There were tears on her face. Tonks hadn't even realised that she'd been crying. She wiped at her face, not wanting to appear in Hogwarts looking weak. That wouldn't exactly inspire confidence in people. She rushed along the streets, following the people she could see in the distance. Was she one of the last to come?

"The Hog's Head?" She wondered as she approached the pub and made her way inside.

She couldn't help but look around a bit. Even at her most daring at school, she and her friends hadn't even tried to get in here. Aberforth had scared them.

Not looking where she was going, she collided with a very prim and proper looking woman. In a hat, of all things.

"Madam Longbottom," she said in the tone of a woman who knew what she wanted. "Although, if we are fighting together I suppose you should call me Augusta."

Tonks didn't think that she'd ever think of this woman by her first name. She just couldn't imagine it.

Madam Longbottom arched an eyebrow. "We are fighting together, are we not?"

Tonks felt like she was a small child who had been caught doing something wrong.

"Yes. Yes, we are," she quickly replied. "I'm Tonks."

"Ah, yes. Andromeda's girl."

Before they could say anything else to each other, Harry suddenly appeared, out of breath.

"Ah, Potter," she said crisply as if she had been waiting for him. "You can tell us what's going on."

"Is everyone okay?" said Ginny and Tonks together.

"'S far as we know," said Harry. "Are there still people in the passage to the Hog's Head?"

"I was the last to come through," said Mrs. Longbottom. "I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?"

"He's fighting," said Harry.

"Naturally," said the old lady proudly. "Excuse me, I must go and assist him."

With surprising speed she trotted off toward the stone steps. Tonks felt like she wanted to be like her when she grew up.

Harry looked at Tonks.

"I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at your mother's?"

"I couldn't stand not knowing," Tonks looked anguished. "She'll look after him, have you seen Remus?"

"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds -"

Without another word, Tonks sped off, thoughts of her husband filling her head.

He was outside, apparently. That's where people hadn't seen him. So, that's where she ran. Or, tried to run, really. There were people. fighting. She kept having to stop and help out. Fight back. Or else she wouldn't get anywhere. It was so satisfying to have several Death Eaters fall by her hand. It was sormthing she never thought she'd feel and she wasn't even freaked out by it.

It was when she had bound an unconscious and heavily bleeding Rosier (her own work) to a pillar when a bruised and dirty Ginny came running down the corridor. Was it really a corridor anymore when there wasn't much of a ceiling left? Also, her work but completely unintentional.

Before they could say anything to each other, there was a crunching noise and a roar. Looking out the window, Tonks saw that it was Hagrid's 'little' brother. Groo, was it? Soemthing like that.

"Let's hope he steps on some of them!" She heard Ron say as more screams echoed from close by.

"As long as it's not any of our lot!" She said Harry turned and them, both with their wands drawn at the next window, which was missing several panes. Ginny sent a well-aimed jinx into a crowd of fighters below.

"Good girl!" roared a figure running through the dust toward them. "They look like they might be breaching the north battlements, they've brought giants of their own."

Was that Aberforth Dumbledore? Who would have thought.

"Have you seen Remus?" Tonks called after him.

"He was dueling Dolohov," shouted Aberforth, "haven't seen him since!"

"Tonks," said Ginny, "Tonks, I'm sure he's okay-"

But Tonks had run off into the dust after Aberforth. Remus. Remus. Remus.

"Oh, look, my little niece!"

Tonks actually groaned at that. Fifteen minutes outside. That's all it had taken for Bellatrix to find her. Was it really that surprising anymore?

"Oh, hello, Auntie."

She had to admit that she got some measure of satisfaction at the flinch that that title produced. Huh. Couldn't take what she dished out, could she?

But that thought was forgotten as they both stared to duel furiously, no niceties required. There wasn't even taunting this time. Something Tonks was grateful for, though the lack of talking from her dear Aunt was a bit weird.

"Does this not get boring to you?"

She really did decide to talk at the most inopportune times, didn't she?

All she got was a deranged cackle in return. The one that sent shivers down your spine. Granted, everything Bellatrix did sent shivers down her spine. Not that Tonks could think much about that right now.

There was no doubt that Bellatrix was skilled. Extremely so. She wouldn't have been considered Voldemort's right hand if she wasn't. And she was basically demonic woth absolutely no conscious which made her even more dangerous. There was no way that Tonks could match that, no matter how hard she tried.

She dove out of the way of the sickly green spell. It narrowly missed her - she could feel it whooshing past, making her gut twist in fear. She had literally been less than an inch away from death there.

The screech that came from Bellatrix was not a comforting sound. Because now she was angry. No. Make that furious. Tonks rapidly backed away, wanting to put as much distance between herself and her crazy aunt as possible. Oh, sure, Tonks knew she could duel and she wasn't one to back away from a fight but this was Bellatrix. It was also the most terrifying her aunt had ever looked like. There was no way she was going to just jump in a duel when Bellatrix looked like that. She needed to think. She needed to plan.

Unfortunately, Bellatrix wasn't going to give her that option and soon three separate spells were fired one after the other at her. None of them were an encouraging colour. They had been fired off so quickly that it looked like they had been cast as one. That was one of the reasons that made Bellatrix so terrifying. That and, well, you know, just being Bellatrix.

Tonks felt cuts open up on her arms from the curses that she hadn't dodged. Somehow, she thought they weren't all simple cutting curses. Who knew what sort of dark magic Beatrix could produce? But they didn't slow her down. They couldn't slow her down. She had to fight. Even if she was starting to tire. She couldn't! She couldn't!

The next thing Tonks knew that she was opening her eyes and she had the most awful headache.

"Oh, Tonks," came a relieved voice in the form of a sob.

Tonks' strained vision was soon filled with blurry red hair as something, someone, squeezed her tight. Every single oneof her ribs protested that particular move and she gasped in pain.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" The figure said and then promptly burst into tears.

This alarmed Tonks. And then she realised that nothing had come into focus despite her being conscious now. Normally if she had been knocked out or fainted, her vision was blurry at first but then her focus came back. It wasn't coming back at the minute.

"Ginny?" She gasped.

"Oh, Tonks, you're okay! You're alive!" The teen wept over her, making her feel alarmed. What had happened? What had she missed?

The room was coming back into focus now as she twisted and turned, Ginny thankfully backing off. The Great Hall. She was in the Great Hall. With what seemed to be everyone else. Was that a row of bodies just behind her? She felt the room spin again.

"Remus." She focused back on what was most important. "Where's Remus?"

Ginny didn't answer and Tonks felt her stomach drop. No. No. No. No.

"No one's seen him-" she began but Tonks wasn't paying any attention, instead she struggled to get up.

Just has she had got herself sitting up, she saw that people, bodies, were being carried in through the open double doors.

Kingsely came in next, after someone carrying an impossibly small body. A student. He was holding the bottom half of someone. Minerva following, face ashen.

With a jolt, Tonks realised that there was a very familiar figure slung between the two of them. A very limp fogure with a pallid face.

"Remus!"