To Narcissa's relief, Draco healed rapidly from his encounter with Harry's Cruciatus Curse. The Curse left no lasting damage, save for a limp so slight that it might not have been noticed. But Draco noticed, and he made things very difficult, refusing to speak to anyone in the house except for his mother, whom he treated with absolute courtesy.
He was never out-and-out rude to Remus, but his cold looks and pointed stares let everyone know just how unhappy he was to be beholden to a werewolf and a couple of teenagers whom he'd always hated. Most of the time, he sat up in the highest room of the house, where Buckbeak and Sirius had stayed, staring out of the window morosely.
Harry and Ginny made it perfectly clear that they were about as happy to be in Draco's continual presence as he was of being in theirs, but were forced to admit that he had nowhere else to go, and that neither wanted to have his murder on their conscience. Most of the time, they avoided each other, but meals were perfunctory and always, always too quiet, with Remus and Narcissa attempting to force conversation.
Life might have continued in this vein for months, maybe years, had not Remus and Harry received the owl from Kingsley Shacklebolt one afternoon.
With a growing sense of dread, Harry plucked the spare piece of parchment from the messenger owl and said, "I knew something like this was coming."
Narcissa's and Ginny's faces had gone white; Draco looked impassively out into space. Remus closed his eyes and folded his hands together as if in prayer.
"Read it, Harry. Quickly."
Harry read, his voice growing strained with each word.
"It's Tonks," he said.
Remus' eyes snapped open, "Tonks? Tonks is dead?"
"No," Harry hurried to say, "But they got her mother and father. Murdered. This morning." He lowered the paper.
Draco's eyes snapped over to his mother. But Narcissa's expression did not alter one bit. Remus realized that she didn't understand.
He took her by the shoulders and said, "Narcissa." He took a deep breath.
"I know this will be difficult for you to understand. I'm just going to come out and say it. Your sister's been murdered."
Narcissa's face darkened, "My sister?"
"Yes," Remus said gently, "Your older sister, Andromeda, and her husband, Theodore. They've been murdered." He looked at her encouragingly, "Do you remember Andromeda, Narcissa?"
Her face looked vague, "I can't – I can't remember."
"Yes, you do!" Harry said. He walked over to one of the living room end tables and pulled a framed photograph out of a drawer – the photograph that Narcissa had seen the first day she'd come to 12 Grimmauld Place. He handed it to her. Remus pointed to it.
"She's the one sitting in the middle."
Narcissa looked at the girl in question. She was of middle height, not a pretty sort of person, with brown hair and large brown eyes, smiling sweetly. She shook her head, "I don't know – who would have killed her?"
Draco looked as if he was about to burst. Remus stared at him, willing him to keep his silence.
"Any number of people," he said, before Draco could speak, "I'm going to go there. See if there's anything I can do."
"I'm going with you," Narcissa answered, suddenly. Remus looked surprised.
"I think I have a right to see her – if she is my sister."
Remus nodded.
"I'm coming with you," Draco butted in.
"No!" Narcissa cried, "No. You stay here. It's too dangerous for you to go out yet. Someone might see you. Stay with Harry and Ginny."
Draco's face darkened. So did Harry's.
Remus looked at Harry and Ginny pointedly. "We'll be back soon," he said, "Come on, Narcissa."
As they prepared to Disapperate, she took his hand, almost unwittingly. Remus felt the electricity in her grip. As they vanished from sight, he saw Draco glaring at him, with something like fear in his gaze, a look Remus did not understand.
Kingsley Shacklebolt opened the door of 657 Parkington Drive, home of Andromeda and Theodore Tonks – or what had been until this morning. Remus nodded in greeting. Narcissa looked all around her, as if she expected to see a dead body right there on the kitchen floor.
"Where is Tonks?" Remus asked quietly.
Shacklebolt looked grim. "She's at the Ministry, for questioning. They want to get some idea of who did this."
Remus shook his head, "It could be anyone."
Shacklebolt shrugged, "You'd better come in here.'
He ushered them into the living room. Lying in front of the door, spread-eagled, eyes wide, was a tall man with thinning gray hair, somewhere in his early forties. He wore a look of surprise – the classic mark of the Killing Curse. Remus felt, rather than saw, Narcissa's shock. She had performed this curse herself – yet she didn't remember its classic signs.
Lying on the couch, some feet away, was a fortyish woman, graying brown hair, figure gone completely, eyes wide in death. Narcissa walked right over to her and knelt by the couch. Her hand strayed to the woman's frozen, shocked face; her fingers touched a two-inch scar on the chin.
Her blue eyes closed.
They had been playing, on Andromeda's toy broomstick. She was five, Andromeda was eight, and Bellatrix – was that her sister's name? – Bellatrix was eleven. She mocked them endlessly about not being old enough to fly a real broomstick. Andromeda waited until she went into the house, then she stole Trixie's broomstick. She waved off Narcissa's protests.
"That's Sissy's broomstick," Narcissa pointed out.
"Oh, who cares? I'm almost as tall as she is; I can manage it," Andromeda had said, "And can you imagine her face when she comes out and sees I can fly as well as she can?"
She'd kicked off the ground and soared around the trees. Narcissa had clapped her hands in delight, secretly worried about Trixie's reaction when she saw what her sister was doing to her precious broomstick. She shuddered at the thought.
"Cissa, watch me!" Andromeda cried. She did loops and twirls in the air – she really was a natural. Narcissa smiled in proud admiration.
But Bellatrix had come outside while Andromeda was showing off. She pulled her wand out of her pocket, aimed it at her sister, and shouted something. Andromeda shrieked, lost control of the broomstick, and smacked right into an oak tree.
She'd been all right,
no broken bones, but the whip-like branches of the tree had left a
two-inch scar on her face. Andromeda and Bellatrix never truly reconciled -
"Narcissa?"
She opened her eyes and looked up at Remus' concerned face, "I remember her now," she murmured softly.
Remus touched her shoulder gently, "I'm sorry," he said.
Suddenly, they heard the door open. Footsteps came towards them. Narcissa stood up and dusted off her skirt.
A tall, thin girl with short brown hair and pain-stricken eyes walked into the room. When she saw Remus and Narcissa, her eyes blazed.
"You! What are you doing here? Get out of my house! Get out!"
"Tonks – " Remus moved towards her.
She pulled her wand out of her pocket, "Don't you come near me! How dare you come here right now? How dare you?"
She looked at Narcissa's shocked face, "Who is this? What do you want?"
Remus felt sick. Tonks was obviously grief-stricken and still angry with him over their split; he had hoped it would not come to this. But his insides sank when he heard Narcissa step forward and say:
"I'm sorry for intruding. We came to see if we could help."
Tonks glared at her.
"Help? I don't even know you."
"I'm sorry," Narcissa apologized, "My name is Narcissa."
Tonks took a step back, shocked.
"It can't be – Aunt Narcissa?"
Narcissa blanched.
Then Tonks' face twisted with ugly rage.
"It's your fault she's dead! Your whole stupid family is to blame! She never did anything – she was pure, she was good – and you and your sister and your husbands – they killed her! You murdered her as sure as if the curse was yours!"
Tonks ran at her. Remus stepped between them and grabbed her, "No!"
"Don't you touch me!" Tonks howled, "I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her myself!"
She thrashed against Remus, but he was too strong. She went limp and began to sob against him, "Why did they do it – why did they kill my parents? My parents never did anything to them."
Narcissa's eyes were filled with tears.
Remus said, sympathetic but firm, "I'm sorry for what happened, but Narcissa isn't to blame. I'm sorry, Tonks."
She pulled away from him, her eyes wet with tears, "No?"
Tonks reached into her pocket and pulled out an ugly piece of jewelry – a brooch, rather ornate to the point of outright ugliness. She tossed it at Narcissa, who caught it.
"Maybe my aunt can explain why this was on my floor."
Narcissa turned it over and over in her hands, staring at it intently.
She looked up at Remus.
"This is my sister's," she said slowly, "I remember Trixie wearing it after she was married. Her husband gave it to her."
"She murdered my mother and father," Tonks said coldly, "Because of you and your son. She never came near my mother after my parents were married – why would she come now? She was looking for your son. She'll come for you next."
She looked right at Remus with her tear-filled red eyes,
"And I'll be damned if I do anything to stop her."
Remus looked away.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see to my parents' affairs."
She turned to leave, and then stopped.
"Here," she said to Narcissa, pointedly ignoring Remus and digging around in her pocket. "I suppose these belong to you. They were sent back, every time. You never opened them." She thrust out a thick pile of envelopes, wrapped in twine.
Narcissa took them wordlessly. Her name was scrawled across the front of each: Narcissa Malfoy, 1486 Huntington Circle, Cambridge. Every single letter was postmarked, "Denied – Return to Sender."
"I was going to give them to the Ministry as evidence," she went on, refusing to meet either of their eyes, "But even though you're partially responsible, I know you're not the one who killed her. That brooch proves it." She stepped away. "Excuse me."
As she left the room, she turned to Remus. He felt shame under her gaze.
"I would have given you everything," Tonks said slowly, without blinking, "But you didn't want me, did you? You always wanted – her."
Remus didn't know what to say. He knew apologies were useless. He met her eyes for an instant. Then Tonks turned on her heel and left the room as quickly as she had entered it.
Remus looked at Narcissa helplessly. Her blue eyes were wide.
"Trixie murdered Andromeda," she said disbelievingly, " One of my sisters murdered the other."
She turned the brooch over and over in her hands.
"She didn't leave this here by accident. She wants me to know she's coming."
Remus nodded, "Draco was right."
Narcissa's face was stricken.
"She'll be coming for us next."