19 November 1981
A flash of green light. Dora's stiff, lifeless body. A pair of maniacal, ruby red eyes staring from the darkness. Another flash of green light. An inhuman yowl and the sound of thunder…
Tonks woke with a start, feeling her heart racing and her sheets drenched in her sweat. She clutched the quilt up to her chest, where her half-moon scar marred her skin. The first few nights after returning home from the hospital, she'd been given potions to help her sleep. The last few nights, the potions had run out and she'd woken, sweat-soaked and terrified.
Every night, there were nightmares. Some were worse than others. The flashes of green light and Dora's still, lifeless body was one of the worst nightmares, but sometimes she saw tortured, mangled remains of people. Sometimes, she saw faces contorted in torture and anguish. She didn't know who the faces belonged to, or who the mangled people had been, but every time, she was terrified.
The full moon the week before was another terror. She didn't remember going to Remus to heal him, though her mother had insisted they had seen him. Remus had even sent her a note to thank her for her help, and to assure her that he was well cared for every full moon. It assuaged some of Tonks' fears, but a niggling feeling in the back of her mind feared for the next full moon.
Tonight, there was no moon. Instead, there were night terrors.
Now that she was ten years old, she felt a little silly going to her parents or Gran in the middle of the night to join them in bed. She was strong. She was brave. The nightmares left her scared, and so she found herself sneaking out of her bedroom to join Harry in his. His bed was smaller than hers, but he didn't seem to mind when she climbed in with him. Harry was often half-awake himself, babbling sleepily.
Tonight was no different. Harry babbled "mama" in his sleep, and Tonks got into bed with him, holding Harry as if he were a stuffed animal. Maybe he had nightmares, too, Tonks thought, as he thrashed in his sleep.
Tonks held him against her, his baby hair tickling under her chin. She didn't like the nightmares, but at least now she had a new baby brother, who helped her endure them.
….
21 November 1981
The last two weeks had been the strangest of Tonks' short life. In a matter of days, the Tonkses and Harry had moved to a country home in East Sussex, set on a few acres of land. Tonks was gobsmacked when she saw the property, especially as her parents told her she would have plenty of room to practice flying on her new broomstick, a gift for her tenth birthday. So long as she stayed inside the protective, enchanted boundaries on the property, Tonks was free to fly as she pleased.
The country home was spacious, but cozy for the new family of five. Tonks had never thought her family especially poor or wealthy, but the new home seemed too grand, compared to what she'd grown up with. The security in the home had increased, too. She had been told their Floo connection was tightly controlled now, with only a few other fireplaces connected, and only at certain times of the day. Protective wards were set around the whole property; when Tonks tested them, a Caterwauling Charm rung out to alert her parents she had crossed a boundary. It was all exceedingly perplexing.
Even owls were monitored in the new Tonks residence. To her immense surprise, her parents had hired a house elf to help them. The Scamanders in America had helped find a house elf, called Mopsy. Unlike other house elves, Mopsy was paid a galleon a week and given a day off a month. Tonks' parents had tried to get the elf to take more time off or accept further payment, but Mopsy insisted that it was already too much. Mopsy became the Tonks house elf, who delighted in her two young charges, little Tonks and Harry.
Lastly, there was the matter of being an Animagus. Since Tonks had learned of her newfound ability, she delighted in transforming into a badger. She found the more practice she had on her paws, the easier it became to go between the two forms. Entertaining Harry had become that much easier now that she could be a multicolored badger – or so her mother told her. Whenever Tonks had colorful hair, her badger's stripe would change with it.
It was on Saturday morning that Tonks learned of her newest surprise. She sat at the dining table with her family, Mopsy eagerly attending to their every need, when her parents announced the surprise.
"Nymphadora, we'll be having a few guests over this weekend," Andromeda shared.
"Really? Who?"
"Your aunt Narcissa, and her son, Draco. He's your first cousin, and Harry's age."
"I have another cousin?"
"You haven't met because of the…unusual…relationship I have with my family. You met my sister once, a few years ago, but I don't think you'll remember her. She wanted to see you, and introduce your cousin to you and Harry."
"Oh. Okay."
"My sister has been a little lonely as of late. Her husband, your Uncle Lucius, is also in Azkaban prison. He will be there for five years, I believe."
"Did he do something bad like Sirius?"
"He did other things that were wrong," Ted interjected. "Sirius' crime was very different than Lucius Malfoy's, and he should be in prison for life, the son of a-"
"Ted," Andromeda hissed, pointing her head at Tonks and Harry. Tonks wasn't sure why, but her dad seemed to already hate this Lucius Malfoy person.
"A lot of people make mistakes, Nymphadora," Andromeda said evenly. "Your uncle and cousin both made different mistakes, and we are all trying to move on from them."
"Is that all, then?" Tonks asked, stabbing a bit of egg with her fork.
"It is. Now, Nymphadora, get dressed before your aunt arrives. Mopsy has laid out clothes for you in your room."
"Do I have to?" Tonks whined.
"Listen to your mother," Ted admonished. "Get dressed and come down when you're ready."
Tonks made a face at her parents but trudged upstairs to find freshly pressed robes on her bed. This was another new part of Tonks' life – she'd somehow gotten nicer, newer clothing in the last few weeks. She dressed quickly, and by the time she was downstairs, Tonks could hear two infants babbling and a silly laugh.
"Nymphadora, there you are," Andromeda said. "Please come and meet your aunt and cousin."
Tonks approached her mother's sister tentatively. She was a very elegant witch, with long blonde hair and sparkly jewels in her hair. There was something very familiar about her, Tonks thought.
"Hi, I'm Tonks," Tonks said, extending her hand out to the new witch. "You're my auntie?"
"We've met before, but it appears you don't remember me. I am your Aunt Narcissa, but you can call me Aunt Cissa, if you'd like," she replied, taking Tonks' hand gingerly for a little shake.
"Call me Tonks. I hate my name."
Aunt Cissa made a face at Tonks, and wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "I will call you what your mother calls you – Nymphadora." Tonks scowled, earning a glare from her mother. Huffing angrily, Tonks took a seat next to Andromeda.
Aunt Cissa frowned disapprovingly at Tonks, while Tonks glared back at her. The familiar face was etched in her memory. Why?
"I was at your wedding!" Tonks blurted, smacking her forehead with her hand. "That's how I know her, mum!"
"No, darling, you weren't," Andromeda said nervously. "We didn't go to your Aunt Cissa's wedding."
"I was there! I liked Aunt Cissa's flower crown and I wanted one just like it," Tonks insisted, while Aunt Cissa and Andromeda both blanched. "Everyone said I looked like you, mum!"
"She's likely thinking of one of the Tonks weddings," Andromeda said hastily. "She was a flower girl for one of Ted's cousins, and everyone said how much we looked alike. Her memory might be a bit jumbled from the…accident."
Aunt Cissa clicked her tongue disapprovingly, and Tonks grew angry, her hair morphing to an acid orange.
"NO!" Tonks argued hotly. "I was there when Aunt Cissa got married. I was there!"
"Mopsy!" Andromeda called, and the house elf appeared, clapping her hands at the sight of guests.
"Mistress Andromeda!" Mopsy greeted, bowing. "Mopsy is needed?"
"Mopsy, please take all the children to the nursery. Nymphadora can read stories to Harry and Draco."
"But mum, what—"
"Nymphadora, go now," Andromeda said sternly. "You can return when you've calmed down."
"This is so unfair," Tonks said bitterly, following Mopsy with Harry and Draco. They made their way to the nursery, where Harry pulled one of the books from the bookcases, while Draco tried to steal it from Harry.
"Ugh, I don't want to be a babysitter," Tonks grumbled.
"Miss Tonks is not babysitter, Mopsy is!" Mopsy said proudly. "Will Miss Tonks read to the young masters? Mopsy likes Miss Tonks' reading!"
Tonks stared in exasperation at the house elf. Mopsy was always in a good mood, and showered compliments on the family whenever possible. Tonks was beginning to think it was part of a grand, suspicious plan to keep her busy, but she put the thought out of her mind.
"Fine," Tonks relented, snatching the book from the fighting boys' hands. "Sit, boys."
Neither Harry nor Draco sat, and instead took to presenting her toys from Harry's toy box. Frustrated, Tonks told Mopsy to watch the boys while she went to the loo, so that she could spy on her mother and aunt in the sitting room.
Tonks crept downstairs again, taking the utmost care not to run into anything. She held her breath as she rounded the corner behind the sitting room, and crouched to listen.
"Have you considered a governess?" Narcissa asked pointedly. "She obviously needs one."
"If we get a governess, it will be a Muggle one. Muggles call them tutors nowadays," Andromeda replied tersely, as Cissa clicked her tongue. "Don't give me that look, Cissa. I have two incredibly famous children in my care, and neither has a clue. We're keeping it that way as long as we can."
Famous? Tonks was famous? Harry was famous?
"Surely you can use an Unbreakable Vow on the proper governess," Cissa said coolly. "The Malfoys have plenty of experience with it."
"No," Andromeda said firmly. "I've considered a Muggle tutor now that we have the funds for it, but not a witch. Their manners are similar enough to ours. Harry's mother was Muggleborn, and Ted's Muggleborn. It will be the best of both worlds for both of them."
"Aunt Walburga will be most displeased when she meets the child," Aunt Cissa warned.
"I don't give a toss what Walburga thinks," Andromeda said harshly, causing Tonks to gasp. Her mother was never rude or used poor language.
"Nymphadora now owns the very house Walburga lives in. If my daughter wanted that house, she would be well within her right to remove Walburga forcibly today," Andromeda continued, as Tonks' jaw dropped. She owned a house? Someone lived in it?
"I had not expected Dora to be so heartless or thoughtless in arranging the inheritance," Cissa sniffed. "Not even a knut for poor Draco."
"As if Draco needed any more gold," Andromeda hissed. "It wasn't all Dora's doing. Evidently Regulus had arranged this before he died. If you have anyone to blame for Draco's apparent poverty, it's another one of our late cousins."
"Yet your daughter has inherited two of the most valuable vaults at Gringotts, and two seats for the Wizengamot."
"How were we to know the Lestranges would choose Dora to inherit everything? It was hardly likely all four of them were going to die on the same day, leaving behind two fortunes for Nymphadora."
Two fortunes? Wizengamot? Four people dead? Tonks' head was spinning.
"Until she's of age, Ted and I are taking the seats. We took some gold to purchase this home for her and Harry, who need protection now more than ever," Andromeda continued evenly. "What choice did we have, after what happened to the Potters?"
"Our sister and the Dark Lord are dead," Narcissa snarled. "Neither child needs any further protection."
Mum had another sister? She died? The bad witch with the crazy hair?
"There was no body recovered for You-Know-Who, and we have it on good authority that both of them will need the utmost care and attention. I'm not taking any chances on either of their lives," Andromeda said. "I did not invite you here to fight with me, Cissy. I invited you here to begin cleaning up the mess left behind by our cousins and sister. I never dreamt that the only Blacks left in 1981 would be you, me, and Sirius."
"Our mother is alive and well," Cissa said coldly. "Not that she would like to see you."
"I don't care to see her, either. As it stands, our mother has no claim to the Black family fortune. That honor goes to my daughter, and for your sake and hers, I'm trying to rebuild the destruction left behind."
"There is Miss Tonks!" Mopsy said loudly, much to Tonks' chagrin. Couldn't Mopsy tell Tonks was trying to spy on her mother and aunt?
"Nymphadora?" Andromeda asked sharply, as Tonks guiltily shuffled back into the room with her mother and aunt. "How much of that did you hear? Don't lie to me, young lady."
"I have a house," Tonks said nervously. "Gold too? I'm famous and so is Harry."
Andromeda pinched the bridge of her nose, and beckoned for Tonks to join her.
"The cat's out of the bag, so to speak," Andromeda said tiredly, looking at Narcissa. "Nymphadora, we weren't going to tell you until some things had quieted down, but your curiosity got the better of you."
Tonks stared expectantly at her mother, worrying what would come next.
"When Dora died, she left behind money for you. Part of what she left for you was a house, the Black family house, where she, Sirius, and Regulus grew up. Your great aunt Walburga lives there, and we were hoping to have you meet her sometime."
"Why don't we live there if it's my house?" Tonks asked, frowning. "Why are we here?"
"This house has more land," Andromeda explained. "The other house is in London, and here you can fly on your broomstick and have more space. One day we might go there, but not until you and Harry are a little older."
"Why am I famous?" Tonks blurted. Having gold and a new house was nice, but why was she famous?
"Do you remember Professor Dumbledore? He said that you and Harry both survived terrible curses. It was unusual to survive that, and your names made it into The Daily Prophet, because it was part of a big crime. Now, you're alive and healed, and so is Harry."
"I'm famous because I'm alive?" Tonks asked blankly. "Why?"
Narcissa cleared her throat. "Nymphadora, you are famous because you survived an attack from the Darkest wizard of our time. Grown witches and wizards could barely escape his attacks. You are either very talented, or very lucky."
Tonks bit her lip. She didn't know any magic yet, and she was clumsy. She could turn into a badger now, but that was because of some magic Dora did. She could speak to snakes now, but that was because of You-Know-Who's attack. All she had on her own was being a Metamorphmagus, and she had been born with that talent.
"I think it's luck," Tonks said, after a few moments of silence. "I can't even do magic yet."
"You'll do magic soon, sweetheart," Andromeda said gently, stroking Tonks' currently sky blue curls. "Give it a few years, and you'll do well. For now, don't worry about the fame, house, or money. Just be you, my darling Nymphadora."
Tonks stared at the floor, unsure of what to say. She had a feeling that her mother and aunt were keeping more information from her, but she was sure neither witch would be forthright or honest. Tonks settled for the next best activity after attempting to spy on her mother and aunt. "Can I go flying now, please?"
Andromeda's grey eyes met Tonks'. "Have Mopsy bring down Harry and Draco, and then she can watch you."
Tonks grinned. "Thanks, mum!" With a slippery twist of her heel, after which she ran headfirst into the arm of the sofa, Tonks ran back upstairs, elated to be going flying. She was going to learn the truth one day, she decided, but for now, flying on her new broomstick would do.
….
12 December 1981
"I don't want to wear this," Tonks said crossly, lifting her arms up. She was wearing fine, heavy robes that felt wrong. They were nothing like her comfortable clothing, and were too fancy for her taste.
"Please, Nymphadora, cooperate," Andromeda said. "I hated wearing these when I was your age, too, but it will make our meeting today easier."
"Why should I make her happy if it's my house?" Tonks demanded. "You said I could kick her out!"
"You could, but you shouldn't. We're trying to improve relationships, not destroy them."
"I don't wantto go!"
"I don't either," Andromeda agreed, shocking Tonks. "But trust me, it's better we try now than later. We won't be there long."
"Can Harry and Dad come? Or Gran?"
Andromeda pursed her lips. "It will be us and your Aunt Cissa today. Please keep your hair to a natural shade."
Tonks scrunched her nose and decided to look morph her hair to a glossy black, to look more like Dora did. Andromeda gasped loudly upon seeing Tonks, and with another scrunch of her nose, she morphed her hair to be a little curlier, close to her mother's black curls. That must have been good enough, as Andromeda said no more, and gestured for Tonks to wait.
Tonks scowled. Her Aunt Cissa had been over once a week for tea with her mother, and she always criticized something Tonks did. Tonks couldn't sit, stand, eat, or drink properly, "like a lady," as her auntie put so nicely. Her mother had given in and hired both a Muggle tutor and a witch governess for Tonks and Harry.
Four days a week, Tonks was taught the usual subjects for Muggles. On the fifth day, the witch governess came in to teach proper manners, calling Tonks all but hopeless. Tonks didn't care about the etiquette lessons, finding the Muggle tutor far more interesting, especially in the subject called Science. When Tonks went to Hogwarts, the Muggle tutor would begin teaching Harry in the same schedule, while Tonks went away to "boarding school" in Scotland.
It was more structure than Tonks ever had, having been taught at home by her mother for years. Tonks was pleasantly surprised to learn her Muggle tutor knew more about Muggles than both her parents (her father having left his Muggle education at age 11), and gladly soaked up the new information. Nevertheless, her days were filled with activity, leaving her exhausted enough that she could hardly have nightmares.
By the time Tonks had reluctantly put on the gaudy robes, it was time to go. Andromeda was dressed similarly, and the two went through the Floo to Grimmauld Place, where they were expected for tea.
Tonks immediately fell face-first into the rug on the floor in the oddly familiar sitting room. It was dark, with many velvet, emerald green pieces of furniture, with a chilly sense of foreboding to the place. A formidable witch stood tall and proud across from Tonks as she got herself up off the floor.
"Aunt Walburga," Andromeda said curtly.
"Andromeda. This is your br—child?"
"This is my daughter, Nymphadora Tonks." Andromeda led Tonks forward slightly, and murmured in her ear to curtsy.
Tonks did as she was told and made a half-hearted attempt at a curtsy before her great aunt, who grimaced and shook angrily.
"I did this before," Tonks said suddenly. "There were more people. Uncle Al took me here!"
Andromeda looked as if she were going to faint. "Nymphadora has a very active imagination," she said, in a clipped manner. She bent down to Tonks' ear and murmured, "Now is not the time for memories. You can tell me about them later."
Tonks pouted, and plopped herself inelegantly on a velvet settee across from her great aunt.
"The nerve of that girl to do this to me," Walburga hissed. "And Regulus – my poor Regulus! She poisoned him! She allowed this to happen! A traitor, this entire time, just like my other brat!"
"Walburga," Andromeda said hotly. "I request you behave civilly around my daughter. Until she is of age, my husband and I control the estate and its assets. I am not heartless, but I will brook no ill will towards my family."
The flames in the fireplace turned emerald green, and out stepped Narcissa Malfoy, and another woman Tonks didn't recognize.
"Mother," Andromeda gasped. "I didn't expect to see you."
"Your brat, I assume?" the older witch said, pointing at Tonks, who was now terribly confused. She hadn't done anything to that woman to be called a brat, had she?
"My daughter, Nymphadora," Andromeda informed, through gritted teeth. "She is not a brat, she is your granddaughter."
"Like Gran Tonks?" Tonks offered brightly. "I didn't know I had another Gran."
The other Gran looked haughtily upon Tonks. "I am not your 'Gran'."
"Aunt Druella, be reasonable," Aunt Cissa implored. "Andromeda's child has legally and rightfully inherited everything belonging to both Regulus and Bellatrix. Even I am trying to advocate for civility."
"Only because you want your precious son to inherit it all for the Malfoys," Walburga spat.
Tonks was taken aback. For all the "lady" lessons she'd been given, the exchanges among the finely dressed women was anything but ladylike.
"Why are you so mean to each other?" Tonks asked suddenly. "Aren't you supposed to be family? Mum's family?"
Twisted, cruel smirks formed across Walburga and Druella's faces. Aunt Cissa stared at Tonks blankly, while Andromeda looked almost proud.
"Weakling," Druella muttered. "So unlike my grandson, a proper heir."
"Kreacher!" Andromeda called. An old, wizened house elf popped into the drawing room, glancing nervously. He bowed before Walburga, Cissa, and Druella, and made a small choking noise upon seeing Andromeda. Tonks stood to look at the elf, whose eyes widened upon seeing her, making a similar choking noise.
"The blood traitor calls for Kreacher?" the elf said, his tone venomous.
"Don't call her that!" Tonks said angrily. "My mum is not a blood traitor." Walburga and Druella both turned shades of purple, their hands twitching towards their wands.
"Insolent child," Druella said disdainfully, as she took her wand out and pointed it at Tonks. "Cruc-"
"Protego!" Andromeda cried, shielding Tonks. "What is wrongwith you, Mother? That is your granddaughter, not some miscreant from the streets!" Andromeda turned to Tonks, running her hands on her small frame.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
"No? Should I be?"
"Never. No one should ever hurt you," Andromeda whispered, looking behind her to where Kreacher was standing, seemingly unaffected by the potential spell.
"Kreacher, please take Nymphadora to the nursery. I need to speak with my family privately."
"N-Nymphadora?" Kreacher croaked. "Nymphadora Tonks?"
"That's me! You know me?" Tonks said excitedly.
"Nymphadora Tonks is my other mistress," Kreacher said irritably. "Mistress Nymphadora must follow Kreacher."
"Can you just call me Tonks?" Walburga, Druella, and Cissa all sneered at Tonks' request.
"Why not Miss Tonks for now, like Mopsy?" Andromeda suggested gently. "Kreacher, please call her Miss Tonks."
"Only if Mistress Nymphadora requests," Kreacher replied croakily.
"Kreacher, please call me Miss Tonks. When I'm of age you can call me Tonks."
"As Miss Tonks requests, though she is not worthy to be called—"
"Kreacher, my daughter is your mistress, and you are to obey her with respect," Andromeda interrupted sharply. "Now please take her to the nursery."
Kreacher began mumbling some words under his breath that Tonks was certain would lead to losing broomstick privileges if she said them, but followed him up the stairs, until they reached the first landing.
"I want to look here," Tonks told Kreacher. "I know mum said to take me to the nursery, but I don't want to go, and I'm the mistress now, right?"
"Miss Tonks is the little half-mud mistress of poor Kreacher."
Tonks stomped her foot in anger. "Kreacher, you can't call me half-mud, and I don't want you to use that M-word around my dad."
"As Miss Tonks wishes," Kreacher rasped, fiddling with his filthy rags.
"Please clean your rags, or make yourself something cleaner," Tonks said, eyeing the grimy pillowcase. "My mum would scold me if I looked like that."
Kreacher's ears twitched, but he said nothing as Tonks approached the door on her right. "Regulus Arcturus Black," Tonks read slowly, tracing her fingers on the nameplate. "This was my cousin's room." Tonks had few memories of Regulus. She heard he had died two years ago. Her mother had cried a lot that night with Dora, when she shared the news. Dora loved Regulus like a brother, she remembered hearing.
Tonks opened the door and found Slytherin decorations, just like the ones her mum had. Green, silver, and dark toned wood adorned the room. Tonks felt overwhelmingly sad in Regulus' room. She had met him on a few occasions, but in truth, hardly remembered her older cousin. A picture frame sat on Regulus' bed. She picked it up to find Regulus and an unknown boy in the frame. The boy had sandy blonde hair, and wore Hufflepuff robes, just like Dora had.
"I feel guilty, like I did something wrong," Tonks said softly, tracing her finger over the boys' faces. "I should've saved them. They didn't deserve to die." Tonks felt wetness at her eyes, realizing she was crying. She didn't even know the other boy's name, but she was crying over him.
"Miss Tonks?"
She turned around to see Kreacher standing awkwardly in the threshold of Regulus' door. Wiping a tear from her face, she looked at Kreacher, who was also teary-eyed. His gigantic eyes and snotty nose were especially revolting, but Tonks didn't mind much.
"Miss Dora left something for Kreacher to give to Miss Tonks," Kreacher said. "It is very hidden, Dark magic."
"Dark magic? For me?"
"Only for Miss Nymphadora Tonks from Miss Dora."
Tonks was intrigued that Dora might have left her something Dark, but the entire house seemed Dark, so she followed Kreacher up until they were in the attic of Grimmauld Place. They stood in front of a blank canvas. "Okay? Lead the way, Kreacher," Tonks said, unsure of what they were looking at.
"Miss Dora called for Belinda."
"Who's Belinda?" Tonks asked, frowning at the canvas.
"I am," a drawling voice called. "Sweet Salazar Slytherin, what monstrosity is this?"
"I'm Tonks! This is my house now!" Tonks said brightly. "Who are you?"
"You are a child of this house?" Belinda said scathingly, the snake around her neck slithering its tongue out at Tonks.
Tonks' eyes lit up to see the snake. "Ooh, a snake! I wonder if it can say hello. Can you say hello, little portrait snake?"
"Hello, little girl."
"Are you Belinda, or is the mean lady Belinda?"
"Mean lady. I am Macarius."
"Well, hello, Macarius. Do you know what to do?"
"Tell the mean lady to let you inside."
"Inside where?"
"What a dull child you are."
Tonks frowned, and looked back up at Belinda, who was staring at her in wide-eyed horror and fascination. "You speak Parseltongue? A child of this house can speak Parseltongue?"
"Uh, yeah, but it's new," Tonks said. "Can you let me in? Kreacher needs to give me something Dora left behind."
"Alphard's imp, yes," Belinda said quietly. "Unusual children these days." The portrait slid to the side, and Tonks walked through to find a dusty attic library.
"What is this place?"
"Secret library for Black family, Miss Tonks," Kreacher said. "Kreacher must give jewelry box to Miss Tonks."
Kreacher rummaged through a few books and produced a sizable jewelry box that thumped slightly, as if it contained a heartbeat.
"Does Miss Tonks see the jewelry box?" Kreacher asked, an almost hopeful edge to his voice.
"I do. What is inside?"
Kreacher opened the jewelry box and Tonks was amazed upon seeing its contents. A shiny crown. A heavy, silver locket. A ring with a black stone. Each shone brightly, even in the dim light of the attic.
"What am I supposed to do with these?" Tonks touched a finger to the locket, and it hissed at her, making her chest throb with pain where her scar was.
"Ow!" Tonks cried, stepping back from the locket. "That hurt!"
"Miss Dora ordered Kreacher to give the box to Miss Tonks," Kreacher said, bringing the jewelry box closer to Tonks. She was apprehensive about the box now, and decided to try the crown next. She placed a single finger on the crown, and it burned her, radiating pain from her finger up to her chest and back down her arm.
Tonks howled with pain, feeling the tears stinging her eyes.
"Kreacher, I don't know what's in there, and I don't know why Dora wanted me to have it," Tonks cried, wiping the snot from her nose.
"Miss Dora told Kreacher that only Miss Tonks would know what to do. Only Miss Tonks could have the box," Kreacher croaked, his bat-like ears flapping anxiously against his head. "No one else could know about the box but Miss Tonks and Miss Dora."
"Only I can know about it? Or have it?" Tonks said softly, rubbing her chest to soothe the pain. "Maybe I'm supposed to know more magic. Maybe that's what she wanted."
"Kreacher does not know what Miss Dora wanted. Master Regulus wanted Kreacher to destroy the locket. Miss Dora told Kreacher she would destroy the locket." The elf was now rocking backwards and forwards on his little, dirtied feet, eyes again filled with tears. "Miss Dora is dead and cannot destroy the locket! Miss Tonks must destroy the locket!" Kreacher collapsed in a heap on the dusty attic floor, crying over the locket as if its very presence offended him.
"Okay, okay," Tonks said. "I'm going to find a way to destroy the locket, Kreacher. If I have to destroy the locket, then I have to probably get rid of the others, but I need to go to Hogwarts first. I can't do it by myself. I-I'll look at books. I'll find a way, Kreacher." Tonks trembled, staring at the three shiny pieces still inside the jewelry box. They both called to her and repulsed her at once, making her feel both frightened and intrigued.
"Kreacher, keep this here for me. I'll find a way to destroy them. I will, I promise," Tonks vowed. "I-I might need help one day, but I'll try by myself after I learn magic."
"Thank you, Miss Tonks, thank you," Kreacher cried, bowing before Tonks and crying. "Kreacher will not disobey his late master and mistress! Will not disobey! Will not!"
"Don't worry, Kreacher. You are a good elf. Please be a little cleaner and be nice to me and my mum. That's all I can ask of you for now, okay?"
Kreacher continued wailing in gratitude, until Tonks asked him to stop and bring her to the nursery, which he began cleaning immediately upon entering with her. The remains of her cousins' childhood playthings were covered in dust, lost to time and disuse.
Tonks instead chose to lay on the dusty rug, staring up at the coffered ceiling of her strange new house. She had seen the decapitated house elves' heads on her way up the stairs, creepy and disgusting. She would have to have Kreacher remove the heads and bury them. She wondered why Dora had given her a box filled with Dark jewelry, or why no one else could know about it. She wondered why it hurt her chest when she touched it, or why it burned her fingers.
Two fortunes, two new houses, and a new little brother. A dead cousin, an imprisoned cousin, and a jewelry box filled with cursed, Dark objects. A family that hated her because of her father. A scar that wouldn't go away, because it was cursed. She was riddled with memories that weren't hers, and abilities she hadn't earned.
She was just ten years old, and she felt she'd grown more in the last two months than she had in the last decade. Sometimes, instead of memories, strange feelings would come over her body when she saw, heard, or smelled something. It was as if her body were trying to recall what it had sensed before, and it would be just out of her grasp.
"Nymphadora?" Tonks sat up, looking to her mother, standing in the doorway to the nursery.
"Yes, mum?"
"It's time to go, love."
Tonks grinned at the news. "We're done? Do we have to come back?"
"We might, but not for several years, I imagine," Andromeda said softly. "You can always call for Kreacher at our new home, if you would like him to make any changes, or send Mopsy here."
"I might ask Mopsy to help him sometimes," Tonks murmured. "I think Kreacher could use a friend."
"That's kind of you, Nymphadora. Did you see anything interesting up here?"
Tonks stood, and took her mother's hand, leading her to Regulus' room. The picture of Regulus and the other boy was just where she left it.
"Mum, who is this boy? I feel sad when I look at them. I…think I should have saved them," Tonks said somberly. "Who is it?"
"That was your cousin Regulus' friend, Cyrus. He was a Hufflepuff, just like Dora."
"He died, didn't he? I should have saved him."
"I believe he died, yes, but it wasn't your fault. It wasn't Dora's fault, either."
"It feels like my fault," Tonks whispered, tracing Cyrus' face in the photograph, and looking back up at her mother.
Andromeda raised Tonks' chin up gently, and ran a soothing hand through her black curls. "This is what we'll do, darling. Let me get you a journal, and every time you have these memories, will you write them down? We can look at them together sometimes and I can tell you what's yours, if you'd like."
Tonks clasped and unclasped her hands. "Okay."
Andromeda smiled softly. "Let's go home, our home. Gran's making your favorite biscuits."
The biscuits were tempting enough, but Tonks didn't need a reward to leave Number 12, Grimmauld Place. She wanted to leave it – and all its Dark artefacts – as soon as possible.