Tonks strokes gently her slightly round abdomen, wrapped tightly in a light-blue fabric of a classy dress robe.
'Tonks, is it...is it really mine?'
Remus Lupin asks quietly.
'Yes, it is. Whose else could it be?' Tonks answers, trying to sound reassuring.
Lupin flushes slightly.
'But, Tonks, we've never...' he starts awkwardly, turning progressively more crimson. 'I mean, we have, once, but I couldn't even...'
He cuts the embarrassing explanation out, apparently to ashamed to even think about it.
'But, you're one hundred percent sure, that it's my baby? My cub?' he asks with a hope in his voice, lifting his eyes at her.
'Remus, it's the beginning of second trimester. Do your math.' she says in an opinionated voice.
Remus' eyes light up.
'That means, it is my cub! It really is!'
Tonks smirks internally, continuously stroking Fenrir's unborn baby. It had cost her much persistence and self-sacrifice, to have an intercourse with Lupin exactly in matching time to convince him of being a Father.
Of course, Lupin didn't know about a shit tone of contraceptive spells she had casted on herself beforehand. None of which was necessary, by the way, because Lupin didn't... make it.
Lupin extends his hand to touch Tonks' belly, but the girl jumps back instantly.
'Remus, we are wedding guests. Couldn't you behave with some dignity? Look, everybody is staring at us.' she hisses.
In fact, there are way too many Wizards and Witches around to feel comfortable. All of them wearing smart outfits and holding drinks, walking in and out of a large, white wedding tent .
Almost half of the guests consist of Weasley extended family. They are easily recognizable by their ginger hair and freckles.
One of those "Weasleys" in reality is no other than Harry Potter under a guise. Tonks attended the wedding party only due to an assingment to locate the boy.
When Thorfinn arrives, Tonks will be ready to pass information on to him and step into action.
It is only a matter of minutes now.
Tonks focuses her eyes again on her fake "partner", who now seems upset and disconcerted for some reason.
The girl frowns.
'Remus? What's the matter?'
Lupin looks down at her apologetically.
'Tonks... Please, don't get me wrong... I love you, and our unborn child, but...'
Tonks' eyes brighten. Such a start seems promising.
'But... I...'
'Remus, spit it out.' Tonks says in curious voice. 'I won't get mad, I promise.'
'I, I've harmed you. Both of you. I've destined both you and the baby to be outcasts.' he says very fast and very awkwardly.
Tonks frowns.
'Tonks, I don't know... I shouldn't have been so reckless... I...' she goes on. 'I think, you will be, uh, better off without me.'
Tonks gasps, struggling to believe in her own luck. That is going to make things so much easier!
'Remus, do I get it right? You're dumping me, aren't you?'
Lupin turns crimson again.
'I know I'm being an asshole, I know what it looks like... It looks like I run away from Fatherhood... But, please, Tonks, try to understand...' he mutters without sense, not daring to look Tonks in the eyes.
Tonks feels a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. She and Fenrir have been planning on how to get rid of Lupin for weeks now, even though their plans were rather aimed at a more stabilized period of the war, when Tonks' engagement as a spy won't longer be necessary. Lupin has just made everything unbelievably easier, and- concerning Tonks' pregnancy- soon she won't be partaking in the war effort anyway.
'Remus, you're right.' Tonks says.
Lupin lifts his eyes at her, apparently thinking he's misheard.
'E-excuse me?'
'You're right. We both will be better off without each other.' she says firmly.
'Tonks...' Lupin says with an immense relief.
Suddenly, a silvery silhouette appears in the sky, and gracefully descends right in the middle of the partying wedding guests.
A Patronus, in a shape of a lynx, opens its mouth and speaks in the low voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt:
'The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.'
Tonks smirks when the commotion starts. The guests hastily grab their belongings and start dissaparating. Lupin runs towards the Burrow and starts casting some ridiculous shielding charms.
Old Kingsley has done a brilliant job for Tonks, causing this commotion. As soon as the huge, bleached-haired Death Eater apparates by her side a couple of seconds later, nobody pays attention to her grabbing him by the arm and indicating a chubby, red-haired boy inside of the wedding tent.
'That's him.' she says.
Thorfinn nods and runs forward to disguised Potter ...
...and suddenly, her vision gets blurry. She feels a strong pull, a "whoosh" in her ears, and, before she knows it, she finds herself in a lair, surrounded by countless soft, thick furs.
'Fenrir!' she exclaims, half-annoyed, half-amused.
Fenrir is by her side. He holds her hand, and exposes his sharp teeth in a grin.
'You did your job. If you stayed there, you would have jumped into the fight, and that is something I will not allow.'
'You could at least warn me, before side-along apparating me from there!'
'Then you would have started arguing me, that you'd like to stay there and fight. I know you too well, my Nymphette. You've already recklessly participated in this whole ridiculous Seven Potter's endeavor, but that's it.' Fenrir smiles.
'Thorfinn and the others will handle Potter.' he adds in a reassuring voice. 'And you really should take it easy from now on. It's already the second trimester. No more running, fighting and other dangerous activities.'
Fenrir takes one of the warm animal furs and gently wraps the girl in it. He leans forward, to put his cheek on her round abdomen.
'We must take care of our cub, now only that matters. Consider yourself a retired veteran.' he murmurs quietly.
Tonks hugs his shaggy head breathing in his intoxicating fragrance. She lies herself down among the soft furs.
'Get some sleep, Nymphie.'
He does not have to repeat it twice; the pleasant warmth quickly spreads out within the girl's body, putting her to sleep.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Tonks is sweating like crazy. Her breath is short and shallow.
Cramps in her abdomen area are getting unbearable.
She lies in the den covered by thick furs, which help her cope with the cold chills.
She sees through half closed-eyes, that Fenrir leans over towards her, and embraces her trembling body, trying to lift her as gently as possible.
'Fenrir... no... I...won't ...survive...Apparition...!' she gasps out, looking in his bright blue eyes pleadingly.
'There is no way you are going to give birth here in the lair, Nymphie.' Fenrir says softly. 'It's too much of a risk. This place is not sterile, hell, it's not even clean. There's blood and dirt all over the place, I don't have clean towels or any clean bucket for hot water. And most importantly, I'm afraid I can't deliver a baby. I'm taking you to the Malfoy Manor.'
'Fenrir, the journey...' Tonks groans. 'You ...cannot side-along apparate... me in my state...'
'Don't worry.' Fenrir says in a reassuring voice and grins. 'I can do it pretty tenderly. You won't even feel a thing, I promise.'
Tonks closes her eyes and nods. She squeezes her fingers on Fenrir's neck, anticipating a strong jerk and familiar nausea-inducing feeling of side along-apparition, but nothing of those happened.
She opens her eyes and sees the entrance hall of the Malfoy Manor. Fenrir carries her quickly, but tenderly, along the corridor.
Tonks expects him to carry her to a makeshift infirmary, which was arranged in the Manor as soon as the place had became the Headquarters.
However, much to her surprise, the Werewolf takes her up the stairs, following the familiar way to Aunt Bellatrix' private rooms.
A horrible cramp grabs Tonks bowels and she cowers in Fenrir's arms, a cry of pain escaping her lips.
After a short while she feels through the immense pain being laid down on a soft bed, right next to another person.
She opens her eyes; Fenrir leans over her with a concerned face. She turns her head and sees Aunt Bellatrix, in her silky pajamas, very pale and drenched in sweat, clearly enduring unbelievable pain.
Auntie turns her exhausted, watery eyes towards her niece.
'Nymphie... How charming, that our kids will share the same date of birth, isn't it?' she speaks with obvious effort, but her white lips curl up in a weak smile.
Tonks tightens her eyes to fight off the pain, but she extends her arm, searching for her Aunt's hand.
She finds it and squeezes it tightly, not letting any more cries of pain escape.
She opens her eyes, intending to ask Fenrir for a glass of water, but she notices that the Werewolf is gone. He comes back after a few seconds with Aunt Narcissa and Moppy, a female house elf.
'No, no, no, I'm not letting any house elves deliver the babies of my family members!' Narcissa speaks in an opinionated voice. Only now Tonks notices that Aunt is dressed in a white, medical gown, and her hair is pinned up tightly on the top of her head.
'Moppy, you may bring me a bucket of hot water, a vial of sanitizer potion and as many clean, white towels as you can. Afterwards, you are dismissed.' she says to the hose elf. Moppy dissaparates with a soft pop.
A painful cramp squeezes Tonks' abdomen again. She arches her back and clenches her teeth. Unwanted tears fall down her cheeks...
'I'm really sorry, Fenrir, but I must ask you to leave.' Narcissa says firmly and takes the Werewolf by his elbow, turning him gently towards the door.
'Yes, lady Malfoy.' Fenrir mutters reluctantly and steps out, shooting Tonks a last, worried look.
Aunt Narcissa closes the door behind him. Moppy appears back, holding a bucket and a pile of white towels. She leaves all the supplies on Bella's bedside cabinet and leaves.
At this point, Tonks is unable to keep her eyes open. The pain she experiences is too strong, too overwhelming. She focuses on holding Bella's warm hand, and lets Narcissa handle the rest...
She feels- somehow beyond her own consciousness- being washed, and a warm towel being put underneath her backside. The cramps become more frequent...
'Nymphie.' Bella says in a hoarse voice. 'You're handling it like a true Pure-Blooded Witch...oh!'
Her voice breaks, and her handgrip gets tighter.
'Bella, it starts.' Narcissa says shortly. 'Save your breath and push.'
Bella doesn't scream. Tonks can only hear her irregular breathing, and feels her sweaty hand in her hand.
'D-does it hurt even worse?' Tonks asks in a weak voice and opens her eyes with an effort.
She sees her Aunt's face, winced in suffering, but with a small amused smile on her lips.
'Don't tell me, Nymphie, that you're scared? I won't believe that you're scared of anything.'
'Bella, Nymphie, it would run a lot more smoothly, if you both just stop talking.' Narcissa says firmly.
Tonks briefly catches her younger Aunt's face, focused and covered with drops of sweat.
'Uh...!' Nymphie gasps out, experiencing the strongest cramp so far.
'Damn it.' Narcissa hisses. Tonks realizes, that she hears her swearing for the first time. 'Nymphie, push.'
Tonks closes her eyes and clenches her teeth, pushing.
After a couple of minutes of constant cramps, she hears Bella's breath stabilizing and her handgrip relaxing...
'It's over, Bella.' Narcissa says. 'It's a girl.'
Tonks opens her eyes and catches a glimpse of Aunt Narcissa holding a baby in blood-covered hands. The baby starts crying, as she hands it over to Bella...
Aunt Bella lets go of Tonks' hand, to take her baby into her arms. Tonks notices her smiling face and tears running down her cheeks.
'Delphini... My precious, beautiful Delphini...' she whispers.
And then, suddenly...
'Uh!'
'Push, Nymphie, you're almost done!' Narcissa encourages, washing her hands hastily in the hot water.
Nymphie braces all of her strength to push one final time.
She sees Narcissa extending her hands...
And the room is finally filled with a cry of the second baby.
'Congratulations, Nymphie.' Narcissa says softly, handing the child over to the girl. 'It's a boy.'
Tonks' hands are shaking, when she stretches them over to take the baby boy from Narcissa's hands.
The boy is soft, defenseless, vulnerable. Beautiful.
He opens his eyes, light- blue with silvery rings on each iris and horizontal pupils. Fenrir's eyes.
'Lycan.' Tonks whispers, touched to the core. 'Lycan...'
'Diffendo.' Narcissa utters quietly, cutting Bella's navel string, and then repeats the same with Tonks.
Then, Lady Malfoy falls exhausted on the armchair. She looks exactly like a person, who has just delivered two babies at the same time.
She grabs her wand with her blood-covered hand and waves it at the door, opening it.
Fenrir sticks his shaggy head into the room.
'Lady Malfoy, may I...?' he asks sheepishly. His blue eyes brighten, when he sees Tonks sitting on the huge bed next to Bella, both with their babies in their arms.
'Go ahead. It's over.' Narcissa answers in a weak voice.
Fenrir soundlessly approaches the bed and Tonks hands baby Lycan over to him.
'My son, my Lycan...' the Werewolf mutters. Lycan has already stopped crying, now he relaxes in his Father's arms...
Fenrir holds him tenderly like a sacred relic, and lifts him up, sniffing his tiny body.
Apparently feeling a desirable fragrance, Fenrir hugs Lycan, and his blue eyes light up even brighter.
'Inborn Lycantrophy!' he exclaims, his voice swelled with joy. 'Nymphie, our son is a born Werewolf!'
Tonks smiles weakly, admiring Fenrir's wild, pure happiness.
'When will you know if he inherited also the Metamorphomagus abilities?' Bella asks, cuddling Delphini gently to her chest.
'In a couple of months.' Nymphie explains, and takes a look at her new baby niece.
Delphi is considerably smaller than Lycan and her skin tone is a couple of shades lighter. Her thick, white hair buds indicates her having gorgeous, blonde hair in the future.
Tonks and Bella gasp simultaneously, when the baby girl opens her eyes.
Delphi's eyes are huge and crimson like venous blood, with bright scarlet rings around each pupil.
'Sweet Salazar, you've got your Father's eyes.' Bella whispers and cuddles Delphi's head.
'Fenrir, use the clean water from the bucket.' Narcissa says in a tired voice; Delphi turns her head towards her mate and sees Fenrir licking the blood layer off Lycan's skin.
'It's alright, Auntie Cissy.' Tonks reassures her Aunt. 'A Werewolf cub is much better off, if it's licked by one of its parent after the childbirth. Werewolf's saliva contains some beneficial substances and provides a protective layer for the cub.'
Suddenly, the door opens and Lord Voldemort, calm and intimidating, steps into the room.
Tonks automatically attempts to jump off the bed and fall on her knees, but the Dark Lord raises his pale hand and speaks quickly:
'Remain lying, both of you. And you, Narcissa, remain seated.'
Tonks relaxes on the bed and watches Voldemort coming forward to Bellatrix and his baby daughter.
Bella extends Delphi, handing her over to him.
'Your daughter, my Lord.' she whispers, her voice swollen with affection. 'She... she has your eyes, exactly the same.'
An amazing, extraordinary sight makes Tonks' eyes go watery. The Dark Lord holds his baby daughter tenderly. A deep affection can be seen in his crimson eyes when he looks down at her.
He starts hissing softly and rhythmically; Tonks recognizes Parseltongue, but it sounds almost like a parsel lullaby. Delphi instantly relaxes in her Father's arms and closes her amazing eyes, falling asleep.
'If Parseltongue helps her to relax, she must have inherited the ability.' Voldemort speaks quietly, not to wake the girl up. He tenderly passes her back to her Mother's arms.
'I thought that not inheriting the ability to speak Parseltongue was out of the question, my Lord.' Bella answers, whispering.
'The ability was most likely to be inherited by her, but now I have the certainty.' Voldemort explains softly. 'Bella, relax now, try to get some sleep. I will check on you later.'
The Dark Lord is about to leave, but he turns towards Fenrir and baby Lycan.
'Congratulations, Nymphadora, Fenrir.' he says, nodding curtly. 'What is the boy's name?'
'Lycan Greyback, my Lord.' Fenrir answers proudly.
'It's wonderful that our son and your daughter are born on the same day, my Lord.' Tonks adds.
'Indeed. I believe that both children will grow up to be extraordinary.' Voldemort answers and steps out of the room.
Fenrir tenderly puts Lycan on Tonks' lap. The girl carefully places the baby on the soft bed, between herself and Aunt Bella.
Bella lays sleeping Delphi next to Lycan. A fragile girl with white hair buds and pink skin, beside a boy with darkish skin and more weight to him. Both women take some time to silently admire their children.
'Auntie Bella, they undoubtedly will grow up to be extraordinary.' Tonks whispers. 'But I believe that they already are extraordinary. They are miracles.'
'They are miracles.' Bella repeats quietly.