Bella
Nymphadora no longer knew the concept of time. She spent most of her days in a blur, her mind so broken and twisted over time that she could barely focus on anything for much time at all. Though after a few months of this she finally found one flicker of resolve in herself. It started with her finding an old roll of parchment of Teddy's in his room, along with a half broken quill and the tiniest bit of ink. She knew she needed it, needed something to insure that she kept to her plan once she had decided what to do. Though Dora managed to seem outwardly like she was doing better, gaining weight and forcing the odd smile, in truth her mind was still in turmoil and she had no way of fixing it. There was only one solution.
Dora barely left the prisoners wing anymore, even Bellatrix had decided she was not much fun anymore when Dora barely felt anything anymore which included Bella's "fun". She had no use, no purpose, no reason for living. The days, weeks, months and year went by in a blur. She barely even registered when her two eldest children came home from Hogwarts for summer term. That was until she found the parchment and quill again and remembered what her plan had been. Teddy Lupin had been pleasantly surprised when his mother offered to help him unpack, uncaring as his mother clearly didn't have the same skills as his grandmother when it came to this sort of thing. He tried to make conversation with her whilst sat on his bed, though the woman barely said a few words at a time. When the case was empty Dora stood up and walked over to her son, pausing for a minute as he frowned in concern before she embraced him.
As she told him she loved him and held him tightly for a few moments Teddy Lupin was merely grateful for the show of affection that was becoming rarer and rarer now a days. Once she left the room he didn't think to see if any of his items had been missing, assuming that his mother had packed them away for him as best she could.
There were few moments of clarity in Dora's life anymore, though the moment she shut her bedroom door back behind her she experienced one of those rare moments. Though nothing was going to keep her from her plan, it was the only way.
She slipped to the floor beside her bed, placing a ward on her room to stop other people from entering before she felt for the loose floorboards by the wall. Squirelled away in the floor of her room were various items she had managed to obtain one way or another throughout the year. She pulled out the small, battered pewter cauldron that had once been Elara's until her father had replaced it with a better one, the various herbs she had managed to pinch whilst Rodolphus had tried to take her out for some air within the gardens and the small glass vial that once held a calming draught she had been forced to take.
Though Dora had changed and forgotten so much since her Auror days, there was one skill that she still knew. Though it had taken months for her to remember a suitable potion to do the trick (that she could reasonably get the ingredients for) she now finally found herself with all of the ingredients needed for an adequate poison.
"I can put my own things away, you know," Elara sighed, sitting next to her younger brother on her bed as she watched her father go through her things for her.
"But we missed you!" Reuben grinned up at his sister, giggling when she rolled her eyes in amusement and put an arm around him.
"I missed you too, Reuben," Elara said as she gave the boy a squeeze.
"Tell me about Hogwarts," Reuben said.
"You know about Hogwarts," Elara laughed, "you ask me this everytime I go back."
"Surely you've gotten up to more this semester?" Rodolphus asked, "New stories to tell us?"
Elara bit her lip, she knew exactly what her father was talking about. She was sure he had gotten more than one owl home about her antics with Delphi. Though the Dark Lord's daughter was immune to punishment she most definitely was not, a fact that not even Delphi could help her with as she had been reminded by The Dark Lord.
"Just the usual," Elara said innocently, "classes, exams, normal school life."
"Boring," Reuben groaned, thinking for a minute before the grin returned to his face, "when do I get to go? Can I go back with you in September?"
"Not yet, Reuben," Rodolphus said, "you're only six."
"You said I'm mature for my age," Reuben argued. "And I'm almost seven!"
"You are," Rodolphus agreed, "though are you that eager to leave us?"
"You'll be fine without me," Reuben said.
"How is Mum?" Elara asked, looking to her father with no trace of her previous amusement on her features, "Is she okay? Well . . . Better?"
Rodolphus considered his daughter, looking to his youngest child for a moment before he spoke with a sigh, "She's calmer."
"Oh . . ." Elara said, unsure of what else to say. She knew her mother had only been getting worse, though if she wasn't going into a screaming fit on a near daily basis that was something she supposed.
"Can we see Mum?" Reuben looked to his father, "I miss her too."
"You saw her yesterday," Rodolphus said bluntly, going back to unpacking his daughters things, "she's no different."
"You were there yesterday," Reuben huffed, "I want to see Mum alone. I never see Mum alone anymore!"
"There's a reason for that," Rodolphus muttered under his breath, though not loud enough so that his children could hear.
"Father," Reuben whined, "I see you alone . . . Mum hasn't tried to hurt me since that time and I haven't had any dreams to show that she would so she won't."
"Just because you don't dream something doesn't mean it's not going to happen," Rodolphus said, "I've told you this before. Yes you have prophetic dreams but you can't pick and choose what you predict."
"Have you had any more dreams?" Elara asked Reuben, eager to change the subject.
The boy nodded, pulling away from his sister as he laid back on her bed in frustration, "Yes." He murmured.
"And . . .?" Elara prompted, "Anything interesting . . . ?"
"Nothing fun . . ." Reuben sighed.
Elara looked to the boy for a moment, feeling sorry for him as she knew he cared for their mother but also understood why nobody would let the pair of them be alone anymore. She sighed as she looked to her father.
"What if I stay with him?" Elara asked, "He won't be alone with Mum if I'm there."
"No," Rodolphus said immediately.
"Why not?" Elara protested, "You said for yourself mum's a lot calmer nowadays, I'm sure she'll be fine with me and Reuben."
"Yeah!" Reuben perked up, sitting up and looking to his father who merely scowled at the two in frustration.
"Your mother—"
"She's our mother," Elara interrupted, getting to her feet, "we deserve to both be able to have some alone time with our Mum." The man narrowed his eyes in annoyance, though the girl merely took a step towards him, reaching out and taking her fathers hand. "Dad . . . please? You can check on her first and make sure she's okay with it. I'll have my wand on me and you can stay in the ward—I swear I'll call for you if there's any trouble . . . Please?"
Rodolphus looked into his daughters eyes, she rarely spoke to him in such a way anymore, begging for something and holding his hand as if there was nothing wrong between them. He reached out slightly, brushing some of the black curls from her face as he looked into her dark eyes.
"Dad . . ." Elara said, breaking the man from his trance.
He let out a breath, giving a small nod.
"Yay!" Reuben cried, making Rodolphus shake himself back to reality slightly as Elara stepped away from him, "Can we go now?"
"Right now?" Rodolphus asked, "Reuben we have to help your sister unpack."
"I can do that later," Elara shrugged.
"No . . ." Rodolphus said, rolling his eyes as he could hear his son groan, "We'll finish unpacking and then I'll check on your mother. If she is okay, and only if she is okay, I'll take you to her."
"Deal," Elara smirked, walking over to her trunk and pulling out a dress to begin to speed up the process.
Rodolphus Lestrange left his children with the promise that he would be back as quickly as possible. He loathed how much his children seemed to love their mother, despite how much she had cried and pained over having them in the first place it seemed inevitable that both of his children loved her regardless, and she them—for the most part. He swept down the corridors, ignoring the few passers by until he finally made his way to the prisoners wing. He no longer needed to check the wards to find out where the mother of his children was; she was always in her room of late. He couldn't help but smirk slightly as the woman's eldest child peered out from his bedroom to see him, the blue haired boy glaring at him fiercely though he entered Nymphadora's room regardless, closing the door straight behind him.
"Really Dora, that pup of yours has a serious temper issue," Rodolphus sighed, turning to look at the woman sprawled on the bed, he rolled his eyes as he walked over to her, "Nymphie, wake up, the children want to see you."
Rodolphus sat on the bed next to her, putting her hand on her shoulder and shaking her gently. He frowned to himself as she didn't stir, shaking her again, "Nymphie . . . Nymphadora . . . Honestly woman," he pulled on her shoulder, pulling her to lay on her back, that's when he realised there was something wrong. Though the woman didn't move her eyes were slightly open, a glistening substance dripped down her chin from her mouth as her chest rose and fell far too quickly. "What the—Nymphadora stop it, I—" his eyes glanced to the side of her bed, there lay a tipped over potion bottle, as he leant forward he could see the remnants of her attempt to brew something, the cauldron and few ingredients left on the floor. He quickly summoned the bottle, bringing it to his nose as he tried to recognise the smell. It took him a few moments to realise what the woman had done.
"You stupid—!" Rodolphus hissed as he pulled out his wand, immediately working to try and save the woman. He tried to revive her, though in his attempts to do so he only managed to make her breathing appear more strained as her hands closed tightly into fists. He pulled her onto his lap, summoning his house elf and yelling at it to get Greer as he pointed his wand at her throat to try and clear her airways. He barely noticed as the door slammed open.
"Get off of her!" Teddy Lupin appeared in the doorway, his wand pointed at the man as he shook in anger, "I've had enough! I won't let you hurt her anymore!"
Rodolphus ignored the boy, managing to clear the woman's airways ever so slightly so that she took a large gasp for air. It was at this exact moment that he let out a yell of discomfort as he was pushed forward by the force of a stunning spell. He reached out to break his fall, ensuring that he didn't fall onto the already struggling Nymphadora, quickly pushing himself off of the bed and turning to face the boy.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Rodolphus snapped.
"Protecting my mother!" Teddy yelled, "You've hurt her enough, stop it! She can't cope! If you want to hurt someone come at me, old man!"
"I do not have time for this, boy," Rodolphus growled, going to move back to the witch currently struggling to breathe though a quick stunner blocked his path. With a yell of outrage he turned to the boy, though he was quickly met by yet another stunner which he barely managed to reflect. The boy instantly engaged him in a duel.
He had clearly improved since the last time the child had attempted such idiotic things, though Rodolphus was far more focused on helping the mother of his children than the boy. He couldn't think of how the children would react if he let the woman die, he was sure they wouldn't blame Teddy Lupin's stupidity for delaying his ability to help her.
"Leave. Her. Alone!" Teddy punctuated each word with another curse, a grin splitting across his features as with a bang and a crash Rodolphus Lestrange hit the opposite wall and fell to the floor.
The boy was panting for breath, his eyes wide as he was unable to process the fact that he had managed to floor the old wizard. It was only as a particularly loud gasp for air penetrated the room that his attention was turned back to his mother.
"Teddy!" Elara's voice called from behind him and he quickly turned to see her.
Elara Lestrange had white hair, her eyes wide as she looked in on the scene, though she was not alone. Delphi stood beside her, her features emotionless as she stared at the metamorphmagus on the bed, her hand resting on the shoulder of little Reuben Lestrange. Teddy didn't recognise the fourth person with them, though he quickly entered the room and went straight to his mother. He didn't fight this time, partly in shock and partly because his sister had ran forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him back as Rodolphus slowly rose from the floor.
"Get out," Rodolphus growled, going over to Nymphadora again.
Reuben looked to his mother in concern, "Father—"
"I'll see you in a moment," Rodolphus dismissed him, "Elara, get him out of here!"
The children were quickly pulled from the room, Delphi following them into the room of Andromeda Tonks as the older woman had lifted Reuben and subsequently made the other children follow her.
"What's going on?" Andromeda demanded of them, putting Reuben down with a wince as she had clearly forgotten he wasn't as light as he used to be. She looked between the children, all of whom were looking between each other in stunned silence. All but Delphini Riddle, who took a deep sigh and walked over to the woman's dresser, leaning on it as she watched the small family. "Well?"
"D-Delphi sensed Greer coming," Elara spluttered, "Father had just gone to see Mum so we were concerned. Delphi and I went to see him to find out what was going on—Reuben followed."
"What's going on with Mum?" Reuben asked.
"H-He said . . ." Elara stuttered.
"He said she was in danger . . ." Delphi said in a disinterested tone, "we assumed Rodolphus had gone a little too far with his games again, but it doesn't appear that way now . . . Unless . . . Teddy, what were you doing in there?"
"I—" Teddy took a deep breath, "None of your business."
Delphi let out a huff of laughter, though Andromeda Tonks grabbed the boy by the front of his robes and forced him to look at her.
"Teddy Remus Lupin," she seethed, "you tell me right now, what were you doing in there?"
"I thought he was hurting Mum!" Teddy yelled back, "I wanted to help her!"
"I-Is Mum okay?" Reuben whimpered, tears threatening to fall from his large dark eyes. The room was silent for a moment, nobody willing to answer the child.
"Delphi . . ." Andromeda eventually broke the silence, "You can take Reuben back out of the wards?"
"Yes," Delphi nodded, ignoring the boy's yell of protest.
"Take Reuben back to his room please?" Andromeda asked as calmly as she could, waiting for another nod to come from the girl.
"No, I want Mum!" Reuben protested.
"You can't right now, go." Andromeda said, turning to her two eldest grandchildren, "you two, I don't care where you go but get out of the way now . . . I'll try and find out what is going on with your mother . . ."
"But—" Teddy began to protest, though his grandmother gave him a look that made him know she was not to be questioned at that moment.
Delphini stepped forward, taking Reuben's hand before she looked to Andromeda, considering her a moment before she sighed "You are quite like Mother when you want to be . . ."
Andromeda stared at the girl for a moment, though said nothing as she left the children and practically ran to her daughter to try and find out what was going on.
