Chapter Thirty-Two – An Unfair Choice
Tonks looked at Severus with a look of absolute disbelief on her face. It was almost as if he had physically punched her in the stomach. It was impossible. He couldn't have brought her here on purpose. He simply couldn't have.
Nata looked at her potions teacher and started crying softly.
"Quiet, idiot girl," Severus snarled.
Tonks wrapped her arms around the girl. "Don't cry," Tonks whispered. "Whatever we do, we have to act the same." That was Tonks only chance. If they realized they had both metamorphs here, the best thing would be for them not to tell them apart.
Nata nodded and raised her head. Then in an act of courage Tonks didn't believe was possible from the girl, Nata spit at Severus' feet. His eyebrows went up in surprise. She could tell that move confused him. He wasn't sure who was who.
"Have you made them talk yet?" Severus asked, raising his robe and stepping over the spit pile without looking at it.
"No," Crabbe told him.
"Why not?" Severus demanded. "You know how the girl sounded. The one that doesn't sound right is the metamorph we want. Then we can kill the young one."
Tonks thought quickly. Severus hadn't told the Death Eaters about his voice changing potion. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tonks just knew that Severus hadn't turned on her. He couldn't have. Could he?
Goyle waved his wand and pointed it at Tonks. She was forced to start babbling, in a voice just like Nata's.
"That's the one you kill," Severus said.
"No!" Nata cried out. The Death Eaters turned to look at her. Severus took out his wand and said the same spell Goyle had. Nata then talked very quickly, in her own voice.
"Interesting," Severus said, stroking his chin. He took a few steps forward and looked into the cell. "We may not have the metamorph after all."
More footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. "Avery, Nott," Severus said quickly. "We have a situation."
Severus led the group into the corner. Tonks tried to listen, but the Death Eaters were speaking too quietly.
Tonks felt Nata put her arms around Tonks' waist. "I heard rumors he was a Death Eater, but I never thought they were true," Nata said softly.
Tonks couldn't answer. Her mouth was dry, and she couldn't believe what she was willing to do. If she told Nata, she knew the girl would think her insane.
She was going to trust Severus with their lives.
He was misleading the Death Eaters. Severus knew that Tonks was in the cell with Nata, yet was deliberately telling them otherwise. If the past year they shared together meant anything, anything at all, Severus would not deliberately gamble their lives.
"He'll save us," Tonks whispered.
"What?" Nata asked.
"Silecio!" a Death Eater cried. A beam of light hit Nata in the throat. Tonks was amazed how quickly Nata was adapting. Her eyes filled with tears, but Nata only wiped them away, staring at the Death Eaters angrily. Tonks decided, granting that they made it out of here alive, that she should tell Nata's mother to send the girl to a Mind Healer over summer. This was a huge ordeal for anyone; especially a girl about to celebrate her fifteenth birthday.
The group of Death Eaters disbanded and walked towards the cell.
"You're both very lucky that I just used my last stock of Veritaserum on another. You both will live a little while longer," Severus said in his silky voice.
Both Tonks and Nata watched him slowly pace around the cell. He stopped, bent down and stood up promptly again. Tonks was about to wonder what the hell he was doing when she felt it.
Tingling in her fingertips. Her wand was near! Severus had just moved her wand within reach.
The Death Eaters started talking again. Tonks whispered into Nata's hair, "Are you still holding the vial?"
Nata nodded. "We need to stand up," Tonks told her. They both stood up quietly, hoping not to attract any attention.
"Don't let go," Tonks repeated. She closed her eyes and thought as hard as she could. She thought about her connection with her wand. A spark of electricity flew from her fingertips. It was time.
"Accio wand!" Tonks shouted. A second later, Tonks' wand was in her hand. She placed her hand on the vial, next to Nata's and thought desperately of the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Tonks could tell by the commotion that she only had a few seconds to set up the portkey.
"Portus!" Tonks shouted just as someone else shouted "Expelliamus!"
The spell caused Tonks to be knocked off her feet; her hand ripped away from the portkey. Tonks watched as Nata disappeared into thin air. Even though she was still trapped, Tonks was happy. She had gotten Nata out of the Death Eater's grasp. Nata was safe.
Tonks looked up and met Severus' gaze. His eyes seemed to beg for understanding. But then to her left, she saw a tip of a wand start to glow green.
"Are you mad?" Severus yelled, pushing the Death Eater who was about to cast the killing curse down to the ground. "This has to be the metamorph. The Dark Lord does not want her damaged!"
Now that Nata was safe, Tonks' body seemed to give up on her. She had been tired this morning, and barely able to hold her morph. Soon she would be pushing herself past her own limits. She needed to sleep. Tonks decided to close her eyes. As long as they knew she was the metamorph, she would stay alive…
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"You need to stop fighting, my dear," a voice called out from the darkness.
Tonks opened her eyes groggily. Automatically she went to wipe the dust out of her eyes, only to find that she was tied down.
"Yes, we can't have you trying to escape, can we? Though I am impressed how you got the young one out," the voice said.
Looking towards the voice, Tonks saw a very thin, very short man with wisps of hair covering his head. Then she looked down. Tonks strapped down on a table.
"What am I fighting?" Tonks asked wearily.
"The Imperius Curse, my dear. I've been trying to place it on you for a half hour. If I do not succeed, it will make my Lord angry, which you would not like to see," the man said.
Tonks thought for a moment and realized that she had seen him before. Antonin Dolohov. "I thought you were in prison," Tonks slurred. They had given her something to lower her defenses.
"I was. But I found my way out," Dolohov said simply. He squirted a small amount of liquid from a needle. Satisfied, he gave Tonks the shot.
If she hadn't been tied down, Tonks would have been writhing in pain. But she was forced to keep still. "Oh fuck," Tonks groaned.
"We sensed that we would have some problems with you, metamorph. So I'm just the warm-up act. If you don't submit to me, it will be the Potion Master's job to break you."
"No," Tonks said fiercely.
"One more time," Dolohov said, almost gently. "Imperio!"
"No!" Tonks screamed. She would not allow herself to be turned into a weapon. She vowed to herself that she would die before that happened.
"I must say, I'm rather impressed with your will," Dolohov said. "I must give credit where credit it due."
"Fuck you," Tonks said with her remaining strength.
"Pity," Dolohov told her. "Though it will be amusing to watch the Potion Master break your resolve."
Tonks shuddered. It felt like her blood was on fire. She needed water…but she would never lower herself to ask.
"I have enjoyed our time together," he said gently. "I look forward to the show." He then turned his back and started walking. Tonks followed him with her eyes. Was she in the same room? Dolohov was walking up steps.
But then he stopped. "She's all yours. You have five minutes to prepare," he told someone.
She closed her eyes and listened to the footsteps coming towards her.
"Dora," a voice said urgently.
Tonks looked up and saw Severus staring down at her. "Severus," she sighed. "I'm so thirsty."
"I can not give you water, Dora. That is the worst thing I could do for you," Severus said quickly.
"Are we alone?" Tonks asked wearily. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. Maybe she should just give in. Then she would get some rest…
"No!" Tonks cried. She closed her eyes. "I don't want to be a weapon, Severus."
"I'm going to get you out of here, Dora," Severus said urgently.
Tonks sighed. She knew that Severus would save her…
She opened her eyes with a start. "No," she said softly. "You can't. You'll be killed."
Severus stroked her cheek. "It's you or me, love," he said gently. "Not much point to living if you're not with me."
Tonks reached out her hand. She knew she wasn't thinking straight. She needed to be alert! But that seemed absolutely impossible.
"You still love me," she sighed. Suddenly, everything seemed right with the world again.
"I've been a selfish bastard the last few weeks," Severus started.
"Doesn't matter. I was horrible…that night. I'm so sorry…" Tonks trailed, slowly drifting in and out of consciousness.
"I don't have much time, Dora. I need to get you out," Severus urged. He tried to undo the magical ropes that were binding her. She heard him cursing under his breath. "I can't break these. Dolohov must have placed a complex charm on them."
"Can't use a portkey then," Tonks said wearily. Since she couldn't apparate, a portkey was her only chance to escape.
"There has to be a way," Severus said quickly. "I will break these."
A voice from the top of the stairs yelled down, asking if Severus was ready. He yelled back up that he needed a couple more minutes. He worked frantically on the ropes, trying to break the charm.
"I can't get them to budge," Severus said, sounding defeated. "Dora, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," Tonks said simply, her eyes filling with tears. She reached out her hand and Severus stroked it gently. "I was so wrong. So wrong, Severus. You are the bravest man I have ever met."
"Dora," Severus said, trailing off. "I don't have anything I can give you for the pain. I can't torture you."
"You have to live," Tonks instructed. "You do so much good with your work here, Severus. I won't let myself become a weapon. It's an honor to die for you…I love you so much…"
Tonks wanted to keep talking, but Severus suddenly placed his hand over her mouth. She listened for a moment and could hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Tonks closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.
"After a year and a half, my Death Eaters finally bring me the metamorph," a cold, shrewd voice said.
Her eyes flew open at the voice. Voldemort was in Knockturn Alley! She needed to tell Dumbledore! Where was Dumbledore? Why wouldn't he listen?
"Proceed."
A needle pricked her skin. Tonks cried out in agony.
"Imperio!"
"No!" Tonks screamed. "No!"
A potion was poured down her throat.
"Imperio!"
"No!" Tonks let the pain fill her. She would use it to fight the curses. As long as she had the pain, she would be able to fight the curse. She was more awake then she had been before. She looked up at Severus. He looked more agonized than she had ever seen him. She watched his eyes carefully. They kept darting to the ropes. She could tell that he was still trying to find a way to break the charm.
And so they danced. Severus fed her pain, and Tonks used it and fought the curse. She lost track of how many times she shouted out "No!" Her voice had become hoarse.
"I do not want to do this," Voldemort said suddenly. "If I cannot break her, I will not let her back on Dumbledore's side. Snape, you may use the potion. Kill her."
Tonks waited. A sense of relief washed over her. She wouldn't be used as a weapon. She was safe. Tonks glanced up and looked in Severus' eyes. She knew that he would never forgive himself for this. But he must. Fate had conspired against them. It was either her life or his life. And because she loved him, she chose his life.
Severus reached for his wand. He walked to the other side of the table, partially blocking the view of the Death Eaters who had come to watch the show.
He placed a vial in Tonks' hand, and then placed his hand on hers. "Hold tight," he whispered. While muttering an incantation, Severus waved his wand. The ropes instantly released her.
Tonks heard someone screaming in the background. Severus looked at her and smiled. Merlin, she loved to see him smile. He whispered, "Portus."
Before she knew what happened, Tonks felt a tugging at her navel. At first, Tonks wasn't sure what was happening. She was still delirious. But then she crashed onto a cold tile floor.
She looked up and saw Madam Pomfrey rushing towards her. "Ah," Tonks said groggily. "Hogwarts."
Then she passed out.