Tonks said.

Mad-Eye gave her a scrutinizing look, but didn't protest.

"I'll meet up with you at the department in twenty minutes", Kingsley said.

Tonks agreed and went ahead. Her steps felt unusually heavy as she walked out from Allison Abbott's house. Another Order member had fallen.

No one stopped or greeted her as she hurried through the Ministry, which she was grateful for. Her face seemed to tell them she was not in the right mood. She'd just gotten to the floor of the Auror Department, stalked into her office and closed the door behind her.

Somewhere along the way, the fighting within the Order, the battle against Voldemort, had become real. Tonks had been hurt multiple times over the last year, she had updated her will and asked the Weasleys to take care of her little sister if anything ever happened to her. Other people around her had died. And yet this moment seemed to be the one to intensify the cause and the cost of fighting the most. She had been the one who'd found Allison's body, someone she worked with during all of those other moments.

Sirius' death had come as a shock, but she mourned as a loved one, as family. It had felt more like losing a cousin than losing someone she'd worked with, even though Sirius had technically been both.

Emmeline had also been different. Tonks never really knew her, but when she was killed, Tonks felt a connection to her past die as well. That was what had hit her the most; the loss of another tie to her parents and her own past. Her and Emmeline were very different but had shared a significant moment.

Allison had been someone she had worked with. Someone who had a family, a child, be the big reason for their fight. They had a shared goal of wanting to secure a better future for them. They worked together within the Order, had trusted each other's instincts and knew the other had their back. They were very equal chess pieces in this game.

Because of that, Tonks could with much less imagination picture this moment with her in Allison's place. It could've been her. It could've always been her, but it seemed so much more apparent in this situation. It could've been Hermione Kingsley would travel to Hogwarts to notify. It could've been over her home that the Dark Mark hung. It could've been her body, lying on the floor, staring into nothing. It could've her. And it was hauntingly evident to her right now.

She was sitting on her desk, staring at the wall ahead, when Kingsley showed up. He didn't say anything; there was nothing to say. They locked eyes and in agreement Tonks rose to follow him over to a fireplace.

Kingsley floo-called first, to make sure Dumbledore was there and able to see them. Apparently he was, because it took only a moment before Kingsley went all the way through. Tonks followed.

She stepped out into Dumbledore's office, a place she hadn't been for a quite some time. The headmaster was sitting behind his desk, glasses low on his crooked nose. With a hand gesture he invited them to sit.

"What brings you two to Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Allison Abbott was found dead in her home this morning", Kingsley said.

Dumbledore's expression turned grave. The usual twinkle in his eye was nowhere to be seen.

"I see", he said.

"We have no leads on whom was responsible", Kingsley continued. "But the Dark Mark was used."

Dumbledore stood up.

"She has a daughter here at Hogwarts", Tonks said.

"Yes, Hannah Abbott", Dumbledore sighed. "I will ask professor McGonagall to get her."

He walked over to his fireplace to floo-call McGonagall. Tonks noticed that his steps were heavy and his shoulders a little slumped. Death was always terrible, but Allison had put herself in danger from fighting within the Order of Phoenix. They didn't know if that had been the reason behind her death, but it was likely. Tonks wondered if Dumbledore felt some sort of responsibility, since he was the leader of the Order. It wasn't on him, of course, but Tonks imagined guilt didn't know that.

The old man's face didn't give anything away, however, when he turned back around and asked for more details. Tonks and Kingsley recounted everything they knew so far and they then discussed ways to proceed.

Some time later a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in", Dumbledore called.

The door opened and McGonagall stepped inside with a young blonde girl. Tonks smiled slightly to herself even though her heart pounded hard; Hannah looked a lot like her mother.

"What's going on?" the girl asked, looking bewildered at the people in the room.

Kingsley and Tonks shared a sad look as Dumbledore explained to her what had happened.

When Tonks got home that night, all she wanted to do was cry, but was too exhausted to. She had stayed with a devastated Hannah until her father had come back. She had talked to them and explained and answered their questions. Allison's husband didn't understand everything what had happened, but he didn't need to to know that his wife was gone.

Tonks had stood there and tried to hand them back the broken pieces of their shattered lives. She had done everything she could for them, but of course it wasn't enough.

"Did you know her?" Hannah asked at the end.

"I worked with her for a little bit", Tonks answered. "She was a very good woman. I'm very sorry for your loss."