A/N: Elf771, yes I do understand Elvish, thanks a lot :) In fact thank all of you so much for the reviews, it really means a lot to me. I have two assignments to write so this is gonna be my last chapter for about a week (even though I've written the chapter that follows, I'm sneaky like that :P) I may be persuaded to post, if you're that desperate, we'll see from the reviews or lack of, shall we?

The events from the previous night had caused an uncomfortable tension in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Molly busied herself, noticing the change in atmosphere but not commenting on it. Her two younger children sat together at the end of the table, heads down, saying nothing. Remus was staring over the top of his steaming mug at Tonks, who was also trying to avoid eyes. However, it seemed Remus was not the only one who had his eyes fixed on her. Harry, who seemed to guess Tonks was at the centre of the tension, glanced her way every other moment. This made Tonks feel so incredibly guilty about what had happened last night that she wanted to scream a confession to the boy over the table. Moody, who's magic eye had not left Tonks all morning either, seemed to have seen this very thought and kept shaking his head at her warily, whenever she spared a glace his way.

Molly cleared her throat before breaking the silence.

"Anyone else hungry at all?" All she received were mumbles of declination. She huffed loudly and returned to her washing up. Tonks, who couldn't bear the staring any longer, rose from her place.

"I'm off out," she said bluntly to nobody in particular.

"Tonks wait –" began Lupin. Tonks ascended the stairs without giving him a glance.

"Forget it, Lupin," she muttered harshly, though it was audible for all in the kitchen to hear. Remus shrunk back into his seat, avoiding the questioning glances he was receiving from the children and Molly.

"Full moon tonight, Remus," Molly commented dryly. A flash of annoyance appeared on Lupin's face.

"Thank you, Molly, I'm well aware of that," he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, after what happened the other month, can't be too careful can we."

He knew she was right. Having plenty of things to bother him, he was lucky if he knew what day of the week it was. Remus gave Moody a glance. He seemed to have a look of realisation on his face. That's why Lupin's still here, the full moon. Moody was very surprised to see Lupin come down for breakfast that morning, having half expected him to have sneaked off in the night to confront Lestrange.

Remus had had enough too. He rose from his seat and left without saying a word. Once he had gone, Molly turned quickly to Moody.

"What's going on, Alastor?" she demanded but the Auror shook his head.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Molly, just a little rift in the ranks that's all." The sound of Tonk's raised voice could be heard, followed by Lupin's and the slamming of doors. Mrs Black was sent into a fit of shrieks. Moody winced then smiled weakly at Mrs Weasley.

"Excuse me, Molly."

Harry was very lonely for the rest of the day. Ron and Ginny, coming from a large family, knew when it was best to stay out of the way. Moody had left that morning, after a heated conversation with Lupin. Mrs Weasley was in a foul mood; apparently it was catching. Tonks had arrived home around midday and gone straight to her room. It was late afternoon and Harry was left alone in the drawing room with Lupin, who had a book open in front of him but had not turned a page in over ten minutes. Lupin looked peaky. Harry desperately wanted to talk to his old Professor, but could not really think of a way to open a conversation so he just offered him a smile. Tonks' heavy feet could be heard in the hall. She peeked her head through the door and, on seeing Lupin, turned quickly on her heels.

"Tonks, where are you going?" Remus called.

"Are you still here?" she asked shortly.

"It's not dark yet, Nymphadora. Where are you going?" She stared at him, refusing to answer. "Harry," he said in a gentler tone. "Would you go upstairs for a moment." Harry looked at him indignantly, and didn't move.

"Harry," a warning, this time from Tonks. He sighed loudly and got up from his seat.

"You two better sort this out soon, coz this is getting stupid," he told them both, slamming the door as he went.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked for a third time, prompting Tonks to cry out in annoyance.

"For God's sake, Remus. I'm just going out. So what? Big deal!" She knew as she started speaking though, that Lupin was on to her.

"You lied to me. When I asked you last night if you had read that piece of parchment you said no. You lied. You waited until tonight, when you knew I couldn't come with you, and you were trying to sneak out without me knowing weren't you?" Lupin had slipped back into his old "teacher" status. Tonks would have found it rather sweet, if she hadn't been the one on the receiving end.

"I can look after myself," was all she could think of to say. She turned to leave.

"Wait –." She sighed.

"Remus, it's getting late. You should be leaving." She walked away, hoping to herself and whatever higher being there was in the universe that those words would not be the last she ever spoke to him. Little did she know that he was thinking the exact same thing.

The next day, Remus woke from his transformation, feeling stressed but not remembering why. He lay there for a while, gathering his strength to move. The night had been lonely for him, as it had always been since Sirius had left again, but he knew that the wolf inside him would learn to cope, however much he missed the black dog. Apparating to Grimmauld Place an hour later, his head still pounding, he headed straight for the kitchen in the hope that someone would explain the feeling of worry he had at the pit of his stomach. As soon as he entered, all eyes were on him.

"Where's Tonks?" Kingsley Shacklebolt demanded. Remus knew then what it was. Tonks. "Remus?" Kingsley pressed. In his worry, all Lupin could do was shake him head. Moody saw and turned to Kingsley immediately.

"You'd better get into the office, get the team together."

"No, no! I'll go." Remus' voice was firm, though he felt as though a light wind would knock him clean off his feet. He obviously looked that way too, as Moody said,

"Not in the state you're in, Lupin. You'd better tell me exactly where she's going." Lupin shook his head again. He had let Tonks walk away, probably to her death; he wasn't about to send a group of Auror off to die too.

"Will some one please explain to me what is going on!" Molly demanded. Remus noticed for the first time that the kitchen was full of Weasley's (minus Percy) and Harry too. He turned and went back upstairs.

"Lupin –" Kingsley called. Harry got off his seat and followed Remus upstairs to confront him.

"What's going on? Where's Tonks?" He too held concern in his voice. Remus froze, what should he tell him? The truth, a voice that sounded a lot like Sirius, spoke up in his head.

"Nymphadora knows where Bellatrix Lestrange is," he blurted out, and then wished he had thought of a better way to break the news. Harry stood in shock for a second, before coming to the conclusion that Remus feared the most.

"Then we have to go save her."

"There is no 'we' Harry. I'm going alone."

"To hell you're not!" replied Harry, then felt embarrassed for over-reacting. "Sorry," he muttered. Then a thought dawned on him. "Hey, hang on. You knew, both of you, and you never told me!" He wanted to be angry but worry had overcome him.

"Yes, and for good reason. But listen Harry, we can't lose any more time. If you are to come with me you have to promise me, no heroics! Ok?" Harry nodded eagerly.

"Ok, let's go quickly, before I get pounded on by Moody, or worse . . . Molly!"

Tonks had set off from her flat in the dead of night. She had walked around for what felt like three hours and probably was, before finally plucking up the courage to get on a bus. She was cold and tired. Her feet were numb from the snow, which had soaked through into her sneakers. She felt bad about the way she had left things with Remus, but couldn't think about that right now. Remembering her mother's directions, she followed a windy road out from the village of North Egerton into even further darkness. There were few street lamps, and the sky had clouded over. Tonks was tempted to light her wand, but thought better of it. Not that it matters, I suppose.

She reached Oakdene Farm in the early hours of the morning, wishing she had the energy left to even confront her aunt. She smiled at her own stupidity. The farm was dilapidated. The house itself was dark inside, the windows were smashed and the ragged curtains blew out in the cold winter wind. Abandoned. Tonks thought it best not to creep up on one of the world's most dark and powerful Death-Eaters in the dark. Pausing to form a plan, Tonks noticed a flickering light in the large barn to the far right of the land. Tonks brought out her wand and headed for the light. Then she paused and gave a glance over her shoulder. Once again she felt a pair of eyes on her, it had been this way her entire journey. The feeling reminded her of that summer afternoon at Hogwarts, when her paranoia had gotten the better of her then also. She shook her head and carried on.

She reached the door and peered inside. The barn was empty save for what looked like a camping area. A sprinkling of pots, pans and cutlery could be seen, on the floor. It was as if someone was living there. Tonks couldn't imagine why her aunt would want to live in a barn in the middle of winter, but she must have had a very good reason. A futon was laid out to the side of the other items. It was here that Tonks spotted Bellatrix. She wasn't asleep, but she wasn't entirely awake either. Her eyes seemed hollow, dark, as if they were nothing but empty sockets. She looked thin, and very pale. Her long black hair, a trademark of the family, framed her weary face. She reminded Tonks of her mother in so many ways, but of course not as beautiful and without the grace. Tonks viewed the situation, almost pitying what she saw before her, but then remembering that this was the woman who had killed Sirius, their Sirius. It looked as if Bellatrix were hiding from someone. That can't be right, thought Tonks, she's not afraid of anyone except . . .the thought hit her with almost a literal force. Voldermort. Tonks' elbow caught the barn door causing it to creak open further. Clumsy fool! Bellatrix's head snapped up in genuine surprise and fear. She went for her wand.

"Who's there?" her cold voice called. It was now or never. Tonks considered turning and leaving but instead she stepped forward into the light.

"Aunt Bella," she announced, then felt stupid for calling her that. She stepped closer and stopped only when Bellatrix rose. She pointed her wand at her niece's face.

"Should have known you're mother wouldn't have kept her mouth shut," she snarled. Tonks flinched at the mention of her mother, feeling a pang of guilt, but continued nonetheless.

"Bella, please I . . . I only want to talk," she pleaded; only realising herself, in that moment that it was true. Bellatrix screeched a laugh and edged herself closer to Tonks, who refused to back away.

"Talk! What could we possibly have to talk about, girl?" Tonks wished she knew the answer to that question herself. Then she asked the first thing that came into her head.

"How . . .how do you know? How do you know that the side you have chosen is the right side?" Bella frowned at this and lowered her wand a fraction. Was this some sort of distraction, or was her niece genuinely interested? It seemed, to the dark witch, a long way to come just to talk about the politics of their war. She decided to answer with a question.

"How do you know your side is right?"

"I... I just do!"

"Well, you've answered your own question!" she snapped. Tonks took an involuntary step back and then wished she hadn't.

"But Bella, you killed! Your own family! How can that be right? I don't understand." Tonks pleaded at the older woman. She stared at her; the crazed glare seemed to be fading from her eyes. Tonks continued. "I need to know that I'm fighting for the right side, that I'm not missing out on something," she whispered to her aunt. Bellatrix paused, not entirely believing what she was hearing. Neither was Tonks, but she had said it anyway, she had spoken the thoughts that had been circling in her mind since Sirius had died. Bellatrix glanced at the door.

"Are you alone?" she demanded.

"Yes," replied Tonks without hesitation.

"Nymphadora," Bellatrix said her name for the first time in what Tonks guessed was at least sixteen years. She said it so quietly, so calmly, that it was unnerving. "Go home." Tonks couldn't believe what she was hearing. She remained on the spot. "Go!" she shouted, raising her wand again.

"No," said Tonks firmly. " You killed him. Sirius. Our Riu," Bella's eyes flickered at the name. "You killed him. Why? Do you even know? Was it just because he told you to? I hope it was worth it!" she said, her voice bitter but her body full of fear. Now, if ever, would be the time that Bellatrix was pushed over the edge.

"Bet your Dark Lord isn't very happy you failed to take the prophecy . . . from a 15 year old boy," Tonks added smugly. Bella's eyes widened.

"How dare you speak of the Dark Lord!" she screeched, closing in on Tonks, her wand pointing under her niece's chin.

"You must really love him, to chose him over your own flesh and blood," Tonks struggled to say in the grips of Bellatrix. "Is that why you're hiding here, in the middle of nowhere? Because he's so great?" Bella let go of her grip and stormed away from her opponent. She turned to glare at the young woman, to scream at her, to tell her she was wrong. Instead, what she did do shocked them both. She broke down on the floor, beside her futon, and wept. Tonks neared her reluctantly. She looked so much like her mother, when she had broken down in the drawing room at Grimmauld Place, not two days ago. Just then the door creaked open, causing both women to look up sharply. Harry and Remus stood in the doorway, wands out. No! thought Tonks. Bellatrix gave a blood-curdling scream and raised her wand to Tonks.

"You lying little bitch!" she screamed, "I should have known! Impedimenta!" she yelled, aiming for Tonks. Harry sent a counter-curse, within seconds, before Lupin had had time to blink. He reminded himself to praise the boy later, if they lived through this.

"Bella, no!" cried Tonks. She raised her wand at her aunt and sent a disarming spell her way. It had no effect.

"Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix cried at Tonks, causing her wand to soar thought the air to the shadowed side of the poorly lit barn. Why had she done that? She could have caused Tonks so much pain, perhaps even killed her, but instead she chose disarm her niece. Perhaps her conscience was kicking in. Tonks panicked. She heard Remus shout a spell and Bella cry out before reacting with like kind. Tonks heard Harry's shout, and she knew then that Remus was down. He's weak from the full moon, Tonks thought, He shouldn't have come here. He shouldn't have brought Harry! She didn't dare glance over, in fear that he was dead. Instead, she looked on the ground for something to fight with. She saw a knife gleaming dimly in the pale light. Tonks hoped it wouldn't come to that. Bellatrix was nearing Harry, who had rushed forward as the only capable one left to fight.

"Well well, it's baby Harry," she mocked, in that annoying voice she had used in the Department of Mysteries six months ago. "Ready to join your beloved Sirius?" she asked with a laugh. The smile faded quickly from her face though, and turned to one of pain and surprise. Tonks had acted without thinking. She ran up behind her aunt and stabbed her with all the energy she could find, into her abdomen. Bellatrix fell to the floor, shocked, and cried out in pain. Blood began to pour from her mouth. Harry ran to check on Lupin. Tonks stood frozen. She stared down at her aunt, and her aunt stared back with betrayal in her eyes.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Dora. Perhaps you are a Black after all," she whispered, as Tonks fell to her knees at her side.

"No, no! Take that back!" she screamed at the dying woman. She placed her hands over the wound that she had made, adding pressure. Her hands were covered in blood, her blood, their same blood.

"It's ok Bella, you'll be ok. You can't die. I won't kill you. Take it back!" she cried in frustration. Looking over to Harry, who was supporting a barely conscious Lupin under one arm, she called to him.

"Harry! Get help!" But Harry just stood there defiantly. Tonks' eyes began to fill with hot tears that spilled down her cheeks and landed onto her aunt's robes. Her vision blurred, she was unable to see what was coming next. In a last effort, Bellatrix reached for her wand.

"Well done, Dora. You've made me proud," she whispered before calling weakly, "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry screamed as he saw Tonk's limp body fly through the air and hit the far wall of the barn.

Everything went dark.

A/N: And with that, I'll crack on with my assignments shall I? See you soon x x x