This chapter was written as an afterthought of how long Dora and her family have already been at Malfoy Manor and what would have happened with Remus being a werewolf. Tell us your thoughts in a review! We'd love to see what you think! Enjoy!
Dora
Remus shivered slightly, Dora seated close to him with Teddy cradled in her arms. "Dora, the full moon is tonight," he breathed, sighing as she gently kissed his cheek. "I—"
"Shh," Dora said quietly. "I know. I mentioned it to Rabastan when he dragged me back here a few days ago, and he said he'd take care of it."
"We can't trust them," Andromeda frowned.
"We have no choice," Dora pointed out, and Remus frowned.
"We should still take precautions," he said.
Dora bit her lip. "There is really nothing we can do without their help," she whispered, and Remus bowed his head, looking down at his child in his wife's arms.
"Whatever happens," he breathed, "if I go to hurt Teddy, just kill me."
"I'm sure you won't," Dora shuddered.
"But—"
"Shh," Dora said, pressing her finger to his lips. "It isn't as if we are capable of such things anyway, Remus. We're all weaponless, and Mother's wandless magic is unreliable—
"Excuse me?!" came Andromeda's voice, and Dora couldn't help grinning.
The girl laughed, "Well, you are a bit unusual without a wand." She glanced up at Remus before reaching over and hugging him gently. "It's going to be okay," she said. "I was good this morning, and they promised to take care of things."
The three adults sat there for a long while until Remus muttered, "You really should find the safest place to keep Teddy, Dora. It's going to be too late soon."
Dora was about to reply when they all jumped, Remus wincing, as they felt someone's magic against the wards. "Dolohov," Andromeda frowned. "And Rabastan. Perhaps you were right, Dora."
Moments later, the two Death Eaters flung open the doors to the room and walked in. "Get up," Rabastan said to Remus without introduction, pointing his wand at the werewolf.
"Rabastan, be nice," Dolohov grinned. "He doesn't like werewolves, Nymphie. Be thankful he even decided to be here. We have orders to take the werewolf and keep you safe from him."
Nymphadora started to reply angrily when Remus patted her knee gently and got to his feet, the Death Eaters taking him out of the room. "You can come see what will happen, Nymphie," Rabastan called back. "I mean, he's going to be in the ward still. I wouldn't want to waste space in the dungeons."
The two witches followed the Death Eaters, shocked and horrified to find out that they intended to chain Remus in the middle of the hallway.
"You can't do that!" Dora cried in horror, giving Teddy to Andromeda and starting forward.
"We can and will," Dolohov growled at her, swinging his wand around to point at her. "Unless you want us to lock him and your cub in a room, hmm? I thought not. Tonight, everyone here in the ward will learn exactly what an abomination a werewolf truly is."
"Dora, don't—" Remus tried to tell her as she approached them, but Rabastan turned and slammed the girl against the wall, his wand at her throat.
"You are at the mercy of Bellatrix," Rabastan hissed at her. "And the Dark Lord, but mostly Bella. She thought it would be hilarious if your beast killed or turned you all, but Rodolphus reminded her that there are complications with werewolves and the Dark Mark and things that you couldn't possibly understand."
Nymphadora struggled to throw him off her, but he sent a Curse through her body and she writhed in his grasp, crying out in pain. "Leave me alone! she shrieked.
Rabastan glared straight into her eyes. "I suggest you return to your mother. We have to ward the hall in case he breaks the chains." He shoved her away so that she stumbled, trying to keep her balance.
Andromeda wrapped an arm around Nymphadora, pulling her into her side as they stared at the boys. Dora bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears at the injustice of it all. Remus stared back at her as the two Death Eaters chained him between the walls.
"You probably won't want to come out of your rooms," Dolohov laughed as he and Rabastan stepped back, preparing to ward the hall. "No, you won't be able to go in, Nymphie, and no, he cannot get out. Now choose the side you'd like to be on before we set up the wards. It will obstruct the hall."
"Come on," Andromeda said softly, leading her daughter forward. "We should stay on the other side." As they walked past Dolohov, he smirked at them, but didn't speak.
Dora leaned up and kissed her husband's cheek, whispering, "I love you. I'll be waiting when it's over."
"Come on, Nymphie," Rab said playfully, slapping her across the behind, "move along."
"Keep your hands off my daughter!" Andromeda yelled at him, Teddy beginning to cry as Remus held back words of rage as well.
Nymphadora felt her face flush, her hair turning red in embarrassment before she ran away from them all down the hall, leaving Andromeda to follow her quickly before the Death Eaters came up with any more ideas. The men laughed at them, placing the ward before calling goodbye to Nymphie. "Just wait til I tell Rod that I've found a witch with an ass to rival Bella's!" Rabastan laughed uproariously. "I wonder what he'd say to that!"
Andromeda led her daughter to Narcissa's room, knocking on the door. The witch called for them to enter, looking at the two carefully when they walked in. Draco was seated at his mother's side, staring at Nymphadora intently. She glared at him, daring him to comment.
"Did they take him?" Narcissa asked softly, looking between the two witches.
"They—they chained him in the hall," Dora whispered, leaning her head against her mother's shoulder when they had sat down on the bed. "We won't really be able to leave our rooms tonight."
"Or sleep," grumbled Draco.
"That is the least of our worries!" Nymphadora glared at him, clenching her fists. "Well, the least of mine!"
Andromeda slipped her arm around her daughter, shushing her softly. "You can go out there in a little bit," she said. "I imagine you'd want to be there for a few minutes?"
Dora nodded, sniffing back tears. "He doesn't deserve this. It's not his fault."
Andromeda looked down at Teddy, holding him close as she tried to calm him a little, the child seeming ready to cry. "Shh, Teddy," she murmured, kissing his brown curls. "It's okay."
A little while later, Nymphadora sniffed, morphing her hair brown and clearing her face of tears before she left the room, carefully approaching her husband, sat in the middle of the hall. She paused at the ward, forcing herself not to speak as she couldn't trust her voice.
"Dora," he breathed, trying to stay quiet as he could feel the wolf much too close. "Dora, stay back. Go—go stay in one of the rooms. These chains—and if the ward doesn't hold—Dora, I couldn't bear losing you."
"Remus," she whispered, "you know I love you. I know you would never consciously harm me or our family. I just...I want to be here for you."
"It isn't safe," Remus insisted, the chains rattling as he tried to turn to face her, though he was too constrained as he knelt in the chains.
Dora reached out hesitantly to test the wards, a small laugh escaping her. "We are safe," she said firmly. "These are Auror grade werewolf containment wards. We will be fine."
"You still shouldn't be here," Remus muttered. "You should be with Teddy to make sure he's okay tonight."
"Mum has him," Dora answered firmly. "This is about you, Remus."
"Pretend it's like any other time," he sighed. "Dora, get some rest."
"I'm not leaving you alone until you're no longer yourself," Dora said quietly. "I want to stay, and you can't make me leave."
Remus sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Dora..."
She took a deep breath, leaning against the wall right before the ward. They were quiet until Remus gasped, Dora's breathing immediately quickening as well. "Dora," he groaned as she heard the cracking and popping of his transformation beginning, "stay safe."
"I will," Dora whispered, tears starting to her eyes. "I—I love you," she called out to him, tears trickling down her cheeks as she watched her beloved husband cry out as he became a terrifying, uncontrollable creature.
The wolf howled, going to turn around when it found it was bound. It howled in rage, immediately fighting the chains and making a lot of noise.
Tears streamed down Dora's face as she watched for a few moments before walking back to Narcissa's room, knocking before she entered. Without a word, she went to her mother, sitting down and curling into the woman's side.
"Now what?" Draco asked, looking between his mother and Andromeda.
"We...try to stay comfortable and keep Teddy quiet," Narcissa answered, glancing down at the child in her arms. "I think the girls and Teddy will be staying with me tonight since they can't go back to their rooms."
Draco nodded, Dora shivering as she heard the wolf continuing to howl and fight his chains. After a few moments, Dora curled up on the bed, her head on her mother's lap as the older witch rubbed her back carefully. "Thanks," the girl sighed with a soft yawn. It did take a few minutes for the witch to get to sleep, but she managed it far before anyone else even thought of sleeping.
Narcissa watched the two for a moment before saying, "If you want to share a bed with her, I'll just double it so that I have one as well."
"How?" Andromeda frowned. "You have a wand?"
"You can use wandless magic," Narcissa said confidently. "You've always been good at it."
"I'm out of practise," Andromeda sighed, then shook her head slightly. "But I will try. Though don't blame me if we end up with five beds in the room. You know I can get a little out of hand."
Narcissa smiled at her slightly, all three of them jumping when the snarls and howls renewed from the hall, none of them having realised it had stopped for a few moments. "Oh dear," Narcissa sighed.
Andromeda gave her sister a small smile. "Well, imagine having this happen every full moon," she told Narcissa. "Dora always warded him in our basement, but sometimes we could still hear him."
Draco seemed slightly unnerved, and Andromeda carefully slid Dora onto the bed as she got to her feet with a sigh. "If you would be so kind as to stand aside," Andromeda said to Narcissa and Draco, taking a steadying breath and raising her right hand as they complied.
Andromeda performed the spell with seemingly no problem, going straight back to Dora and sitting down next to her. Narcissa looked at her son. "Are you going to stay with me?"
"N-no," Draco shook his head, then got to his feet. "I-I'll be in my room." The young man left the room, and Narcissa sighed.
"This is very strange to him, I'm sure," Andromeda said, pulling off her dress and changing into a nightgown. "He isn't used to sleepovers."
"No," Narcissa laughed slightly, shivering at the sound of the werewolf outside. "I hope Draco got to his room all right."
Andromeda listened for a moment, then replied, "Well, the chains are still rattling from the same place, so the wolf is still chained at least." She crawled into bed next to her daughter, sighing softly as she stroked the girl's grey hair out of her face. "Dora," she murmured, kissing her daughter's forehead. "You're going to suffer so much, and you don't know the half of it."
Narcissa sighed, facing the two as she lay down as well. "She won't take orders well, will she?"
"Not at all," Andromeda bit her lip. "She is as stubborn as Bella, but nothing can stand up to insanity. And Dora loves—it's her greatest weakness."
"You consider love a weakness?" Narcissa frowned. "I never expected to hear you say that."
"Here it is," Andromeda answered. "It doesn't touch me because I have no one to care about but Dora and her son. I can hide it better, though it is difficult. Nymphadora...well, she was a Hufflepuff, and she loves like one."
Narcissa shook her head slightly, pulling her blanket up to her chin. "She'll suffer," she agreed. "Be there for her."
Andromeda was startled, but bit her lip and nodded. "I would not abandon my daughter, Narcissa."
"Good," said Narcissa. "Make sure you don't." She closed her eyes and settled down to sleep, Andromeda lying awake for a little while longer, thinking about the future of her small family.
The instant Dora woke the next morning, she looked around quickly to make sure it was light outside, then half fell out of bed in her hurry to get to the door of the room. She peeked out of Narcissa's room, looking down the hall to see her husband half kneeling, half sagging in the restraint of one of the chains, the other having snapped.
"Remus," she breathed, hurrying down the hall only to be stopped by the ward. "Oh come on! He needs me!"
"Dora," came an agonized groan from the man. "Dora..."
"Remus," Dora sniffed as tears sprang to her eyes. "I—I can't reach you, or I would help."
He shivered, biting back anymore sounds. "It—it's cold," he breathed, and Dora realised that his robes had been shredded, as he never usually wore clothes during a transformation.
"I—I'm sorry," Dora sniffed back tears as she watched him lie there. "Remus..." She touched the wards, but felt the rejection and withdrew her hand. "There's no way I can break this ward. Only a Death Eater could." She was leaning her head against the wall as a tear trickled down her cheek when someone joined her before the ward.
The blonde boy didn't look at her as he reached out his left hand toward the ward. The moment his hand went through the ward, his eyes narrowed, and he took the blanket he'd been holding under his arm, shaking it out and stepping forward. He crossed the ward boundary, silently draping the blanket over his old DADA teacher before he turned and hurried back up the hall, disappearing into his room.
The old werewolf looked around in shock. "Dora, you couldn't have—"
"No," Dora whispered as fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. "It was Draco. I forgot...he has the Mark."
"I...can't say I expected that," Remus sighed. "But...it's nice."
Dora gave a small laugh through her tears. "Remus...we've got to get out of here," she breathed. "Between this and my trials, there's no way we can survive. I can see that you have terrible injuries."
Remus smiled wryly. "I've got to be taken down from here first," he said, then winced as he moved his shoulder. "I think I cracked my right wrist and dislocated my left arm," he said. "Too much struggling. I don't think the wolf liked being chained."
She was about to speak when the door to the prisoners' wing slammed open and Rodolphus stormed in, glaring at the two of them. "Why Bella won't just take care of you herself—" he growled under his breath, striding down the hall toward them. "Stand back, Nymphie. Wouldn't want to hurt Bella's precious toy, would I?"
He crumbled the ward, and Nymphadora rushed to her husband's side without waiting for permission. She knelt beside him, her arm around him as Rodolphus glared down at them. "Didn't I tell you to stand back?" he scowled. "You should obey, Nymphie. It would make us more willing to treat your family well. Get away from him."
Nymphadora stared up at him, biting her lip until Remus nudged her gently. She scooted away from her husband and got to her feet, watching the Lestrange. "He—he needs help," she said firmly.
Rodolphus sneered at her. "And you think you are entitled to request that for him, Nymphie? You won't even obey a simple order!"
"Please!" Dora pleaded with him. "I—I'm sorry! P—please." Her hair turned mousey brown as she looked down at her hands, her heart pounding.
"Crucio," Rodolphus smirked, his wand pointed at her gut. She yelled out in pain, striking her head against the wall as she clawed her chest in agony.
"Dora!" her husband cried as Rodolphus grabbed the witch by the front of her dress, slamming her against the wall.
"Say that again," Rodolphus whispered in her ear. "Say 'Please, Rodolphus.' Come on, Nymphie."
Nymphadora choked back her tears and spat, "You're sick! I hate you!"
Rodolphus allowed another Curse to surge through the girl, Remus yelling in rage as Dora shrieked in pain, her captor groaning in pleasure at her cries. "Nymphie, you're such a good toy," he breathed against her neck, his hand gripping her hair tightly.
"Stop!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she writhed against him.
"That's not what I told you to say," he warned her. "Try again."
"Please, Rodolphus!" she sobbed, her hair pure white. "Please!"
He threw her to the floor, the girl curling up and wrapping her arms around herself as she cried. He approached the old werewolf, unchaining him before quickly scanning Remus for injuries and healing the more serious ones. Rodolphus glanced at Nymphadora and smirked before he turned, leaving the wing proudly.
"Dora," Remus breathed, scooting closer to her as she lay sobbing on the floor. "Dora, I'm so sorry..."
"Remus!" Dora cried. "Oh, Remus."
He held back a wince of pain, his joints protesting as he pulled the witch into his arms, kissing her head gently. "I love you," he breathed as she clung to him. "Dora...we've got to get out of here."
Dora nodded against his shoulder, sniffing back more tears. "Soon," she whispered. "I can't stand this place."
"That makes two of us," Remus sighed. "For you and for Teddy, we've got to get out of here."
"For all of us," Dora corrected him, looking up with a sad smile. "None of us are safe anymore, Remus. I'm beginning to understand this more than ever now."
Remus hugged her carefully, kissing her head as they sat there in the hall for a few moments, both of them longing for their old home, and freedom.
