Tonks clasped her wand tight in her shaking fist as the terrified group waited for the lift to reach its destination. She held it so tight that her nails dug deep into her palms almost drawing blood. As the pain became unbearable and she prepared to relinquish her grip Tonks noticed something remarkable. Her hair was lengthening and growing darker. It cascaded down over her bowed head and obscuring her vision.

For the past week changing her appearance had been almost impossible and yet now she was doing it without thinking. She tiptoed up onto the balls of her feet in an attempt to see her reflection in the surface of the metal doors. Her hair had transformed back into it's natural black bob.

Tonks hated the way she locked normally; it reminded her painfully of her mother. Tonks had been fairly young when her Andromeda had died so couldn't recall much about her. The one thing that did stick out in her mind was a blurred and incomplete image. She wasn't entirely sure where she was but she was sitting on her mothers lap, running her small fingers through the woman's dark hair. Her mother had smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek. That's all she could remember.

Tonks screwed up her face in concentration, trying with all of her might to change her hair, but she couldn't. All she could think about was her mother. The more she did this the more she looked like Andromeda. Her lips reddened, her eyes changed to a cool, icy blue. 'Stop it!' Tonks scolded herself desperately 'You've got more important things to worry about.'

She glanced quickly around the confined space, trying hard to take her mind off of what her body was doing. She was standing at the back between Kingsley, whose face was set and stony and Troy who alone looked calm. He was a fairly young man no more than five years older than her. He noticed her glance and his thick brows knotted into a look contempt. He turned away smoothing down his ash blond hair in frustration. Tonks knew what had annoyed him.

Troy had been working as an auror for years where as Tonks was still relatively new. He didn't like the idea of her giving him orders. She shrugged it off 'That's his problem.' She thought 'I just hope he doesn't try anything funny when we're up there.'

The lift was beginning to slow as it reached the ground floor. Collectively all ten of the aurours raised their wands and waited for the door to open.

At the front of the lift Tonks could see the ancient Smith shaking like a leaf as she attempted to straighten her glasses. On either side of her Norton and Briggs gasped loudly as the doors slid slowly opened. Bright green light flashed at the front and Tonks heard angry yells and screams. Norton, Briggs and Smith had been in the immediate line of fire as the lift had opened. The three of them slumped heavily to the floor.

There was no time for the remaining aurors to think about what had just happened. On Kingsley's word they rushed forward sending a barrage of fire out into the entrance hall. Tonks looked down horrified at her dead colleagues as she stepped over them. She's known them all so well. Smith was only a year away from retirement and Norton was finally back after having her first baby. It didn't seem fair that their lives should end here. Murdered before they'd had a chance to fight back. Tonks' mind reeled with anger as she gave a frustrated scream and stepped out into the entrance hall.

It had been a mess to begin with. Harry's battle last week with Voldermort had left a large amount of debris to be cleared. The statues from the fountain were still to be repaired. They had been returned to their original positions but pieces were still dented and missing. Dumbledore still hadn't got around to returning the wizards head. Even so the damage that Harry's duel last week had caused seemed nothing compared to this.

When he and his classmates had arrived at the ministry they were fortunate enough to find it empty, there hadn't been anyone around to get hurt.

This time the death eaters had invaded in the middle of a full working day. The entrance hall had been filled with workers and visitors going about their daily business, not suspecting for one moment what awaited them. Their bodies littered the room. Each was wearing a surprised and horrified expression. A few of them had their wands out.

Tonks supposed that they must have attempted to subdue the death eaters themselves. Many of them were still fighting as the aurors had entered.

Red and green lights flashed from blurred wand tips as the wizards and witches around her dueled. Their raised voiced yelling curses and screaming as they were hit. Tonks was surprised to hear above all of this commotion a delighted laugh, she turned to see Peter Troy cackling maniacally as he fired indiscriminately into the melee.

"TROY" She bellowed "Stop you'll hit one of ours"

"They're just stunning curses!" He yelled back "They won't hurt anyone!"

Tonks ran over and grabbed his wrist sharply to prevent him firing anymore. He wrestled his hand free looking appalled at her, then pushed her away angrily and wandered off into the battle, still firing bright red stunning curses.

'What is his problem?' Tonks wondered, stunned by the mans callousness. Distracted by this she hadn't noticed the death eater behind her taking aim, fortunately Kingsley had.

"TONKS LOOK OUT!"

She twisted around so sharply that she tripped over her own foot. As she stumbled over backwards Tonks saw a flash of green light pass over her. She sat up in time to see Kingsley shoot the stunning curse at the elderly death eater that had attacked her. The old man went rigid and toppled to the floor.

"Looks like your clumsiness has finally paid off Tonks" He smiled at her then disappeared back into the fray.

As Kingsley disappeared a hand reached out in front of her. She looked up and found Troy standing over her. Reluctantly she took his hand and was helped to her feet.

"We'd better get to Fudges" He grunted moving off towards the ministers offices.

Tonks nodded her agreement "Holland! Valentine!" She called. She could see them both a short distance away battling two death eaters that she recognized vaguely.

"Looks like they're busy!" Troy called "Are you coming or not?"

"Fine!" Tonks snapped and followed Troy up a set of golden steps into a long corridor.

The corridor led into several others making it very easy to get lost. They proceeded cautiously through the maze, knowing that there could be a death eater around any corner. Tonks found it a little unsettling when there weren't any.

By now they had been wandering around for almost ten minuets without seeing another soul. 'There must be some here!' Tonks reasoned as they neared the turning for Fudges office 'They must be guarding the entrance surely!'

She raised her wand and turned to Troy.

"After you" He whispered mock courteously and making a sweeping hand gesture indicate that she should go first.

"You're a real gent," She snarled sarcastically "you know that?"

"Well you are the boss!" He snapped.

Tonks thought better of it than to dignify that with a reply. Taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders and turned into the corridor.

There was nothing there. Nothing but the glass cabinets lining the walls filled with gifts from the other wizarding nations 'Maybe they've been and gone' Tonks thought sadly, pausing at a snoozing display of shrunken heads from Africa. 'Maybe we're too late to save them'

She could see her reflection in the cabinets glass. Her hair still hadn't returned to normal. In the reflection she could barely see herself anymore, just her mother staring back. Her mum and something else.. something behind her.

Tonks span around and raised her wand. Troy had his aimed directly at her heart.

"What are you doing?" She breathed incredulously

Troy shook his head and laughed softly. "Isn't it obvious?" He sneered, his eyes bright and maniacal. "I'm fulfilling my dark lord's wishes?"

"You're working for you-know-who?!"

"Yes!" He snapped impatiently. His hair had slipped back down over his eyes so be batted it away. It just slipped back again "How did you ever make it into the aurors?" He asked impatiently "You can't even spot a beloved servant of the dark lord when he's staring you in the face."

"Beloved?" Tonks laughed skeptically "You think that he cares about you? I doubt he even knows who you are! You're nothing to him" She growled, her voice shaking. "If you were don't you think that he'd have given you more responsibility? No he's left you to do the minor jobs, keep everyone out of the way while the IMPORTANT servants deal with Fudge."

"THAT"S NOT TRUE!" Troy bellowed desperately, trying not to believe it.

"You know I'm right!" Tonks replied calmly. Her wand remained steady in its place while Troy's shook with rage.

"NO!" He repeated, once again sweeping his hair from his eyes.

Tonks seized her chance while he was distracted.

"STUPERFY!" she bellowed.

Troy shot backwards with a tremendous force into the cabinet behind him. Shards of glass and Egyptian amulets cascaded down as he was buried beneath them. A small mummified hand, glad to finally be free crawled out from underneath and shot Tonks a thumbs up sign before skidding off around the corner.

Reeling from Troy's betrayal Tonks to a moment to center herself. She continued down the corridor hoping that her loud altercation with Troy hadn't alerted the death eaters to her presence. As she drew nearer to the door it became clear that she needn't have worried. 'How could they hear anything over that poor boys screams?'