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Bella


Nymphadora smiled as her son curled into her side on the bed, the blue-haired boy grinning as his mother spread out the children's book on her lap for him. It was one of Delphini's old books, a rugged copy of Beedle the Bard that had clearly been thrown against a wall one too many times, that was how it had come to be in her possession. After one too many times of it being thrown across the room, Narcissa had pocketed it as it was thrown at her gut, she did not seem amused as she came back to the ward with it one day though Nymphadora was grateful. Teddy loved books, a trait he had clearly inherited from his father, though one tale he in particularly wanted to hear over and over again was The Warlocks Hairy Heart. She couldn't help but be amused by this, though she had loved the story as a child she had to admit it did disturb her slightly. Though Teddy Lupin was fearless for a five-year-old, always asking for more.

"It's your bedtime soon, Teddy Bear." Dora sighed as she finished the story, kissing her son's hair.

"One more story?" Teddy looked up at his mother, a look of all innocence on his features.

Dora looked down at the boy for a moment before she couldn't help but relent to his look with a small sigh, "Same again?"

"No." Teddy shook his head as he sat up slightly, watching his mother intently "Tell me a real story."

"Who's to say Beedle's stories aren't real, hmm?" Dora joked.

"Mum." Teddy groaned "Come on . . . please? Tell me a story about you . . . about you and Dad?"

Dora couldn't help but wince as she felt as if she had been struck in the heart. It wasn't the first time she had talked about Remus with Teddy, though that did not make it any less painful to remember her love. She took a deep breath, smiling sadly at the boy as he reached out and took her hand.

"Please, mum?" Teddy asked.

". . . What story do you want to hear?" Dora sighed, reaching out and stroking the boy's locks behind his ear.

"How did you meet Dad?" Teddy asked instantly, this was clearly a question that had been on his mind for a while.

Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly at the memory, pulling the boy onto her lap as she wrapped an arm around him. "I met him when I joined The Order."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Teddy asked.

"Yes." Dora said, "Who taught you that one, hmm?"

"I heard Nanny talking about it the other day . . ."

"Really, what did she say?" Dora asked.

"Tell the story first, then I'll tell." Teddy said, "Please?"

"Fine." Dora sighed, kissing the boy's cheek, "I went to headquarters—where The Order met for their meetings—and Mummy's cousin Sirius was there. I hadn't seen him in a long time, since I was only a little older than you, so I was very excited. When he came into the room I jumped up and went to go to him so quickly my chair fell over. Mad-Eye was worried I was going to hurt him—" Dora couldn't help but grin at the boys laugh as he repeated the name 'Mad-Eye', "—so he went to move to me and I tripped over, fell on my bum."

"What about Daddy?" Teddy asked.

"Patience." Dora smirked, "Daddy came in the room with Sirius. They were best friends, so they were staying together at that point. When Daddy saw me on the floor he was worried, so he came and helped me up and told me it was all okay, then asked if I was alright."

"Then what?" Teddy asked eagerly.

"Then—" Dora suddenly gasped as a burning sensation run up her arm, Teddy frowned as his blue hair started to fade to his natural sandy brown.

"Have you got to go?" he said, sounding deflated.

"Teddy, I'm sorry." She kissed his head before she got up from the bed, pulling her Death Eater cloak from the wardrobe before she turned at the sound of her bedroom door bursting open.

"Take Elara." Rodolphus snapped as he went to give the girl to her mother, despite the child clearly not wanting to let go of her father.

"I can't," Dora said, frowning slightly as Teddy came to stand beside her, instinctively moving herself to stand between her son and Rodolphus. "I've been summoned too."

Rodolphus let out a growl of frustration before he disentangled Elara's arms from his neck, putting her on the floor next to her brother despite her protests. "Take her to Narcissa, boy."

"Don't snap at my son like that." Dora hissed at the man.

"Come on." Rodolphus ignored the comment, grabbing the woman's arm. She went to protest again before without warning he disapparated with her.

"Where did they go?" Elara sniffed, looking up to Teddy with a pout on her young features.

"I don't know." Teddy sighed.

"Make them come back." Elara said.

"I can't do that, silly." Teddy sighed, holding out his hand for the young girl, "She's gone with your Daddy."

"Daddy was playing with me though." Elara complained, "It's not fair."

"Well, Mummy was telling me a story." Teddy sighed, taking Elara's hand as he went to the room they used as a lounge, finding Narcissa and Andromeda talking on the couch.

"The hairy one?" Elara wrinkled her nose as she walked over to her grandmother, the woman sighing and reaching to pull the girl onto her lap.

"Well yeah, but other stories too." Teddy frowned.

"Why are you two in here, hmm?" Narcissa asked the pair.

"Rodolphus told me to take Elara to you. Then he left with Mum." Teddy huffed, sitting on the floor and leaning against the sofa. "He's rude."

"You shouldn't say bad things about him, Teddy." Andromeda winced as Elara shouted at her brother in protest.

"He is rude, he took Mum and 'snapped' at me when he told me to take Elara to Aunt Cissa." Teddy frowned.

"So," Narcissa said quickly as she saw her sister about to reprimand the boy again, she was not in the mood for arguments with a five-year-old about being nice to a man he knew hurt his mother. "What story was your mother telling you? Was it Beedle the Bard again? I can read that to you if you get into bed, it's getting late."

Teddy sighed, mumbling "She was telling me how she met my Dad . . ."

"Oh." Narcissa said.

"How did Mummy meet my Daddy?" Elara frowned.

"On the battlefield, I suspect," Andromeda muttered, rolling her eyes as Narcissa shot a warning look at her. "No, I think she mentioned she saw him in Azkaban briefly when she was training . . ."

"Andromeda." Narcissa sighed.

"What's Azkaban?" Elara asked innocently.

"Teddy," Narcissa said as she looked to the boy "Why don't you and your sister go brush your teeth then your Grandmother can put you to bed and try and finish your mum's story for you and I'll put Elara to bed, okay?" Teddy nodded, smiling as he picked up his sister, the girl giggling as he ruffled her hair before they both left the room. Narcissa frowned as she looked to her elder sister. "You realise you're just going to cause Elara to ask Dora awkward questions—or Rod for that matter, and I don't think he'll appreciate being asked about Azkaban."

"She can handle it," Andromeda responded.

"When are you two going to reconcile, already?" Narcissa sighed.

"Leave it alone, Narcissa," Andromeda said curtly, leaving the room before her sister could respond. The blonde witch merely shook her head, her sister and niece were going to drive her mad with their petty feud.


Nymphadora ducked down as a spell went whizzing past her, clutching her bleeding head as she scrambled to get behind a tent and out of the line of fire. She could hear her Aunt screeching at some poor rebel as the onslaught carried on around them. She knew that this was not going to be an enjoyable evening the moment they were told that they were going to try and infiltrate a rebel campsite; no, that was a lie, she knew she wouldn't enjoy her evening the moment her mark burned. Dora screwed her eyes shut, trying to stop her vision from blurring from the pulsating pain running through her.

"Nymphadora, get up!" Rodolphus yelled at her from a distance, though to her relief he left her to her pain.

She closed her eyes for a moment, ignoring the world around her as she tried to stop her head from spinning. She must have lost track of what was going on, as the next moment she opened her eyes the fighting had seemingly stopped. Holding back a groan at the effort, Nymphadora straightened herself up again, leaving the safety of behind the tent to see her pack of fellow Death Eaters storming through tents looking for anything that could help them catch the escaped rebels. She tried not to look at the few bodies on the floor, at this point she didn't want to know if she knew the poor bastards.

"Search it top to bottom, then burn it down!" Bellatrix shrieked, clearly unhappy as she stormed through the mess of destruction in the clearing.

No-one questioned her, Rodolphus leading a few of their comrades into one of the tents whilst Rabastan led some others into the tent Nymphadora had just been hiding behind. It was as Nymphadora swayed on the spot, that she heard her name called.

"What are you doing girl?" Bellatrix growled, storming over to the woman. She had not seen her since Ginny had escaped from the manor, Nymphadora had to admit she had enjoyed the break from the woman.

"Searching the tents, right?" Dora said, drawing her wand as she went to go towards the tent Rabastan had entered. She winced as she felt her Aunts grip on her arm, her long nails digging into her flesh.

"Where were you?" Bellatrix hissed as she pulled the girl to look at her.

"I was fighting, then I got hit—"

"So you gave up!?" Bellatrix yelled, her eyes lit with fury for the girl.

"No, I couldn't see straight—"

"Pathetic!" Bellatrix snarled.

"Bellatrix?" Rodolphus called as he emerged from the tent, his eyes flickering from the mother of his child to his wife. "It's empty. I've told them to burn it."

"Come for your pet, Roddy?" Bellatrix glared at the man, though he had no words for her but for a roll of his eyes. "You said you were seeing to her! You promised me you'd made her pay for it!"

"And I did." Rodolphus said, an air of boredom in his tone as he looked between the two glaring women.

"Liar!" Bellatrix screamed "She's still as defiant and useless as ever!" Bellatrix shook the girl as she went to speak "You shut your mouth you harlot!"

"Harlot!?" Dora spluttered. She soon fell to the floor as Bellatrix unexpectedly threw a curse her way.

"I said shut your mouth!" Bellatrix snapped, glaring at her with an insane fury before with a screech of anger she grabbed the girl and disapparated.

Nymphadora couldn't help but let out a yell of pain as she was thrown to the floor again, her head colliding with the stone. She tried to sit up though was soon hit by another curse, shrieking in agony her eyes burst wide open. It was then that she realised where she was. In her rage Bellatrix had apparated her straight inside of the prisoner's ward.

"You disgusting, freakish, useless whore!" Bellatrix screeched, throwing hex after hex at her niece as she convulsed hopelessly on the floor.

"Stop it!" Nymphadora screeched, though her words were cut off with another scream.

"Never!" Bellatrix cried, "If he can't teach you your place, I will! You will learn or you will die trying!"

"Bellatrix!" Andromeda Tonks called, quickly shutting the door of the room behind her and locking it. "What are you doing?"

"You stay out of this." Bellatrix spat, walking up to her niece as she kicked the young woman in the side. "She needs to learn her place, you said you could teach her! You lied, you always lie."

"I tried," Andromeda spoke quietly, slowly walking over to the pair as her eyes flickered to her daughter.

"She set you up, Andromeda." Bellatrix breathed, "Admit it."

"No." Andromeda said firmly. This clearly was not the answer her sister wanted, as with another yell of fury she threw a curse at the metamorphmagus and she began to convulse on the floor more violently this time. "You don't want to kill her."

"Ha! That shows how well you know me, sister dearest." Bellatrix cackled, throwing another curse at the now multi-coloured haired woman on the floor before she suddenly stopped moving.

"Bellatrix, no!" Andromeda cried, running to her sister as she finally got between the pair.

"You sicken me." Bellatrix whispered, looking crazed as she shook her head at the woman. "Pathetic, just like your daughter."

"Go." Andromeda said, "You've been out, haven't you? Do you not need to report to The Dark Lord?"

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the woman, looking to Nymphadora before she gave a huff of laughter. "I'll be back for her—if she survives."

Andromeda watched the woman disapparate, her heart pounding loudly in her chest as without thinking she rushed to her daughter on the floor. Nymphadora Lupin was pale as a sheet, her body covered in wounds from the curses. "Dora." Andromeda breathed, putting her head to her chest as she listened. Her heart was beating, though barely. "Come on, Dora." Andromeda drew her wand, adjusting the girl as she began with any wound she could see on her—though this made no difference.

"Mummy!" Elara Lestrange cried as she burst from her room, Narcissa quickly behind her.

"I told you to wait!" Narcissa said, though she soon looked to the woman on the floor in horror. "Andromeda . . . ?"

"Get her away from here, Narcissa." Andromeda snapped as she tried to begin to unravel the dark spells within her daughter.

"Mummy." Elara cried, "Why is Mummy hurt?"

Andromeda ignored her granddaughter, working furiously though she could feel the curses repelling her. "I—I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Narcissa asked, her eyes wide as tried and failed to pull the crying toddler away from her mother.

"It's too strong!" Andromeda snapped, looking up to her sister as her eyes began to moisten.

"No . . ." Narcissa breathed.

"Make. Her. Better." Elara heaved, "I want Daddy, get Daddy. Daddy can fix it. Daddy's clever."

"No, Elara." Narcissa breathed, picking up the girl and pressing her head to her shoulder as she tried to stop her tears. "Andromeda!"

"I'll be back! Stay with her, help her!" the woman called as she threw her wand at her sister, running from the hall and straight out of the ward.

Though she knew her granddaughter had merely called for her father in the innocent way children do, with the misunderstanding of youth that all parents could fix absolutely anything, she had given her an idea. She ran faster than she had ever done in her lifetime, narrowly avoiding falling flat on her face as she bounded around a corner until she found the room she was looking for. She didn't knock on the door, bursting through unannounced in such a fashion she was never brought up to do. She didn't care, if she didn't do this her daughter would die.

"We need a healer." Andromeda panted.

"What are you doing here?" Rodolphus Lestrange asked, outraged at the interruption as he finished his task of buttoning up his fresh robes.

"Nymphadora . . . She needs . . . a healer." Andromeda continued to pant, clutching the stitch in her side.

"Tough." Rodolphus scoffed. "She can cope with a little pain."

"A little pain?" Andromeda repeated, "My daughter is lying in the middle of the ward, barely breathing—her heart is barely beating! She will die if someone doesn't see to her, I can't undo whatever Bellatrix has done to her."

"I thought you didn't care about her?" Rodolphus rolled his eyes, "If she dies, she dies. I seem to remember her saying she would 'rather die' than do multiple things that she's been forced to since, perhaps this will be a blessing for her. Are you sure she wants your help?"

"Your daughter is hysterical." Andromeda glared, "She is crying her heart out as she watches her mother slowly die with nothing we can do for her."

"Don't let her watch then," Rodolphus glared back before with a shrug he resumed his indifferent demeanour, "Elara is a child, she will forget and get over the death of her mother."

"She will not!" Andromeda snapped, "You never get over that!"

"Well it will make things easier, in the long run, I—"

"Rodolphus Lestrange! If you do not get a healer to her right this instant your daughter will be scarred for life from watching her mother die, from losing her mother. She will never want to become a Death Eater or be like you ever again, for you will represent all that killed her!" Andromeda shook with her rage and fear of losing her only child, struggling to control her voice, "Elara has asked for you. She has said 'Daddy will fix it'. If you do not at least try to save her, she will never forgive you. It is true she may well forget this day, it might become a blurred memory. But I swear to Merlin, if you do nothing, I will make sure she remembers exactly how her mother died and how her own father would do nothing for her when she believed in him."

Rodolphus looked to the woman for a long moment, considering her words, considering if he should curse her for such threats. Andromeda couldn't help but flinch as he reached for his wand, though to her utter relief he clicked his fingers. An elf appeared, instantly bowing and singing his praises to Rodolphus.

"Shut up." Rodolphus snapped, "Get Healer Greer, tell him to gather his potions and take him to the prisoner's ward. Now." Rodolphus watched the elf go before he snapped his gaze to Andromeda. "Come on." The man stormed out of the room, striding through the manor before he arrived in the ward, Andromeda by his side until she saw the girl on the floor.

"Daddy!" Elara cried, reaching out for the man.

"Shh," The man reached a hand out to the girl, kissing her head, "It's okay."

"Rodolphus!" Andromeda called, gesturing to her still daughter on the floor as she took her wand back from her sister.

"She hasn't changed." Narcissa said, "I tried to help, but it didn't do anything."

"Of course it didn't. Bellatrix doesn't make it so her curses can be easily removed when she's this angry." Rodolphus rolled his eyes as he reached down to the woman, grabbing her and lifting her into his arms. He barged past the women, going straight to Nymphadora's room before he unceremoniously dropped her onto her bed.

"Be careful!" Andromeda cried as she followed him in, Elara not far behind as she had clearly escaped from her Aunt.

"Daddy fix it." The little girl cried as she ran to her father, clinging onto his legs.

"Daddy's friend will try and fix it, sweetheart." The man smiled at the little girl as he bent down and lifted her into his arms, "I missed you tonight." He murmured, kissing the girl's dark locks, "Shh, don't be sad."

"Mummy gonna be okay?" Elara sniffed, though she soon screeched in fright as the house elf suddenly apparated into the room, Healer Greer in tow. She watched as the elf disappeared, clinging to her father tightly as the Healer went over to her mother.

"What happened here?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow at the still unconscious metamorphmagus.

"Bellatrix, she cursed her—though I think she was injured before she got here as well," Andromeda spoke urgently, watching the man taking out his potions kit.

"Did Madame Lestrange's playtime get a little too violent again, Rodolphus?" Healer Greer smirked at the man, "Am I merely preventing the woman from dying, or healing her?"

"Help Mummy!" Elara shrieked, crying as she hit her fist against her fathers chest.

The man winced at the pitch of the noise before he nodded to the healer "You heard my daughter, heal her. Come on, Elara. We'll see Mummy when she's better, let's go to your room."

"Mummy . . ." the little girl cried, even as her father took her from the room, closing the door behind him.

"You heard him, hurry up about it man!" Andromeda said, going to stand on the other side of the bed as she looked helplessly down at her daughter.

"You Black women," Greer sighed as he leant over Nymphadora, "All the same."

Andromeda didn't have the strength to shoot him a glare, to curse or reprimand him for his comment. She merely watched helplessly as he performed all manner of spells on her daughter, forcing potions down her throat and performing healing magic that she couldn't begin to fully comprehend. The seconds seemed like minutes, the minutes hours as she watched knowing there was nothing she could do, terrified that she was about to lose her daughter. She wasn't sure how long she had been stood frozen to the spot when the healer finally stood back, taking out an array of potions and pointing to them for her.

"If she wakes up, she will need to take these," Greer said, though his voice seemed distant in her mind. If? "She must take each of them twice a day until all of her symptoms are gone—at least a couple of weeks. Tell Rodolphus if he wishes to keep her alive then I suggest he refrain from cursing her until she can at least walk by herself with ease. Understood?"

". . . If?" Andromeda breathed.

"I have done all I can." Greer said matter of factly. "If she wakes up, I suspect she will do so within 24 hours. If not . . . Tell Rodolphus he can call me if he wishes to do so. Goodbye."

Andromeda didn't move until she heard the man leave the room, the wards now seemingly permanently in place over her daughter's room preventing her from hearing where he went after that as he shut the door behind him. She looked down at her daughter, her once so innocent, young and free only daughter. She looked better than she had done, a slight amount of colour had returned to her cheeks and her hair was now a limp mousey brown in comparison to the multi-coloured mess it had been.

"Dora . . ." Andromeda couldn't help but choke back her tears. She hesitated for a moment before she slowly got onto the double bed, laying down beside the girl as she took her hand in her own, staring intently into her features. "You can do this . . . You're strong . . . I—I love you . . ." Andromeda whispered, "I'm sorry sweetheart . . ." The woman dissolved into silent tears, screwing her eyes shut as she gripped onto Dora's hand as tightly as she could, silently praying that she would not lose her.