I hope you read, enjoy and please do leave a review of this latest chapter!
Bella
She felt her heart sink as she heard his cry, he was in pain.
"Remus." She breathed before she composed herself, gripping onto her wand as she ran to him, fully aware that her crazed Aunt was hot on her tail. Remus was magnificent, he always was in her mind, though as she watched him duelling Antonin Dolohov she couldn't help but remember how much she loved that man. With a deep breath, she threw herself into the duel, running to his side as she threw a curse at Antonin.
"Dora!" Remus yelled, deflecting one of Antonin's spells as he momentarily flickered his gaze to his wife. Her hair was a fiery red as she delivered her spells in determination at the Death Eater in front of them, a look of concentration on her face as she fought for their lives "Dora, what about Teddy . . ."
"He's asleep." Dora grunted as she brought a shield up just in time to reflect another curse "This is for him."
After a slight hesitation Remus nodded, a renewed determination in his features, he had to get her out of here no matter what the cost. Though their duel was barely fought before Nymphadora cried in pain, kneeling to the floor as Remus watched in horror at the gash on her back. He healed it without thinking, reaching down for the woman as his momentary lapse of concentration caused a curse to come flying his way unnoticed as he went skidding across the floor away from his wife.
Dora cried out as she pointed her wand at Dolohov "Deprimo!" the woman growled the curse, satisfied as she watched him yell at the pain of his leg violently fracturing.
The mad cackle was deafening in her ears as she knew too late that her Aunt was far too close to her for her liking, she spun on the spot as she saw the image of the woman grinning like a Cheshire cat before she grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her. Her grip was on her wand wrist painfully tight as the metamorphmagus struggled to stop herself letting her wand drop. She didn't move an inch, merely stared at the Death Eater defiantly as she was seemingly engaged in an unspoken staring contest. It was only when Nymphadora heard Dolohov throwing a curse at her husband as he attempted to move that she broke her gaze, trying and failing to pull her grip away from her Aunt.
Bellatrix Lestrange let out a long sigh, tilting her head as she looked to her fellow Death Eater, disappointment in her voice as she spoke "Antonin, what did I say before we left, hmm?"
Dolohov chuckled, not letting his gaze waver from the man on the floor. Remus panted in his fury as he looked to Dolohov as if he would like nothing more in that moment than to murder him, Nymphadora was sure he would have given half the chance. "You say a lot of things before combat, Bellatrix. I tend to zone out after a period of time."
Bellatrix growled at the man, pulling Nymphadora closer as her back was pressed up against her chest, trailing her jagged nails down her pale cheek as she hissed in the girl's ear "I told you Nymphie was mine."
"Well," Dolohov rolled his eyes "I can't help it if she disturbed me trying to put down her mutt."
"So kill the mutt and be done with it!" Bellatrix growled.
"No!" Nymphadora cried, struggling furiously against the tight grip of her Aunt. She twisted and struggled, firing a spell in desperation from her wand even though she had no idea if it was pointed towards her or not though from the yelp of surprise and the hard and fast shove that landed her straight on the floor Nymphadora thought it was safe to presume she'd connected with her. Her head collided with the old stone, the pain instantly ringing throughout her head though she knew there was no time to waste. The young Auror scrambled to her feet, darting to the side on instinct as she heard a curse whiz past her shoulder, she quickly reached her target of Remus Lupin. Her husband was leant against a wall as he fired a spell behind his wife and towards one of the pursuing Death Eaters. Dora soon fell into his arms as she tripped on a stray piece of rubble, turning as she fell to fire multiple spells at the pair.
"Try to get up Dora." Remus growled under his breath, pressing his back against the wall as he slowly slid up whilst trying to carry on his onslaught of curses. Dora was quickly at his side, determined in her goal to disarm Bellatrix whilst Remus focused on getting Dolohov out of their way.
They parried spell after spell, Bellatrix's mad cackle echoing throughout the room as she got one too many hits in on her young niece, Dolohov seeming as focused as he was amused whilst they tried to defeat the couple. It was with wide-eyed disbelief that Nymphadora watched a young man run into the pair in front of them, the boy running from his own pursuer so quickly it was too late to realise what he had run in to. Bellatrix jumped out of the way of Neville Longbottom just in time, though Dolohov was not as lucky as he was knocked to the floor. She could feel Remus gripping onto her arm, unsure of what to do of the distraction.
"You little git!" the boy's pursuer yelled, running and throwing a curse at the boy to get him off of his fellow Death Eater.
"Diggory," Bellatrix growled, glaring furiously at the man.
Cedric didn't react to the woman, though she seemed curious as she looked to the boy on the floor. Nymphadora bit her lip, trying to make sense of the situation, to think of what to do. Though the pains coursing through her body were surely making her unable to act so quickly. She was barely able to stand, something Remus had noticed as he pulled her closer to himself whilst still focusing his wand on the Death Eaters.
"Longbottom." Bellatrix giggled "Well isn't this a lovely day."
"Dora . . ." Remus whispered in his wife's ear, though his voice seemed distant.
"Bellatrix Lestrange." Neville glared at the witch, scuttling back away from Dolohov as Cedric advanced on him.
"Dora we need to run." Remus breathed.
Dora shook her head, taking all of her strength as she tried to advance on her Aunt again though her weakened state combined with her husband's arm stopped her. She thought for a moment, perhaps he was right. Perhaps Bellatrix and Dolohov at least would follow them, Neville could surely handle a boy close to his own age in combat? It wasn't a decision she liked to make but it made sense. She nodded. Remus hesitated only for a moment before he took his wife and ran.
"No!" Bellatrix yelled as she watched them run, quickly following.
A hot searing pain ran through her as she tripped and fell to the floor, too weak and not quick enough to dodge her Aunts curse, though she saw the flash of green bouncing off the walls as she knew the young boy had fallen. Remus was soon beside her again, wand pointed at Bellatrix as he was ready to fight for both of their lives. It was at that exact moment that she felt the intrusion of her mind, the cold high voice filling her head.
"Remus . . ." Dora cried.
She sat up in her bed, gasping for air as the sheets stuck to her sweaty skin. She reached up and clutched onto her pure white hair as she dropped her head, crying profusely. It had been a long time since she had such a vivid dream of the war, of Remus. She was mixed with the horrible fear she had felt that night and the deep sorrow she felt for her lost husband as she cried freely.
"Tonks?" the girl's voice made her jump for a moment before Dora remembered that Ginny had fallen asleep beside her last night, though she didn't stop crying as she felt Ginny reach out and rub her back.
It had been a little over a year since Ginny Weasley had arrived at Malfoy Manor and yet she was still stuck with them, their plan for her escape close to completion yet still not perfect enough to put it into place. Though Dora was grateful for her company, the younger woman would come to her often after Rodolphus had been in the prisoner's ward, quick to comfort her or simply sit with her to keep her company in her hurts.
"It's okay . . . It was a dream." Ginny breathed.
"It wasn't . . ." Dora choked, trying and failing to stop her hysteria. "It happened."
Ginny was silent for a moment, simply rubbing the older woman's back as her tears slowly but surely subsided. She was used to Dora having nightmares, some were worse than others though she was always there for her if she could be. It unsettled the redhead, Nymphadora Lupin had once been such a strong witch. Ginny still looked back fondly at the times they would sit at the table in Grimmauld Place, Dora morphing her features into all sorts of strange shapes for her amusement. It was hard to believe that it was the same witch that sat beside her now, a broken woman barely grasping on to her last dregs of her sanity.
"Was it him?" Ginny asked carefully "He's gone for now."
"No . . ." Dora sniffed, raising her head as she tried to wipe her tears away. "I—It was the battle . . . Remus . . . I miss him."
Ginny thought for a moment, staring down at the bed sheets as she spoke quietly "He was a great man . . . a lot of great men and women have died because of them, too many."
"It won't stop." Dora breathed. "It will never stop."
"It will. If we—"
"No." Dora shook her head, getting up off of the bed after a moment and walking to the door, stopping only for a brief moment "I used to think that it would but it won't. They've won and we're not strong enough or great enough in numbers to do anything about it . . . I'm sorry Ginny . . . I'm going to check on Teddy."
Ginny went to speak, though before she could even open her mouth the metamorphmagus had left the room, closing the door behind her. With a deep sigh, Ginny Weasley laid back on the bed. She stared at the ceiling as she tried to think of what Dora had said if she was right. Could there still be hope? Merlin, she hoped there was.
"Mummy, want to see Daddy." Elara Lestrange said, looking up from her high chair as she let her mother wipe the remnants of her lunch from her face.
"Daddy isn't here, Elara." Dora said, trying to hide how grateful she was of that fact to her daughter.
"Where's Daddy?" Elara pouted.
"Busy," Teddy answered for his mother, the four-year-old finishing the last of his lunch.
"Oh." Elara frowned for a moment then grinned, "Go find Daddy."
"No, Elara," Dora said, lifting the girl from the highchair and placing her on the floor.
"Yes!" Elara replied, running to the door, easily jumping up and pulling the handle down.
"Elara!" Dora cried, missing the days that her daughter couldn't even walk as she watched the pink-haired tot run from the room. "Teddy, why don't you go see Ginny for a bit?"
"Okay." The boy grinned, turning his hair a red to match the Weasley girls as he ran from the room, his mother close behind.
"Elara, come back here!" Dora called after the girl as she ran towards the entrance of the ward.
"No!" Elara snapped "See Daddy!"
Dora gasped in horror as she watched her little girl run at the wards, instantly thrown to the floor with a flash of pain that Dora knew too well from watching Ginny naïvely attempt the same. The girl instantly burst into tears, her pink hair turning to her natural black as Dora ran over and scooped her into her arms.
"D-D-Daddy." Elara cried, clinging onto her mother as she buried her face in her neck and cried freely.
"Elara, you mustn't run into the ward like that." Dora shushed the girl to no avail, her cries going louder.
"W-W-Want Daddy." Elara cried through her pains. "G-G-Get Daddy."
"Do you want me to take her?" Nymphadora looked up to see her mother standing in the hallway behind her. She barely spoke to the witch anymore if she could help it, though when it came to the care of her children she couldn't bring herself to deny them the right to know their grandmother. Even if Nymphadora still thought of her as a traitorous, two-faced idiot at times and wished she could scream at her until her face turned blue.
"Nanny," Elara whined, reaching out for the older witch, "w-want Daddy. Mummy won't get him."
"Oh, darling," Andromeda said sympathetically to the child, waiting for the small nod of her daughters head before she walked over to the little girl, taking her into her arms. "Now that's no reason to cry."
"She hit the ward," Dora muttered.
"Oh no." Andromeda kissed the girls head "Shall Nanny relieve the pain?" Elara nodded against her grandmother, still clinging to her tightly.
"Then get Daddy." Elara cried.
Dora sighed "Elara—"
"Daddy!" Elara screamed, "Daddy says I can have what I want and I want Daddy."
Dora bit her lip, watching as her mother drew her wand and traced it down the girls back to relieve the dark magic of the wards. The girl was right, even if she was just a whining two-year-old. If she innocently told her father that her mother hadn't given her what she wanted . . . especially when what she wanted was her father . . . "Fine." Dora swallowed, forcing a smile at her little girl before with a deep breath she stepped out of the wards. She had no idea where she would find Rodolphus, though she knew he had to be around the manor somewhere as he had gotten into the habit of telling Elara when he was out on a mission. Though that didn't mean he couldn't be called away at any minute. Part of her wished that he had been called away, at least then she could say that she had tried to find the man and be done with it.
"Nymphie." Dora screwed her eyes shut as she stopped on the spot. If there was one person she did not want to run into it would be her Aunt, though she forced herself to turn around and look at the woman. Bellatrix had a look of confused amusement on her features as she looked to the girl, holding the hand of her five-year-old daughter, the little girl had her hair pulled perfectly back with an emerald green ribbon to match her emerald green dress. Dora couldn't help but think how the girl was the embodiment of Slytherin House in that moment, with her silver hair and green attire—not to mention the dark nature of both her parents.
"What are you doing?" Bellatrix's voice snapped her back to reality.
"I . . ." Dora wasn't sure what to say, not sure she wanted to tell Bellatrix she was actively seeking her husband, she'd call her mad just for starters.
"Why are you out in the manor?" Delphi asked curiously. "Are you going on a mission?"
Dora bit her lip, she knew she couldn't ignore a direct question from the Dark Lords child, something she had been painfully reminded of in the past now that Delphini decided that she wanted to attend nearly every time her mother decided Dora needed more 'training'. "I'm looking for Rodolphus. Elara wants her."
"Oh." Delphi replied, unaware of her mother wrinkling her features in distaste "He's in Mummy's room . . . We're going out." Delphi grinned, looking up at her mum in excitement "Aren't we?"
"You don't have to tell everyone where we're going, Delphi." Bellatrix said, though she let her daughter tug her hand and lead her towards the exit of the manor.
As Nymphadora got a glimpse of her Aunts malice towards her she had never been so grateful for the presence of Delphini Riddle, she was sure if the girl had not dragged her mother on she would not be the only witch hurt by dark magic today. As she got to the door of Bellatrix and Rodolphus' room though, Nymphadora soon lost all confidence. She knew he was behind this door, though she could not bring herself to so willingly enter his own bedroom. It was only after she had stood there for nearly a minute that she heard him moving behind the door, his footsteps getting closer and closer. Her breath caught in her throat as the door opened to reveal Rodolphus Lestrange, a confused look of amusement not dissimilar to his wife's on his cold features.
"Nymphadora." Rodolphus said "What are you doing out of your cage? Miss me?"
"No." Dora snapped in response, though she winced as the man took her arm and pulled her into his room.
"Shame, I'm in a good mood today . . ." Rodolphus chuckled, reaching out and deceivingly gently brushing the hair from the younger woman's face.
"Elara wants you," Dora rushed, watching the mans hand carefully.
"Hmm. She is a Daddy's girl, isn't she?" Rodolphus grinned "She can wait for a little while though, I think."
Dora winced as the man pushed her back into the wall, gasping as he gripped onto her hip harshly. "She's hurt!" Dora gasped, relieved as the man pulled away from her slightly.
"What? What have you done?" Rodolphus glared.
"Nothing!" Dora argued, "She wanted you and I—I told her you were busy so she ran out of the room ahead of me and collided with the ward." She cried out as with a sudden growl Rodolphus slapped her hard in the face.
"Tell me these things first before you let me become distracted!" The man yelled before storming out of the room towards the prisoner's ward, near enough dragging Dora with him as he gripped onto her wrist. "Come on."
"She's fine!" Dora protested though Rodolphus didn't calm as he continued to speed towards his daughter as if she was clinging on to her last dying breath. "She just got a nasty shock! Mum healed her."
"She shouldn't have been so close to the ward, Nymphadora!" Rodolphus bellowed as he stormed through the wards, Nymphadora nearly tripping up behind him.
The door to what had turned into the sitting room of the prisoner's ward opened, Rodolphus hearing the faint murmurs of his daughter's voice and immediately letting go of the poor woman behind him as he ran to his little girl.
"Daddy!" Elara cried with delight as she saw her father, her hair instantly turning pink as she reached out for him to take her from her grandmother's lap and into her father's arms. Dora caught her Aunts eye as the older woman stood near the door, looking as if she was about to leave before the pair barged in.
"Hello, Princess." Rodolphus sighed, kissing the girls head "Did silly Mummy let you near the wards?"
"I ran." Elara nodded "Mummy told me not to but I wanted to see you." The little girl pouted, the picture of innocence. "Will you and Mummy play with me?" she grinned.
"Daddy will play with you, Mummy's busy," Rodolphus said as he began to leave the room.
"Want Mummy too!" The little girl complained.
"Elara—"
"Mummy too, Daddy?" Elara cried "P'ease?"
With a sigh of defeat and a look of distaste to the girl's Mother, Rodolphus nodded, the three leaving the room. Narcissa tried to leave after them again though was soon stopped by the voice of her concerned sister.
"Narcissa," Andromeda spoke firmly, it was obvious she knew her sister was hiding something from her from her usual tone of accusation "where are you going?"
"To my room, I want to lay down for a little while," Narcissa spoke curtly.
"Where are you really going?" Andromeda replied.
"To my room," Narcissa replied, fleeing the room quickly before her sister could interrogate her further. She quickly made her way to her true destination of her son's room, not even bothering to knock as she entered.
"Mother!" Draco protested from the sudden intrusion. He was sat on the edge of his bed, the Weasley girl sat a short distance from him though she quickly stood the moment she saw Mrs Malfoy.
"I—Sorry," Narcissa said.
"It's fine," Ginny forced an innocent smile at the woman "I was just leaving." She gave Draco a look that Narcissa couldn't quite see, though the man nodded in reply before she vacated the room, closing the door behind her.
"Draco . . ." Narcissa sighed, furrowing her brows in concern as she went to her son. "What are you doing?"
". . . Whatever do you mean, mother?" Draco spoke as he stood from the bed, busying himself with a small pile of clothes that the elves had brought to him clean.
"You know what I mean." Narcissa said, hesitating for a moment before she carried on "What's going on? What are you planning? That Weasley girl—"
"That Weasley girl is none of your concern, mother," Draco said firmly, still with his back to his mother.
"But Draco—"
"Listen," Draco sighed as he turned to his mother, he walked over and sat beside her, gently taking her hands in his own as he looked into her eyes "do not ask. Do not get caught up in anything. It's going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen to us in regards to the Weasley girl. Promise me you won't ask questions, promise me you'll leave it alone and be none the wiser."
"But—"
"Promise me," Draco repeated, more firmly this time.
Narcissa looked into her sons grey eyes, his pale features so like his fathers though so dissimilar to how he had looked many years ago before this war had started. Yes, he had aged considerably since then, no longer a boy but a man now. A man stared back at his mother, full of protective concern for her as he searched for the answer he so wanted her to give. She knew she was best not to ask, best not to know whatever scheme they had planned—though Narcissa Malfoy was unafraid to admit that she was scared. Scared she would lose her little baby boy—for however aged or hardened the man in front of her became he would always be her little boy—scared that he would get hurt, scared of losing him as she had her husband, his father . . . Though she knew what she had to do. She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut as she nodded.
"I—I promise." Narcissa croaked, biting her lip as her son drew her into his arms and hugged her, his sigh of relief audible to her. She simply hoped that she would not come to regret her decisions.
