Chapter 53
(A/N: Review? Please? )
February 15, 1996 12:35pm
"Hi mum," Tonks said.
Andromeda just stared at her daughter.
"Mum, can—can we come in?" Tonks asked timidly.
"Why?" Andromeda said finally.
"Well... I kind of need to ask you some questions about—about what happened last night," Tonks stuttered nervously.
Andromeda didn't say anything, but she opened the door a little wider. Tonks took this to mean she was allowed inside, and Remus followed. It was dark and it reeked of smoke inside; to Remus's werewolf senses it was rather suffocating, but he had to stay with Tonks, who's jaw was clenched, her eyes straight ahead. When Remus tried to grab her hand she pulled away.
Feeling slightly worried, Remus followed her into the sitting room and sat down on the sofa. Andromeda came in shortly after and stared at them.
"Mum, why didn't you tell somebody Bellatrix was still inside?" Tonks asked, looking at the floor.
"She's my sister," Andy said curtly.
"But she belongs in Azkaban! She's mad!" Tonks argued.
"Why did you alert the aurors if you didn't want her to get locked up again?'" Remus asked.
"She..." Andy began slowly. "She's my sister. But perhaps it would be better for her to be... back in a place where she cannot hurt people. But I had to talk to her one more time, I had to make sure she was okay before the aurors captured her, so I didn't tell anyone she was still in the house. I planned to, but she started saying all these things... about how I was the bad sister, I never respected our parents... she told me that, as Blacks, it was in our nature to be cruel, unforgiving. And I've known this all along, that all Blacks are destined to be evil... But it sounded so different, so much more real, coming from my sister's mouth... And because of that, I botched up the spell used to vanish the knife; I never meant for it to change directions, or to stab that auror! I—" Andromeda stopped, as if realizing she didn't seem at all intimidating if she was pouring her heart out to others.
"I... see." Remus wasn't entirely sure she was telling the truth, but there was a certain look in her eyes that told him she probably was.
They questioned her for a few more minutes, but she didn't really provide any useful information. Their visit ended abruptly when Andy realized Remus was an old friend of Sirius's and told him to get out of her house immediately. As they left she poured herself a glass of Vodka, reminding Remus again of what Tonks had told him in December; her mum was definitely a drug addict from the smell in the air, and was probably an alcoholic as well.
Remus and Tonks apparated back to St. Mungo's and climbed the stairs to Kingsley's room. On the way Tonks tripped, and while Remus was helping her up he noticed her eyes were overflowing with tears.
"Don't be like her, Nymphadora. Don't hide your feelings from me," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. "It will be alright," he murmured, although he knew there was nothing to be done about what had happened in the past.
