A very merry Coronavirus quarantine to you and yours. I'm doing fine over here in America, working from home, not panicking or hoarding paper goods. Don't believe everything you see on the news, and remember to laugh when you can.
Dora
Teddy Lupin came to in complete darkness, immediately realising that his hands were bound and that he was wandless. There were muffled sounds from outside, but he did not care. He had to get back to Hogwarts before the time was up. The boy was about to get up and see if he could find his way out of the shack when he heard someone stir in the darkness and leaned back into the wall, waiting. "Who's there?" he demanded, annoyed that he'd gotten himself into such a mess.
There were a few more sounds, and a woman sighed, lighting her wand and approaching the young boy. He blinked rapidly, trying not to be afraid...though he frowned when he saw her face. "Do I know you?" he said in confusion. "Wait...you knew my name, didn't you? Who are you?"
The woman tucked a lock of her long, red hair behind her ear. "I used to know your parents," Teddy," she said kindly. "I'm Ginny Weasley."
"Oh," Teddy said, then looked surprised. "Wait...weren't you in the Prisoners' Wing for a while?"
"Yes," Ginny answered with a wry smile. "But that's not important." She sat down next to him and turned to face him. "How are you and your mother?"
"That's none of your business," Teddy said shortly, sure that his hair was tinging red. "Let me go: I've got to get back to the castle before the outing is over-I was only allowed out because of Delphi."
"That's the Dark Lord's daughter?" Ginny said. "Are you close to her?"
"Of course not," Teddy scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She isn't allowed to have friends, or anything like that...but she and my sister are fairly close."
Someone scoffed at this, and Teddy jumped, not having realised that they weren't alone in the darkened room. "Obviously, we're being watched," Ginny said simply. "We are the rebellion, Teddy. We've been fighting the Dark Lord's regime since the very beginning. We have suffered, and I know your family-especially since your mother-has really suffered."
Teddy's face blanked for a moment, and then the boy's eyes lit with anger. "She's always getting hurt," he said angrily. "But she's Marked: she can't escape."
"Well," Ginny said quietly, "it might be possible for you to help free her."
Teddy frowned. "She'll never be free unless the Dark Lord is destroyed," he said with a shiver. "And Bellatrix." He then stared at the red-haired witch nervously. "Wait...what are you planning?"
Ginny Weasley took a deep breath, reaching out and unbinding the boy's wrists. "We are working on a plan to bring an end to all of this," she said seriously. "But we need someone to help us from the inside, Teddy. Would you be willing to help us, and your family at the same time?"
The boy rubbed his wrists nervously. "I...don't know," he said. "I need to think about it...even though I'm a kid, I'm still being watched."
"There's no time to lose," Ginny told him. "It might be a couple years until we can make a move. Will you help us in the future?"
"I'm not the Chosen One," Teddy huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
"You're definitely not," Ginny agreed. "But I'm not Dumbledore: I wouldn't plot your death behind your back. It's definitely dangerous out here: I've lost most of my family already."
"Oh, but you'll ask me to risk my life and the lives of my family," Teddy scoffed. "We're fairly safe as it is, except Mum."
Ginny got to her feet and Teddy jumped up as well, still glaring at her. "Are you willing to risk that you can help us change everything and give her a better life?" she asked him quietly. "Something has to give, Teddy, and I won't. We won't. The rebellion won't."
"I-" Teddy began, then drew himself up as visions of Rodolphus abusing his mother flashed through his mind. "They've got to be stopped," he said firmly.
The woman nodded. "We'll get word to you when the time is right," she told him. "Meanwhile, pay attention in school and learn as much as you can, all right?"
Teddy rolled his eyes at her. "Of course," he said. "Wait...how do I get out of here?"
She smiled and pointed him to the right door. "Be careful out there," she said.
"I will," he answered, and left quickly, making his way back to the school.
Elara Lestrange was sitting out by the Black Lake, wondering about where to write her father. She was still furious—she really doubted that she could ever look at him in the same way again. She didn't want to talk to him and didn't want to encourage him to try to speak to her. The girl giggled to herself as she debated sending a Howler, but knew she couldn't risk it.
There was one thing he needed to know from her, though, and no one could ever tell him except her. Elara made up her mind and took a piece of parchment from her bag.
Rodolphus:
Concerning your actions toward my mother, I will never accept you again.
Stop blaming my mother for Roo being sick all the time. It's my fault that he was born early—that's right, MY FAULT. Not Mum's, or anyone else's. When I had gone to get help for Delphi, I was trying to persuade Mum that she needed to come with me, and I hit her with my magic and knocked her against the boundaries of the Prisoners' Wing. That caused Roo to be born early.
Elara paused for a moment, trying to think of exactly how to put her thoughts onto the paper so they would really impact her idiot father.
My mother has done everything she could to take care of us children, in spite of what you've done. I know she would never do anything to harm any of us, even though she never wanted your children. Stop blaming her for everything: you've caused most of the problems in our lives, anyway.
Nothing can make what you've done right, so don't even try. And especially don't tell me "it's not that bad." You're an awful man.
Don't try to talk to me for a long time, because I don't want to hear your excuses. I won't have it.
She was signing her name to the parchment, her brow furrowed in anger, when the parchment was yanked from her hands.
"What are you writing, little girl?" laughed an older male voice, and Elara looked up in shock to see two fifth or sixth year boys smirking at her.
"Let's see," said the second boy, looking over the parchment. "Ohhh, a letter to Daddy! Does he ask you to call him by his given name?"
Elara jumped up with a yell of rage, her wand zooming to her hand as she instantly Cursed the one holding the parchment. She summoned it back to her, shielding a spell from the other boy as she stepped back, then moved to the side so she couldn't be pinned against the water's edge. It seemed like far longer than the few seconds they dueled, but she managed to keep out of the way of his spells, finally knocking him backward into the water, giggling as she couldn't resist forcing him beneath the waves for a moment as well.
The girl turned and hurried up to the castle, finding Delphi standing at one of the windows in the entrance hall, a smirk on her face. Teddy stood nearby, looking outraged, and Elara stopped, asking, "What's going on?"
"Nicely done," Delphi said to her, and Elara looked confused, Teddy motioning something to Delphi.
The silver-haired girl rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Does Teddy Bear want to talk?"
Teddy glanced outside, then looked back at his sister. "Delphi sent those two idiots out there to bother you," he told her in a low voice.
"And Teddy tried to go help, and had to be stopped," agreed Delphi. "She seems to be capable of protecting herself."
"She's still my sister," he muttered darkly, forcing himself not to openly glare at the Dark Lord's daughter. "I didn't know what was happening."
"I'm fine," Elara huffed, then turned to Delphi. "I need to send a letter."
Delphi nodded. "Come along," she said to the younger girl. "We'll do that, then talk about your test." Elara hurried after her friend, leaving Teddy to shake his head at the two of them.
The moment they were warded in Delphi's room, Elara asked, "You meant to test me?"
The older witch smiled. "You did well," she said. "You didn't stay still, and moved away from what could have been a danger to you." She laughed. "I was amused to see that you wanted to drown them."
"They snatched my parchment," Elara said in annoyance. "Besides, I just wanted to scare them."
"Ah yes," Delphi remembered. "The letter. To your mother?"
"To him," Elara replied darkly, handing it out to Delphi. "Check it."
Delphi perused the letter, then chuckled, "It seems straightforward," she said, handing it back to Elara and walking to get her owl. "Although, I've told you before, Elara: what happened with Reuben isn't your fault."
Elara sank down onto the bed, glaring at the wall. "Well, it isn't Mum's, either," she said. "And if he's got to blame someone for what happened, it should be me. I caused it."
Delphi simply sighed and shook her head, knowing she couldn't convince the girl otherwise. "Well, this may not make things better," she said, "but you can send it."
The black-haired witch got up from the bed and joined Delphi at the owl chute that connected her room to the fresh air outside and was protected by many charms and wards. "All right," she said resolutely, rolling it up and giving it to Delphi.
"Off you go," Delphi said, holding out her arm for the bird to leave once the letter was attached. "Come back as soon as the letter has been delivered." She turned and went to her desk as the bird soared up toward the sky, off to take the message to Rodolphus Lestrange. "Well, who knows what he'll do when he gets that," she said, and Elara just stared at her in horror.
Nymphadora felt Rodolphus crash through the ward of the Prisoners' Wing and jumped up from where she'd been talking to Narcissa, as Andromeda was staying with Teddy for the moment. "I wonder what's upset him now?" she said darkly before leaving the room to meet him.
Rodolphus did not say a word, though as he gripped her arm and pulled her unceremoniously to her room, she did see a disturbed look in his eyes that alarmed her slightly. He shoved her into the room and warded it, turning to stare at her. He was trembling, his hands unsteady as he held a piece of parchment in his hand.
"Did Elara," he began, and she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not going to arbitrate with the two of you," she warned him. "So don't ask."
"IT'S NOT THAT!" he yelled at her, his eyes burning with madness as he clenched his fists. "I want to know! Is it true that Elara hit you with Accidental Magic just before Reuben was born?"
Nymphadora stared at the man in shock before her eyes narrowed. "No."
Rodolphus waved the parchment at her. "That's not what Elara wrote," he snapped at her.
"Let me see," Dora scoffed.
"No," Rodolphus glared at her, pushing the parchment into his pocket.
"Well, if you aren't going to believe me, then why would you believe the misguided fears of a child?" answered Nymphadora. "If she really said that, she does not understand what happened."
"So it is true!" Rodolphus exclaimed, his eyes wide in horror.
"I didn't say that," Dora huffed, rolling her eyes.
He gave her the most sane look she'd seen on him since he'd walked into the Wing that day. "You always said it wasn't your fault," said Rodolphus quietly, "but you would never say whose fault it was. She did cause Reuben's early birth, didn't she?"
Nymphadora drew herself to her full height and glared at the man in as much fury as she could muster. "It was never her fault!" she yelled at him. "I fell into the ward because I'm clumsy! It might have happened anyway, and I swear to Merlin, Rodolphus Lestrange, I will Curse you senseless if you dare harm my daughter or even remotely blame her for her poor brother's illnesses."
Rodolphus merely shook her head, practically immune to the Black rage because of all his experiences with it. "I wouldn't hurt her," he breathed, his eyes clouding as he seemed to be thinking of something far away. "I wouldn't hurt either of them…."
The man took a step forward, and Dora slowly reached for her wand, seeing a strange look in the man's eyes. She froze as he began to speak, but in a tone completely unlike his own.
"The time will come for suffering to be over, and the Dark will fall. The rebel cub will be the ruin of them all."
Dora was shaking as she stared at the man, wondering what in Merlin's name he was going on about when he snapped out of it. "Wha—what happened?" he demanded angrily. "What did I say?"
"Nothing," Dora gasped as he crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her by the throat.
"What did I say?" he shouted at him, his wand in his hand as he went to perform a Legilmency spell.
"You said—you said that the time would come when suffering would be over and the Dark Lord would fall!" Dora cried, fiercely struggling against him and finally resorting to shocking him with her magic to get him away from her. "Since when do you have visions, Lestrange?"
Rodolphus was staring at her in a sort of horror. "I said what?!"
Nymphadora stood her ground. "You said the Dark would fall eventually," she repeated.
"It won't happen," he growled at her. "Don't get your hopes up."
"I honestly can't with you around," Dora huffed. "Tell me: have you always had visions?"
"It's a Lestrange trait," Rodolphus muttered, seeming to still be in shock and somewhat frightened at what he had prophesied. "The firstborn males have visions, but don't remember a word of what they've said...Reuben's still too young to have them; they usually start around thirteen or fourteen."
She stared at him in amazement, asking, "Do you have dreams, too? Or just the visions?"
He laughed bitterly. "It's bad enough they disturb our waking hours: they don't need to interrupt our sleep as well. No, I don't think the Lestrange family has ever had prophetic dreams."
Nymphadora nodded thoughtfully, still keeping an eye on him as she thought about a dream that Reuben had had, where he described Teddy and Elara screaming at each other about loyalties to the Dark Lord, and another where the poor child had told his mother about Teddy attacking Rodolphus. She shook her head, resolving not to reveal any of these things to Rodolphus, and asked, "So how many have you had?"
"It doesn't matter," Rodolphus snapped, and moved toward her again, only to be pushed away by a spell. "Nymphadora," he hissed, "you had better behave. I'm not in the mood—"
"Hmm," Dora said thoughtfully, defending herself as he tried to get to her. "I'm not in the mood. I'm not putting up with your nonsense anymore, Rodolphus."
He drew his wand, anger clear on his face. "This will not end well for you, Nymphie," he sneered.
She didn't back down. "Well, you'll have to fight for everything you get," she answered simply, and raised her wand, ready for his attack.
