Nymphadora held her breath as she watched the group of wizards rise from the centre of the tight circle the Death Eaters had managed to form in preparation for Harrys attempted escape from Privet drive. She was sure she was seeing things until she looked to her mother to realise she'd not been hallucinating from the look of annoyance that flashed across her face. There were in fact multiple Harry Potters and not one of them knew what one was the real one. Every witch and wizard seemed to stop for a split second before almost as if a silent horn was blown to start the battle it all sparked into action.

Dora followed her parents, flying as quickly as she could to stay by them. It was part on instinct that made sense to her, she had been training with Bellatrix for so long now she knew her fighting styles inside out, it made sense to follow her into battle to fight alongside her . . . it also had a little bit to do with she couldn't help but realise that Dolohov had zoomed off in the other direction.

Rodolphus fell into line with Severus Snape as he flung curses at the the pair. Bellatrix laughed insanely as her daughter and her fell in sync, both seamlessly firing curses, rebounding off each other to attempt to hit their target, they worked as one.

Nymphadora gripped her legs tightly around her broom, holding on with her left hand as she steadied her wand. Her view from her mother didn't falter once as she simply silently worked with her to hit their target. She didn't need to directly look to know where the pair they were trying to hit were, she could see them in the corner of her eye.

She just didn't want to risk the fact that the person sat with 'Harry Potter' was someone she knew well enough from the Order, was a child again or heaven forbid Remus himself.

She hesitated for a slight second as Rodolphus sped past between her and Bellatrix. Both witches looked to him as they watched what he was trying to do. Rodolphus Lestrange had managed to slip behind the male figure behind the Harry he was currently trying to escape with. The male figure with a tattered tweed jacket . . . the male figure with dark brown hair almost identical in colour to her sons . . . the male figure that looked exactly like Remus Lupin . . . Shit.

Rodolphus went to yell what Nymphadora could only assume was a deadly curse, she looked from side to side to see what her fellow Death Eaters were doing as time seemed to slow down to an almost stop. Bellatrix was intent on firing curses at 'Harry' of course she'd never falter from that task even if her daughter did slip out of sync for a little while. It was only when she looked to Severus Snape did she realise that he wasn't pointing his wand at Harry or Remus . . . he was pointing his wand at Rodolphus.

As her eyes widened in shock and her brain seemed to go through a million and one scenarios of what to do Nymphadora pointed her wand in the path of Snapes spell.

The second she heard the wizard yell 'Sectumsempra' Nymphadora wordlessly sent a jinx to redirect the spell, simply hoping against hope that it didn't hit Remus.

The guilt that ran through the young with hurt as she watched 'Harry' get hit straight in the ear with Snapes curse. Though she didn't feel guilty because the boy had been hit, she felt guilty that she was glad the boy had been hit rather than her father or lover.

Snape glared at her, her mother and father still oblivious to the mans initial intent as Bellatrixs' evil cackle filled the night sky.

She sent him a sharp look back before she decided to speed up ahead of the Death Eaters. She could see Remus struggling to hold the boy onto his broom and knew that he would be unable to defend himself as well as he had before. Her own family were about to rip her lover, the father of her child to shreds. She had to cause a distraction.

Taking a nose dive like she hadn't done since her Quidditch days she got to the side of Remus Lupin, close enough to be able to see the whites of his eyes.

She sent a few innocent hexes at him, knowing that their look could have them easily mistaken for something more sinister as she could near enough feel the gazes of the other Death Eaters boring into the back of her head.

"Stupefy!" Dora yelled, sending the spell spinning past Remus Lupins ear.

He didn't seem to get the hint as he rebounded every curse the woman sent at him, refusing to send anything back to her as he tried to zoom off.

She repeatedly fired curses at the wizard until she grew frustrated that he didn't get what she was trying to convey to him, eyes widening as she watched the killing curse zoom past his head narrowly missing him.

Nymphadora yelled in fury, losing her temper as she became extremely frustrated at Remus' lack of understanding. She flew one last pulse of magic at him, hitting him square in the chest yet having no recollection of intending to do so nor of what spell she could have possibly hit him with that had no affect.

Almost instantly she watched Remus lift his wand to her head level as they all flew across the night sky. She watched the stream of red light enter her skull as she felt everything go black around her.

She breathed a subconscious sigh of relief as she felt her grip on her Firebolt slicken, her body swaying to the bottom of her broom before her legs untangled from the wood until she was soaring downwards, the wind whistling past her ears.

She heard the shriek of her mother, the one and only time she'd ever heard her appear scared or worried in any way in public before. She knew she was barely conscious as she felt the sudden thud of her body colliding with another solid form. It was only when she felt the familiar strong arm wrap around her did she look up and see Rodolphus Lestrange.

With a groan she let the spell still coursing through her body take her into an unconscious bliss.

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"I'm telling you, she could have rebounded that . . ." a quiet voice came from the distance.

"Crucio." Clearly not quiet enough as the man had intended as Bellatrix hissed the curse and a thump of what Dora could only assume was the same man who had originally spoken hitting the floor.

Dora tried to move, immediately realising that her body felt like it had been weighed down, causing her to be barely able to lift her pinky finger let alone stand up.

After a few moments of concentration the young witch managed to slowly open her eyelids. A blurred image of blonde loomed over her as she felt a delicate hand squeeze her own.

"Bellatrix . . ." Narcissa Malfoy whispered, not once looking away from her niece.

Dora blinked, her Aunts face coming into focus as a sad reassuring smile forced its way onto Mrs Malfoys lips. She could barely make out the dark haired figure standing behind Narcissa though Dora assumed it was her father from the blur of a silhouette she could see from him. She winced as a piercing scream filled the air, that of the man Bellatrix had decided to torture for his insolence.

"Bellatrix!" Rodolphus growled at his wife, firing a glare her way.

She could almost imagine the glare Bellatrix gave her husband as she span on the spot to face him.

"Dora's awake, Bella." Narcissa whispered.

The girl let her head fall to the side, listening to the click click click of her mothers heels hitting her aunts pristine flooring. She watched as Bellas face came into view as the dark witch kneeled before her. She could only assume that the room had emptied apart from Narcissa and Rodolphus as she highly doubted she'd see Bellatrix Lestrange looking so human otherwise as she watched her stroke the hair out of her face.

"I-. . ." Nymphadora winced as she heard her hoarse voice and wondered how long she'd been unconscious in the Malfoy Manor lounge for, she blinked back tears as she shut her eyes.

"Dora . . . did you let him curse you?" Rodolphus' voice sounded steady and calm, something the Metamorphmagus highly doubted he was.

"Rodolphus!" Bellatrix hissed.

"It was just a question, Bella." Rodolphus glared at his wife.

"I- . . . I- . . . " Dora burst into tears, she'd had enough, she cried freely as she struggled to find a way to explain the actions that her guardians had seen.

Bellatrix Lestrange didn't hesitate as she moved onto the couch, lifting up Nymphadoras head and resting it on her lap, stroking her mousey brown hair.

"Rodolphus leave." Bellatrix didn't once stop staring at the girl on the couch as she barked the command at her husband.

"Bellatrix-"

"Leave!" the room was silent apart from Dora's sobs for a few moments before Rodolphus stormed from the room.

Narcissa looked at the pair for a few moments before standing up and walking to the other side of the room, fiddling about with her potions bag as she pretended to not realise the two Death Eaters on her couch.

"Shhh . . ." Bellatrix kissed her head, a vacant look on her face.

"Mum . . . h-he's his dad . . ." Dora tried to calm down, gripping onto her robes as she tried to control her cries.

"Shh . . ." Bellatrix stroked her hair, staring blankly ahead "You were taken back for a moment . . . it's okay . . ."

Dora calmed down slightly, groaning as the thumping sensation in her head made itself known. She winced slightly as she was forced into a sitting position, a hand on each shoulder as Bellatrix looked her straight in the eye.

"You are a Death Eater. He is an Order member. You are a Lestrange. He is a half-blood werewolf. He was a Gryffindor. You were a Slytherin. Do I need to go on?" Bellatrix looked to her as if she was begging her to understand, something she had never witnessed in her entire life, she slowly shook her head.

"There are times in our lives where we must make difficult choices . . ." Narcissa spoke so quietly Nymphadora would have been forgiven for not hearing her, though her voice slowly became louder and more confident "Edward will have a father but that father is not Remus Lupin. If you're asked to kill him you need to kill him, for the sake of your son. I understand that you looked at him and saw a resemblance to your child, it threw you off . . . but you can't let emotions affect your judgement in service to the Dark Lord. Ever. Do you understand?"

Bellatrix was practically shaking by the time her sister finished talking to her, a fevered look on her face.

"Mother, I-" Dora winced as she felt the grip on her shoulders tighten.

"Do you understand, Nymphadora?" Bellatrix repeated her sisters question, plainly and simply.

Dora felt the magic coursing through her mothers hands, her emotions clearly running high as her daughter was fearful of being stung once she lost control. Accidental magic wasn't exactly a rarity in Azkaban escapees, their magic having been detained for so long that it was prone to lashing out in bursts at the most inconvenient of times, particular with fluctuations of emotions such as would be common in a small child. She hesitated for a second before she slowly reached up and took hold of her hands, gasping ever so slightly at the electric shock that pulsed from the tip of Bellas fingers.

"I understand . . . I won't ever leave you, I promise." Dora looked deep into her mothers eyes, the witch returning the gaze with a vacant expression.

"Mum . . . You can't get rid of me that easily." She forced a playful grin, something Bellatrix seemed to react well to as she nodded, slowly getting up.

"Right . . ." Bellatrix stood up, walking towards the door and pausing slightly "I'm going to check on Edward, you rest . . ." and with that Bellatrix left.

Dora couldn't help but be slightly unnerved by the knowing stare her aunt gave her as she obediently laid back onto the couch, closing her eyes as she gladly swapped the spinning headache for the comfort of unconsciousness yet again.