'Sirius has never been on our side, Nymphie.'

'But Auntie Cissy, the newspaper says, that he had been a closeted Death Eater, who has disclosed information about members of the Order whereabouts to the Dark Lord.'

'That is a pile of lies, Nymphie.' Lucius says calmly.

Tonks has apparated to the Malfoy Manor just after Moody had left to the Ministry. Uncle and Auntie were just having breakfast, and they invited their niece to eat together with them.

'Why was he imprisoned, then?' Nymphie inquired, paging through The Daily Prophet.

'I believe a Muggle term for such an occurrence is a "friendly fire".' Lucius explains. 'An occurrence not uncommon during a war aftermath. After the last War, there was a chaos reign within the Ministry and Auror ranks. Long story short, the government could not be sure, who exactly was on its side, and who was a Dark Lord's supporter. The Wizengamot court hall used to be bursting at the seams. The trials were taking place constantly. There were hundreds of suspects, hundreds of witnesses and hundreds of culprits involved with one or other side. Me and your Aunt Bellatrix were one of the few, who were granted an actual hearing. A lot of other people have been sentenced without any trial. Sirius Black had been on their side all the time, but in the Ministry ruled by a mayhem nobody cared about his alliegances. They suspected him, and they sentenced him, without a trial.'

'With all due respect, Uncle.' Tonks says curiously. 'But how can you be sure about that? I know that this Sirius guy had been disowned from the House of Black for being a Blood Traitor, but isn't there any possibility, that he had felt a call of his blood at one point, just like I had, and changed his ways? If the entire Wizengamot had considered him a Death Eater... isn't there a chance, that they had been right?'

It has been a long time since Tonks had felt such a child-like hope.

She wants her assumptions to be true, because if they were true - Sirius' story would have been very relatable and comparable to her own!

Sirius Black, a member of the House of Black, who went astray, but found his way back and started basically working as a spy, surrounded by Aurors and Order's members.

Tonks may have never been led astray, but she had been raised to be a Muggle-loving Blood Traitor. She has found out about her ancestry and chosen her own way. She is currently undercover, surrounded by Aurors and former Order's members.

'I'm sorry to disappoint you, Nymphie.' Lucius says sadly. 'But if Sirius Black had ever been a Death Eater or even a supporter, I would have been a first person to know about it.'

Tonks looks at him.

'Lucius had not only been high-ranked within the Inner Circle, he had been basically a Dark Lord's second-in-command.' Narcissa adds.

Uncle Lucius nods.

'I had been marked at seventeen, and until the War has not been yet full-blown, I served by the Dark Lord's side as a kind of an executor.' he explains. 'I was not only leading the Raids, but also coordinating the lower-ranked Death Eaters, to the point of educating them in Blood Purity Science. Not all of our comrades were highly educated; the majority of them descended from old and wealthy Pure-Blooded houses, however, a part of them consisted of disowned sons and daughters of Blood Traitors.'

Lucius pauses and glances at Tonks; this is a meaningful look.

'When the War had spread out, consuming all our forces and efforts, I was appointed a... well, in a regular army, that would be a rank of a Commander.' Uncle continues, closing his eyes to recall more memories from his golden days. 'I used to know personally each our soldier, I coordinated our actions and advances. Unfortunately, when the sudden defeat crushed us...'

Tonks feels bad for her Uncle. The words becomes obviously hard for him to utter.

'The day we had been defeated, Draco was one-year-old, and Narcissa was alone with him at the Manor.' Lucius finally goes on. 'I was forced to give a false testimony on my trial in front of Wizengamot.'

Tonks feels an ice-cold cramp in her stomach. Everything is now written on Lucius' pale face. The girl knows, that lying in front of Wizengamot about his alliegances for the benefit of baby Draco and Narcissa was the hardest decision he had made in his entire life. Tonks has learned this much, having spent the last two years around him.

'Having been surrounded by this overwhelming chaos I had mentioned, they interrogated me, hmm, let's use a colloquialism: with a lick and a promise. I have been released and came back to Narcissa.'

He sighs.

'All things given, I would have known if anybody named Sirius Black had ever been serving in our ranks. I would have been a witness during his Marking Ceremony. I would have been probably even giving him orders myself. And I am sure I would have paid a special attention such a person, because of his last name itself.' he finishes.

'Nymphie, this is true.' Narcissa adds quietly. 'My Mother used to tell us, me and Bella, stories about Sirius and Regulus. Sirius had renounced our family in every way possible. He ran away to the Potter household at sixteen. He had been best friends with the most prominent Order's members. He had sacrificed the majority of his life before imprisonment to fight against our Lord.'

Well, everything is clear. Tonks' hopes evaporate instantly.

She sighs.

'And I have been hoping that his escape is something groundbreaking.' she mutters, disappointed. ' I figured that maybe it will start a chain reaction, and more of our imprisoned allies start to rebel and make an attempt to escape, following Sirius' example. And now it turns out, that out of all the imprisoned heroes of the last War, nobody had managed to escape - the only person who had, is a person imprisoned accidently.'

'That is true.' Narcissa confirms. 'If only my sister was the one who managed to escape, not my traitorous cousin...'

'Narcissa.' Lucius says softly. 'Sirius Black had always been on their side, so I wouldn't be surprised, if he managed to simply persuade the guards to let him escape. He probably had convinced them about his alliegances, so they agreed to shield him from the Dementors. Bellatrix would never have lowered herself to collaborating with the prison staff.'

Aunt Narcissa nods. She looks at Lucius in affection; they always find a way to comfort each other. Tons has always admired their relationship, based upon mutual respect and genuine love. So much different than the relationship of Ted and Andromeda, full of petty arguments.

She wants to do something to make her Aunt and Uncle proud and happy.

'The priority for the Aurors all over the country will now be to capture this man.' Tonks says eagerly. 'Maybe I will volunteer myself to this task. If Sirius Black had truly been on their side the whole time, they are going to learn the truth and acquit him. However, I could make sure that a small... accident happens during the capture. I could make sure that he ends up either dead, or Kissed.'

Narcissa looks at her niece in concern.

'That would be something... spectacular, Nymphie, but I am afraid it would be also far too risky.'

'You are almost done with school.' Lucius adds. 'It would be unwise to risk expulsion and trouble from Moody at this point, only to capture and punish one man.'

'Besides, I doubt anyone would let an undertrained and not fully qualified Auror to participate in such a mission.' Narcissa says.

Tonks sighs again. Blood of Blacks is boiling in her veins, but her Aunt and Uncle are experienced, reasonable people. The girl knows deep down inside, that they are absolutely right.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nevertheless, a couple of months later, Tonks gets involved in the case of Sirius Black. Accidentally.

She observes Moody, walking around unnerved and disconcerted, because Sirius Black had been seen somewhere near Hogwarts.

The entire Auror Office has been set on its feet.

Tonks sits on a bench, watching her mentor pacing around and gathering all the stuff he might need during the search for Black. Being suddenly summoned and having a little time, he cannot find his leather coat, which doesn't respond to the summoning charm.

Tonks learns a couple of new swearwords, as Moody speaks his mind about the freshmen pranksters, who had stolen his coat and hidden it.

Eventually, he floos himself to the Ministry dressed just in his shirt.

Tonks smiles and mutters ''finally", as she runs outside of the school grounds to disapparate.

An unusual commotion reigns over in the Malfoy Manor.

Uncle Lucius paces around, apparently preparing to leave - just like Moody a couple of minutes before.

Moreover, just like Moody, Lucius seems unnerved and outraged.

'Uncle Lucius?' Tonks says timidly, drawing his attention to herself.

Lucius only now notices the girl.

'Uncle Lucius, Sirius Black had been seen next to the Hogwarts school grounds.' Tonks says sheepishly. She doesn't want to bother an already irritated Uncle, but this piece of information is too important not to share it. 'Moody has just left to the Ministry. He and the entire Auror Office had been summoned.'

Lucius takes his cane-wand from a shelf.

'Nymphie, thank you for passing the news on to me, I always appreciate it. However, I do not have time right now to deal with Sirius Black. Draco has been seriously injured.'

Tonks feels an ice-cold cramp in her stomach.

She got used to think about the blonde boy as about her little brother. News about him being injured cause her to freeze.

'Draco...? Why? How? Is he alright now?' she asks, stunned.

'A hippogriff.' Lucius says shortly. 'This beast has ploughed Draco's arm with its claws. He has a three-inches deep wound and shattered muscle tissue. He was lucky, that his bone is unscratched. I'm heading to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures to have the oaf interrogated.'

'The oaf?' Tonks asks in confusion.

'A half-giant, gamekeeper, who had apparently been appointed a Care for Magical Creatures Professor.' Lucius answers with disgust. 'He was holding the class, when my son was attacked.'

'Hagrid!' Tonks explains in utter shock. 'But how could he became a Professor? He has no qualifications to teach whatsoever!'

'This is the point.' Lucius answers. 'He has no idea how to organize a class. He let the children deal with this beast, not even thinking about the potential danger. I must convince the Board of Governors to replace him with a fully qualified teacher, and I must insist of have this aggressive Hippogriff killed. It is dangerous.'

'You're right.' Tonks answers, and a wild idea appears in her mind. 'Uncle Lucius, let me go with you. I can help you with this case, and if we play it right, we can kill two birds with one stone. Black is somewhere near Hogwarts, so we could investigate his case, using the opportunity.'

Lucius looks at his niece, considering her idea.

'Not today, Nymphie.' he decides finally. 'I'm not even sure if I will even have to go to Hogwarts. Draco is in capable hands of Madam Pomfrey and we hope, that the oaf is going to turn up on the interrogation without any coercion. I hope to be heading straight to the Ministry, to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. However, if I manage to sentence the hippogriff, I will have to appear at Hogwarts eventually. Then, if you wish, you can accompany me.'

Tonks nods eagerly.

'Thank you, Uncle. Good luck during the trial. Please, restore the justice for Draco.'

Lucius nods curtly at her. He takes a handful of the floo powder and gets inside of the fireplace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After drinking a cup of tea with Narcissa, Tonks returns to the school. Not surprisingly, Moody and other instructors are still away on their quest to find Black.

Tonks feels miserable and helpless.

She changes her appearance into a middle-aged woman and sneaks out of school again, heading to the town.

She buys a cardboard box full of assorted candy and hires a huge Eurasian eagle-owl to send it to Draco. She encloses a note with a wish to get well soon.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Over the next couple of weeks, all of the qualified Aurors are still occupied with the assingment to find and capture Sirius Black.

Being unsuccessful for such a long time, Moody is not the most pleasant person to be around. He is not an exception though, each Auror instructor seem to be constantly irritated.

All the classes are suspended. Students have plenty of time for what their mentors call a "self-study".

Of course, Tonks' "self-study" takes place in the Malfoy Manor.

Lucius- unlike Moody - is much more composed now, when Draco's arm has been completely healed, and the case of the aggressive hippogriff and the irresponsible "Professor" is in the process.

Tonks' mood is lifted up, when one day her Uncle brings home even better news.

'The aggressive hippogriff has been sentenced to death.' he says. 'I have finally managed to convince the Commission. Layoff of the gamekeeper from the post of a teacher is only the matter of time. The execution takes place tomorrow at the sunset. Just like I promised, Nymphie; if you still want to investigate the Black's case, you may go to Hogwarts along with the members of the Commission, but necessarily under a guise. '

'I'd be glad, Uncle.' the girl says eagerly. 'Will you be also be participating in the execution?'

'No, a good friend of mine, Walden Macnair, is going to represent me.' Lucius answers. 'You will be under Macnair's care. He is a trustworthy man, during the War he used to be one of my subordinates.'

Tonks meets Walden Macnair the following day, when he turns up in the Malfoy Manor to pick Tonks up and take her along to Hogwarts.

Macnair is a tall, middle-aged man with longish, dark-grey hair and a thin face. His eyes are bright and his handshake is firm. He introduces himself to Tonks politely; he must know that the girl is Lucius' niece.

'Walden, you are earlier than I expected.' Lucius steps into the floo area and offers his hand to Macnair to shake.

'I am, because we have a small problem, Lucius.' Walden answers. 'Fudge is going to Hogwarts as well.'

Lucius frowns.

'Fudge? Why would he want to go?'

'They have arranged this, well... appeal.' Walden explains. 'Fudge is supposed to be present as a witness. Nevertheless, everybody is sure that the hippogriff is going to be executed. After all, they appointed me to attend the appeal as an executioner.'

Lucius sighs.

'Why are those people make so much fuss about one hippogriff? The dangerous beast is unpredictable, it goes around and hurts our children. And they still need so many court cases to sentence it to death?'

'I also think it's ridiculous, Lucius, but keep in mind that it's Dumbledore who defends the oaf.' Macnair notices. 'He ruffles and makes everything and makes a mountain out of a molehill, just to force through his ridiculous ideas.'

Lucius' eyes twinkle.

'I sincerely hope that Dumbledore's reign is soon going to come to an end.'

Tonks turns towards Macnair and notices an identical twinkle in his dark eyes.

'No need to tell me, Commander.' he says quietly. ' No need to tell me.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tonks follows Macnair along the courtyard leading from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts.

'Won't they pick on you when you turn up on the execution uninvited, young lady?' Walden asks.

'Oh, don't worry.' Tonks smiles. 'Check it out.'

Macnair watches with wide eyes, as Tonks shrinks a few inches, slouches, her pink hair turn silver, and her youthful face becomes wrinkled and elderly.

'One of your co-workers from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.' she explains in a low voice of an old man. 'Uncle Lucius gave me the photograph.'

'Metamorphomagus?' Macnair asks with admiration in his voice.

'Yes.' Tonks beams. 'I only don't know if my outfit is not going to cause suspicions. Can I go in this clothing, or should I change into a suit?'

Walden eyes her, thinking upon this.

'During the work in the Ministry, we are supposed to wear suits.' he answers eventually. 'Now however, you're not in the office. You are working on the ground, so I think your leather coat is appropriate.'

Tonks nods. They are reaching the edge of Hogwarts' school grounds, where they are joined by Cornelius Fudge.

Tonks finds herself so close to the Minister of Magic for the first time. Fudge is a short, grey-haired man without any distinguish features. He looks more like a Muggle politician than like the leader of the Wizarding Britain.

They head to the Hagrid's hut, which Tonks remembers from her school days.

Fudge knocks and they step in.

Several unpleasant surprises wait for them inside.

Firstly, the host of the cottage - "Professor" Hagrid - is drunk, or, more accurately, wasted.

How could he become a teacher again? Tonks thinks.

Secondly, the interior of Hagrid's hut is incredibly messy and reeks of alcohol, dirty laundry and dog's saliva.

Thirdly, apart from Hagrid himself, one more person sits on a chair in the cottage - no other than Albus Dumbledore.

Tonks notices Macnair flinching in disgust and anger. Nobody has expected Dumbledore here.

Tonks puts up the strongest Occlumency shields around her mind; she cannot allow the old coot to recognize her.

The "appeal" begins and Tonks watches herself not to slip a word. Macnair also sits quietly. Hagrid might have spoken, if not for his obvious blood alcohol content. Fudge and Dumbledore are the only ones to hold a pointless, ridiculous discussion.

After a couple of minutes, Tonks is unable to control herself anymore. She boils inside from listening to Dumbledore's whines and pleads to save the hippogriff.

'Gentlemen, I don't think there is anything more to discuss. This animal had severely injured a boy, therefore, using simple common sense, it should be prevented from harming more children. I cannot see anything immoral or unethical in painlessly putting a dangerous animal down. What else is there to debate about?' the girl says in low, hoarse voice.

Everybody go silent.

For a split second, Tonks crosses eyes with Dumbledore.

Light-blue, twinkling eyes seem to drill into her mind. She feels a familiar tingle of a Legilimency attempt.

Dumbledore withdraws and lowers his gaze, having encountered Tonks' shields.

The girl raises her eyebrows.

'The Commission's representative is right.' Fudge says eagerly. 'Let's go, Macnair, Dumbledore. It's time to execute this aggressive creature.'

Tonks sighs internally with a relief.

Walden takes an axe from the cottage as they step outside.

'Hagrid, where is the hippogriff?' Fudge asks harshly.

'The'e, in the pumkin' patch.' Hagrid mutters and stumbles out from the cottage.

Tonks turns around. The pumpkin patch is empty. The hippogriff is nowhere to be seen.

'Damn.' Macnair snaps and approaches the dowel, where the animal had been tethered with a halter. The halter is loose.

'The damned oaf had set the beast free!' Walden yells, pointing his index finger accusingly towards Hagrid.

Dumbledore opens his mouth to reply, but Tonks speaks first, putting her wrinkled hand on Macnair's shoulder.

'Our duty is to find and execute the hippogriff.' she says in an opinionated tone. 'Macnair, follow me.'

Before Fudge or Dumbledore have a chance to react, Tonks and Walden head together towards the Forbidden Forest.

'I would leave this damned hippogriff to fuck itself.' Macnair mutters towards Tonks. 'It's not our fault that the oaf had sabotaged the lawful sentence. Are we now going to run around the Forest, looking for this bloody beast?'

'Actually, my priority is to find Sirius Black.' the girl replies. 'Of course, Uncle Lucius would also be grateful if we managed to find and decapitate this animal. We have a chance to hit two birds with one stone. I suggest to split up and search through the forest.'

Walden nods and they take two different directions, heading towards two different parts of the Forbidden Forest.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tonks returns to her original form, which is much easier to coordinate while wandering around the forest.

The sun is already below the horizon line and it gets dark. Tonks lights her wand up and holds it outstretched.

She remembers the excursions to the Forbidden Forest from her mischievous days as a Hogwarts student. Those memories are somewhat nostalgic, but recalling how innocent, oblivious and manipulated she used o be, brings her also an onrush of embarrassment.

Now, all grown-up, she paces the Forest not as an adolescent form of rebellion against the school rules. She hunts down a man, who had betrayed her family and renounced his own blood.

She loses the track of time, walking around the huge, unpleasant area. She starts to develop some second thoughts about her idea. How can she even be sure, that either Sirius Black or the hippogriff are hiding away in the Forest...?

Suddenly, she stumbles upon a clearing, on an edge of a huge water body.

She realizes, that she has reached the Black Lake, approaching it from the side of the Forest. She has never seen this side of the lake before.

Full moon illuminates the clearing. Its silver light reflects in the dark water surface.

Tonks puts the light of her wand down.

Suddenly, she hears muffled growling and a silhouette appears at the shore.

A huge, black dog.

Tonks narrows her eyes and takes a step forward to see better.

The dog lies down on the ground by the lake and... transfigures itself into a human being.

A tall, scruffy-looking man with wavy dark hair, dressed in a striped prison uniform.

Tonks gasps. Internally, she is screaming in satisfaction.

She cannot believe her own luck: she has just found Sirius Black.

The girl steps forward from the bushes and runs towards the man. He is motionless and breaths heavily; he looks sick or injured.

Suddenly, something unexpected happens that forces Tonks to freeze on her spot.

Another person jumps from the Forest and runs towards Sirius.

A short, dark-haired teenage boy. A Hogwarts student...?

Tonks watches in utter shock, as the boy kneels down beside the man and shakes his shoulders, whispering something to his ear. He clearly has some affection for him.

Tonks is grossed out. Is Sirius Black, in addition to being a Black Traitor, also a child predator...?

Tonks is unsure what to do. She is so close to capturing the rotten apple of her family, but the boy stands in her way. She has no intention of harming a random student; not only is it pointless, but is also going to cause a huge investigation within Hogwarts.

However, if she doesn't get rid of the boy, she cannot reveal herself. She is not supposed to be there and she must act unseen by anybody.

She briefly considers changing her appearance and turning into Moody, but she quickly abandons the idea. Moody's unexpected presence at Hogwarts grounds is going to cause even more suspicions from Dumbledore and the school staff. Not to mention the wrath of Moody himself when he finds out about his apprentice's actions.

Suddenly, Tonks hits upon a bold idea.

Why deal with the traitor herself, when she can just ask his former guards for help...?

Dementors are going to be more than happy, getting back their run-away prisoner. They are going to be so delighted, that maybe they even decide to Kiss him.

Tonks is on a sufficient distant from the castle to be outside of its protective wards. She apparates straight to Hogsmeade.

She remembers the announcement board placed all over the village, advising all the inhabitants to stay at home during the nighttime, due to the Dementor patrols. Tonks is positive to find plenty of the gloomy, disgusting creatures in Hogsmeade.

She is not mistaken. As soon as she steps inside of the village, the first what she sees is a few dozens of Dementors, floating along the streets. Their presence brings despair, misery and overwhelming coldness.

Tonks focuses on her first memory of practicing Dark Arts with Uncle Lucius. The feeling of unlimited, amazing power she had never felt before.

'Expecto Patronum.' she whispers, and a silvery silhouette of a jack rabbit appears from the end of her wand.

Conjuring a Patronus was a part of the entrance exam to the Auror School. Tonks' Patronus, jack rabbit, is a honor of the memory of her first childhood familiar.

The small rabbit radiates a pleasant warmth and shields the girl from the effects of the Dementors' presence. She steps forward confidently, drawing attention of the disgusting creatures.

Tonks is the only person in the otherwise empty streets of the village. Dementors gather around their potential pray, not daring to come too close due to the protective presence of the rabbit.

'Come to me, all of you, stinky bastards!' Tonks yells, attracting more Dementors.

As soon as a large crowd focuses around the girl, she turns back and sprints towards the Forbidden Forrest. The hungry bunch of Dementors follow her, like a bunch of cats would follow a mouse.

Tonks runs, jumping over the tree roots and fallen branches. She leads the nasty creatures straight to the Black Lake, using a shortest way possible. The rabbit Patronus floats by her side.

For the first time, the girl is genuinely grateful for Moody's military drill she had been subjected to. Running countless loops around the training field has finally paid off. Tonks isn't out of breath, her legs muscles aren't aching.

Finally, they reach the spot Tonks had apparated from earlier.

Sirius Black still lies on the shore, apparently seriously injured. The dark-haired boy still unsuccessfully tries to shake him back to consciousness.

Tonks turns back, seeing the writhing, black vortex of Dementors.

She pulls her wand out and silently orders the silvery rabbit to encircle the nasty creatures and chase them away from the girl, directing the bunch of them towards the two men at the Lake shore.

The small Patronus floats behind the Demenors like a shepherd dog behind its sheep.

The nasty creatures one by one flow into the clearing and float above the water surface towards Sirius and the boy.

Tonks watches the vortex encircling them. She sees the boy drawing his wand and desperately trying to conjure a Patronus, but he is obviously no much for this number of hungry creatures.

Tonks hears her hearts pounding, as she watches one of the Dementors squeezing its boney fingers on Sirius Black's shoulders and taking its hood off...

Suddenly, another silvery silhouette appears out of nowhere on the other side of the Lake and rushes towards the Dementors.

A Patronus, much bigger than Tonks' rabbit. A huge animal - a deer or a stag. Who had conjured it...?

Tonks watches helplessly as the stag chases the Dementors away from Sirius Black and the boy. The nasty creatures retreat, the huge vortex of them floats back...

...straight towards Tonks.

The girl desperately waves her wand to summon her rabbit back, but it is already too late. She sees a huge bunch of Dementors encircling her in a fast pace. They are so close, that Tonks can already feel their foul-smelling breaths and sense the freezing coldness all over her body.

Holy fuck.