Author's Note: Hope y'all like this chapter, it was bloody hard work I can tell you. Shan't be updating for roughly a week due to essay deadlines and the fact I'm visiting my folks for a few days on Monday. There's a bit of blood in this one, so if you're squeamish like me I apologise. Hope you like.

Mirror, Mirror

Chapter fourteen: Attempts

It had stopped raining before Tonks made it to the water's edge and kneeled down. Though the rain had was gone, the sky was blacker than ever. It hadn't stopped, it had moved; the rain was going south. She bathed her hands in the cool water for some time before removing them and sitting down on the bank. The swelling had gone down dramatically, and while it was still incredibly painful, she could at least move her fingers again. She began pulling the pieces of chair out of her forearms as best she could. She no longer felt like she was going to die, at least not from her current injuries. Tonks picked at the splinters in her face, but couldn't get any out without a mirror, the water surface was too blurred for such detail.

Right now, Tonks felt even worse than when she'd first woken up in St. Mungo's a month before. Then, she'd mostly felt extremely hung over and unable to bend her midriff or her right elbow. At the time, it was the worst she had ever felt, and that was before Remus had told her about her cousin. Now, she felt she could survive, but she wasn't sure she wanted to.

She leant forward into a squat and let some water pool in her hands. She brought it up to her face and drank. The cool water soothed her aching throat, but it tasted bitter, filled with her own blood.

Tonks clutched her knees and closed her eyes. Sleep, she needed to sleep. She had to stay awake, she had to. She wrenched her eyes open but they refused to focus. They glided shut almost immediately.

&&&

As Remus finished reading the letter, Moody entered the room accompanied by none other than Percy Weasley. Emotions were running wild enough as it was, but maybe if he was here why they all hoped, it would be no bad thing.

"Found the young scallywag back at the Burrow, think I got him away before they saw but we can't be too careful." Moody informed the dejected company. "Oh and Harry's safely back with the muggles if you were wondering. Dumbledore's staying with him until we know what the situation is."

"Mum, dad," Percy said quietly. He was willing to swallow his pride, but not publicly. "Can I speak to you in private?"

Molly nodded, blew her nose and followed her husband and son out of the kitchen. Remus had taken out a hip flask and drained the contents, then put it back in his pocket, along with Tonks' wand. He made for the door without a word, but his destination was obvious.

"Remus don't," Kingsley stopped him. "She said not to go after her."

"What Tonks says and what Tonks feels are two very different things," he replied, still facing the door.

"She's right you know Lupin," Moody said gruffly, reading over Tonks' letter from the table. "If she's right about this attack then we need you here."

"How much help do you expect me to be the night before a full moon? No, we need her here, I need her safe."

"I appreciate what you're saying," Moody began. "But we can't risk it. This isn't the time for getting emotional."

"No, you're right." Remus said sourly, putting his hand on the door nob. "We should wait until we're all dead."

"Where are you going to start?" Kingsley asked, now fully understanding Remus' situation.

"That letter came from Hogsmeade Post Office. If she's wounded she should still be nearby." Remus said to nods of approval, turned the door handle and left.

&&&

Tonks jerked awake again, knowing full well that if she didn't stand up she would most certainly drift off to Merlin knows where. Again she felt the lump of her father's old knife in her jeans. He had given it to her on their last camping trip in the fields near Dufftown. They went every Christmas 'til she left Hogwarts, just Tonks and her dad. He put a warming charm on their little three-man tent, they had a miniature Christmas tree to put outside and they always cooked from scratch the muggle way, on a camp fire. Neither of them were very good at cooking, the sausages always ended up being black on the outside but pink in the middle. They always threw them away and conjured ready cooked ones, but they still tried again the next year.

Tonks slid the largest blade out from the red casing and studied the back of her arm. She took the point of the blade and sloppily gauged out a stubborn splinter. Fresh blood trickled towards her elbow. She moved her arm around, making patterns with the thin trail until there was no room left to do so. She turned her arm over. The underside had stayed surprisingly free of scratches and the like. It was pale, almost white next to the escaped red. So pure and untouched. She pushed the tip of the knife carefully into her wrist and began dragging it slowly down. The blood flow was slight. She pushed harder, but still slow as ever, as if it was the pain alone she relished. She was interrupted halfway across by a gasp behind her.

Tonks turned her head slightly, enough to identify the figure. The knife dropped to the ground and she hugged her chest, shivering.

"No," Remus whispered, fighting back tears. "What have they done to you?"

She was indeed a frightening sight. Her clothes were torn and dirty, she was covered in splinters, dry blood and bruises, her usually pristine hair was a mess and some was missing. Her arms and neck were covered in small electrical burns. And on top of all this, she had stuck the knife in her own arm and was now splattered with fresh blood. Tonks felt giddy. She swayed, her eyes rolled back and she fell. Remus ran to catch her. He held her, took a small vial from his pocket and slipped a few drops into her mouth. Her eyes opened gradually. She looked out over the lake towards Hogwarts and sighed painfully.

"What is so wrong with the world that we do this to each other," Tonks whispered, closing her eyes again, voluntarily. Remus fished about in his pocket again and held out a piece of Honeyduke's finest.

"I don't want your sodding chocolate Remus." There was silence. "I told you not to come, I told you to stay and fight," she uttered feebly, turning to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I couldn't. Without you I'd have nothing left to fight for." He sighed, holding Tonks' head gently. "Who did this to you?" He whispered as calmly as he could.

"I did."

"You want to tell me what happened?"

"Just your average mistaken-identity-stalker-kidnap-murder-doom-the-planet-then-escape scenario." Remus almost laughed. Even when she'd been kidnapped, electrocuted, bereaved and suicidal, she was still Tonks.

"They're gone Remus, my parents are gone," she said, burying her face in his jacket.

"I know."

"Mum killed Narcissa and Draco too. Now it's just me and Bella, we're the only ones left."

Remus was silent. He took out his wand and did his best to heal her wounds, but he was no healer. He managed to get rid of most of the minor injuries, and conjured a bandage for her gashed wrist.

"Poor Severus," Tonks grasped Remus' lapels and began to sob into his chest.

"Tonks? What do you mean?"

"He died for us," she cried. "He died for us and no-one cares."

"They do care," he whispered, holding her tight.

"No they don't. It wasn't even him!"

"Tonks, what wasn't?" She looked up at his bloodshot golden eyes.

"He didn't tell them about Grimmauld Place." Remus gripped her shoulders tightly.

"Tonks, what are you talking about?"

"He didn't tell them." She was almost waiting for rejection. "I did. They tricked me, but I told them. I've killed us all."

Remus was horrified, he could only imagine what she must have gone through since she'd seen him this morning.

"It's okay," he whispered. "They'll understand. The wards will stop anyone getting in. And if they do get in, they won't come out alive."

"That's what worries me. God Remus, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Tonks, everything's going to be okay." He leant forward and planted a kiss on her bruised forehead. "I should get you somewhere safe."

"We can't go to my flat, or your house. They'll have them staked out by now."

"Then where?"

"The only place we can go. Number twelve."