So sorry it's been a month since I've updated this story but as any of you who follow my story The Purple Black know I have been mainly focusing on that for now. There is only one chapter left to be loaded for this story (which is a prologue) so please do enjoy and as always reviews are love. If you're looking for more stuff to read however I have only just today loaded a oneshot Bellatrix and Dora torture fic (as I previously mentioned I may when writing the torturey chapter to this fic) and there is much more on my profile involving all main characters in this fic (apart from Mariead, she's a one off).
Thank you for following and enjoy.
Remus Lupin steadied himself as he landed outside of the boundaries of the Tonks residence. The small child in his arms was shaking with tears, gripping onto the mans cloak.
"It's okay . . . Your parents are waiting for you inside." Remus manoeuvred the girl in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck.
"Mummy and Daddy are okay . . .?" She sniffled, looking up slightly through strands of her mousey brown hair.
"They're fine, Nymphadora." He sighed.
The girl shivered as she heard her name, too used to her Aunt teasing her with it followed by an onslaught of pain "Not Nymphadora, just Tonks."
Before Remus could open his mouth to reply again he heard the doors to the house slam open. He couldn't help but jump slightly as Andromeda Tonks ran from the doorway, heading straight for the man currently holding her daughter. The stress and lack of sleep however had made her look more like her sister than usual. Remus hesitated slightly before he moved towards the witch but to his relief the little girl in his arms didn't hesitate to yell for her mother the second she saw him.
She cried, a mixture of the pain of her injuries, her pure exhaustion and the relief of seeing her mother again as Andromeda took the girl from his arms. She fell to the ground with the girl in her lap, kissing her head and hugging her as tightly as she dared.
"I'm so sorry beautiful. Mummy's here now . . ." Andromeda kissed the girls head repeatedly as she brushed the hair out of the little girls face.
Remus Lupin had never seen Andromeda break her usual pure blooded mask of emotionlessness, well not unless she had a reason to unleash her infamous Black anger, before this incident had occurred. He could hardly blame her.
He swallowed nervously as Black eyes looked up at him from between the mess of her daughters hair. She gently lifted the girl off the ground as she carried her back towards the house where her father was smiling through tears in the doorway.
Tonks was slipping in and out of consciousness with the pain of her injuries, something that Dumbledore was quick to pick up on. Lily ran over to Remus as she spotted him.
"Where in the hell are James and Sirius?" Lily Potter demanded.
"Lily, they're on their way, I-" he paused as he heard the crack behind him, followed by the scuffle of James and Sirius fighting.
"Leave me alone, James!" Sirius Black yelled at his good friend, the rage apparent on his face.
"Padfoot!" James tried to yell in reassurance.
Dumbledore looked to the two young men, making eye contact with young Sirius Black. With a nod from Albus Dumbledore Sirius dissapparated. Lily ran up to James, trying to find out what had happened but with a shake of his head he refused to talk about it, instead hugging his young wife.
It was at that point that Remus heard McGonagal talk again, he made his way into the living room where the witch was crouched over the limp form of Nymphadora Tonks.
"We need to get her to St. Mungoes." Minerva straightened her back, with a flick of her wand she floated the young girl in the air, gently placing her hand on her small bruised one.
Ted placed his arm around his wife, ready to disapparate before she shook him off, staring straight at Remus.
"You go, I'll meet you." it was hard to forget the womans relations as she stared down Remus Lupin.
"Dromeda, dear-"
"Just go, Ted. Stop wasting time."
Minerva dissapparated with the girl before with a sigh Ted quickly followed.
The silence in the room was almost unbearable as Andromeda Tonks studied the man for a few moments before she finally decided to break the silence.
"Did you see my sister?" the new found pure hatred for the woman was clear in her voice.
"Yes . . . She let us go . . ." Remus tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke.
"She must have wanted something." Dromeda was speaking through her teeth at this point, the fury bubbling beneath the surface "what did she say to you?"
Remus shuffled nervously on the spot "Andromeda I-"
"What did she say?" he could tell what little patience the witch had left was slowly faltering.
"She said that she had some 'special markings' on her back that you'd have fun getting rid of . . . that she'd be back . . . because you had lessons to learn." Remus spoke hesitantly as he watched Andromedas mask never falter.
With one last nod and deep breath Andromeda Tonks Née Black "Thank you Mr Lupin . . . for bringing my daughter back to me, I shan't forget it."
Before Remus could say another word the witch had left. He had meant to say how it wasn't just him who had got her, just him who had ran from the manor with her whilst Sirius and James tried to get Mairead. He groaned as he walked out to James and Lily Potter, the tears trailing down the red haired witches face confirming what he had feared; Mairead hadn't made it out alive. That explained it all.
With a nod to his friend they all used the Tonks' floo network to each leave to go to their own homes. Remus swore he could sleep for weeks as he collapsed onto his ragged armchair, though he knew he would soon have to be up in the morning for the first night of the full moons cycle. He sighed, thinking of how all Blacks that left the horrors of the Black family never seemed to truly escape as he slowly fell into a state of a deep deep sleep.