"Oh, come on, Nymphadora," she cackled. "Don't you want to play?"
Tonks sent a curse back at her aunt in return. It was Bellatrix. It was always Bellatrix. She wasn't even surprised at this point. She would be more surprised if her demented aunt didn't show up.
Speaking of surprised, what she had been pleasantly surprised about was the way Ron didn't lose his head when the curses started flying. Sure, he froze briefly at the start but so would anyone. And he fought back equally as hard. It was great!
"Nice one!" she couldn't help but compliment as a spell of his hit a Death Eater right in the forehead.
Perfect shot! Not that either of them could dwell on it as more spells rushed by them.
All of them from Bellatrix. Tonks doubted that the woman cared if the Harry she had was the right one or not. She just wanted Tonks. That should privacy scare her more than it did but, quite frankly, Tonks was used to it by now.
She didn't know how much time passed but Bellatrix was after them the whole way, never giving up. Well, u till the wards stopped her that was. Tonks didn't expect the sudden change in not having a pursuer and didn't break in time. Both her and Ron fell off her broom and got flung forwards. Onto fancy paving stone. Ouch. That hurt.
"Ronald! Nymphadora!" a croaky voice exclaimed at them. "What on earth happened?"
Muriel Prewett didn't give them any time to respond as she chivvied them inside. They told her everything in bits and pieces as she allowed between questions and scolding. She huffed and tutted at them, Ron looking bemused at all of this.
"You've missed your portkey," she chided, giving each of them another mug of hot, sweet tea.
That was the third one. Neither of them had managed to finish their first.
"We'll have to return quickly then," Tonks told her. "People will worry."
"Not until your both well. You're in shock."
"We're fine, Auntie..." Ron tried only to get a glare.
"You are not, Ronald. Don't be ridiculous.
It was rather funny to see Ron shrink in in himself.
They did eventually persuade Muriel that they were okay enough to leave. Tonks almost lost her patience with her. She needed to see Remus. Was he back, okay? Was everyone okay?
Muriel wouldn't let Tonks create the second portkey, insisting on doing it herself so Tonks could regain her strength.
"We'll activate it in the air," Tonks told Ron as they made their way outside with the broom before Muriel could do something drastic like tie them to the chair.
"Sounds good," he agreed.
And that's what they did. The whole world lurched. Yuck. She hated portkeys.
Tonks landed in a long skid that sent earth and pebbles everywhere.
"Remus!" Tonks cried as she staggered off the broom into Remus' arms.
He was safe. She was safe. They were all safe. He was shaking against her. Unable to talk.
"Ron was great," said Tonks warmly, relinquishing her hold on Remus. "Wonderful. Stunned one of the Death Eaters, straight to the head, and when you're aiming at a moving target from a flying broom- "
"So, what kept you? What happened?" Remus sounded so worried for her, so worried that he was almost angry. She grabbed him into a hug and held on tight. She could feel his heart pounding against his.
"Bellatrix," said Tonks. "She wants me quite as much as she wants Harry, Remus, she tried very hard to kill me. I just wish I'd got her; I owe Bellatrix. But we definitely injured Rudolphus... Then we got to Ron's Auntie Muriel's and we missed our Portkey and she was fussing over us- "
A muscle was jumping in Remus' jaw. He nodded, but seemed unable to say anything else. She knew that he was trying to process everything that happened tonight. What could have happened. And nothing was coming out right because he was trying to control himself.
"So, what happened to you lot?" Tonks asked, turning to Harry, Hermione, and Kingsley.
It sounded like everyone had a bit of an adventure tonight. Great. That was not what they wanted at all.
"I'm going to have to get back to Downing Street, I should have been there an hour ago," said Kingsley finally, after a last sweeping gaze at the sky. "Let me know when they're back."
Where was Moody? And Bill? And Fleur? They all should have been back by now.
Mr. And Mrs. Weasley came racing down the back steps, Ginny behind them. Both parents hugged Ron before turning to Remus and her.
"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley, "for our sons."
"Don't be silly, Molly," said Tonks at once.
They had all done their jobs. It wasn't like it had been forced on her.
"How's George?" asked Remus.
Something had happened to George? What had happened to him?
A thestral had just soared into sight and landed a few feet from them. Bill and Fleur slid from its back, windswept but unhurt.
The next thing that he said was something Tonks could imagine hearing in a million years.
"Mad-Eye's dead."
No. Tonks slowly shook her head as the words sunk in and it felt like the world was falling apart around her. No. That couldn't be right. Remus grabbed her tightly from behind. Had she been swaying? She hadn't realised.
"We saw it," said Bill. "It happened just after we broke out of the circle: Mad-Eye and Dung were close by us; they were heading north too. Voldemort - he can fly - went straight for them. Dung panicked, I heard him cry out, Mad-Eye tried to stop him, but he Disapparated. Voldemort's curse hit Mad-Eye full in the face, he fell backward off his broom and - there was nothing we could do, nothing, we had half a dozen of them on our own tail - "
Bill's voice broke.
"Of course, you couldn't have done anything," said Remus.
No. There was nothing you could do when Voldemort was right there. Not if he decided he wanted someone dead. But Mad-Eye?
She didn't know how it happened but somehow, she ended up inside the Burrow with everyone else.
"Here," Remus said softly, pressing a handkerchief into her hand. She was crying? Oh. So she was. And now she had a glass of fire whiskey in her hand.
"Mad-Eye," she chorused with everyone else.
And they drank to him. Drank to his death. His death...
"So Mundungus disappeared?" said Remus, who had drained his own glass in one.
The atmosphere changed at once. No. Surely there was no way Dung would-? And it looked like no one thought that. Bill's explanation made sense. It was so like Dung...
"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to," sniffed Tonks, having finally regained control over herself, though her cheeks were still wet with tears. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley... "
"Yes, and zat eez all very good," snapped Fleur, "but still eet does not explain 'ow zey know we were moving 'Arry tonight, does eet? Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze 'ole plan."
She glared around at them all, tear tracks still etched on her beautiful face, silently daring any of them to contradict her. Nobody did.
"No," Harry said aloud, and they all looked at him, surprised. "I mean... if somebody made a mistake," Harry went on, "and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault," he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken. "We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."
More silence followed his words. They were all looking at him. Tonks felt a bit better for them. Yes. No one here would ever betray anyone. They just wouldn't.
Remus was wearing an odd expression as he looked at Harry. It was close to pitying.
"You think I'm a fool?" demanded Harry.
"No, I think you're like James," said Remus, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends."
Tonks breathed in sharply. That was a low blow. An unnecessary one. And it looked like Harry thought so too. Good. Thankfully, Remus let it go.
There's work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether- " he said, changing the subject.
"No," said Bill at once, "I'll do it, I'll come."
"Where are you going?" said Tonks and Fleur together.
They couldn't leave. Not just yet. Why were they leaving?
"Mad-Eye's body," said Remus. "We need to recover it."
"Can't it -?" began Molly with an appealing look at Bill.
"Wait?" said Bill, "Not unless you'd rather the Death Eaters took it?"
Nobody spoke. Remus and Bill said good bye and left. Body. Yes. Not Mad-Eye. Mad-Eye's body. Because he was dead now. Dead.
"I've got to go too," said Harry.
Excuse her? What did she just hear?
"Don't be silly, Harry," said Molly, "What are you talking about?"
"I can't stay here."
"You're all in danger while I'm here. I don't want-"
"Yeah, what about my bleeding ear?" said George, hoisting himself up on his cushions.
"I know that- "
"Mad-Eye wouldn't want- "
"I KNOW!" Harry bellowed.
At least he was starting to listen to sense, even if he didn't look happy about it. Where was Remus when you needed him to talk some sense into idiotic teenagers?
"Wait till it gets out yeh did it again, Harry," said Hagrid. "Escaped him, fought him off when he was right on top of yeh!"
"It wasn't me," said Harry flatly. "It was my wand. My wand acted of its own accord."
What? Did she hear that right? It felt like she was under water and everything was moving slowly around her. So, she had to have misheard that, right?
"Often," said Arthur, "when you're in a pressured situation you can produce magic you never dreamed of. Small children often find, before they're trained- "
"It wasn't like that," said Harry through gritted teeth.
Tonks wasn't sure what to think. She had never heard of something like that happening but Harry seemed so sure... She couldn't process anything new. She couldn't. Mad-Eye...
Tonks heard Harry mutter something about fresh air, he set down his glass and left the room. She didn't blame him, she needed to get away. Process things.