"Monsieur! Surely this is a mistake!" protested Andromeda. The Aurors, having gotten Tonks and Andromeda under their control, were dragging them, along with the thestrals, towards an old castle-like ruin that looked like Hogwarts after an earthquake had hit it. The rough French Aurors weren't handling their captives too nicely. Andromeda was barely putting up a fight, and yet she was being jerked around like a permanent Azkaban inmate. Tonks, holding Teddy, kept her son close to her bosom. Teddy wasn't crying, but he was clearly fussy.
"No mistake, Madame," said the blonde male Auror. "We have word that many Dark Witches from England are fleeing from the English Ministry in order to avoid Azkaban punishment. Since none of you have the proper visas and paperwork—"
"But I'm an English Auror!" Tonks said.
"There is no proof of your claim," said another Auror. "You shall be locked away until we can properly identify the three of you."
One of the Aurors holding Tonks tried to pry Teddy from her grip. Tonks hissed like a wild animal. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON!" The Auror seemed to back off, at least for a moment.
Andromeda gave Tonks a worried look. This was a little more than a road block that they were facing…
Once inside the ruins that served as a prison, the Aurors spent nearly two hours (it was almost dark outside by the time they were finished) processing the new prisoners and interrogating them. None of them said anything that they hadn't already said. Andromeda did most of the talking.
"I already told you. My name is Andromeda Aries Tonks, this is my daughter Nymphadora Castor Lupin, and her son, Theodore Remus Lupin!"
The dark-skinned Auror interrogating them knitted his eyebrows together. "And, Mademoiselle Lupin, why is her husband not with her?"
"What, is this the Middle Ages? Her husband doesn't HAVE to be with her at all times! Who even said she HAS a husband?" Andromeda protested. Tonks rocked Teddy back and forth. He was getting ever fussier.
"Her last name is different from yours," said the dark Auror.
"Does it matter to you? We are innocent witches on a pilgrimage!"
"To where?"
"That's private information," Andromeda snapped back. Tonks rolled her eyes. This had been going on for hours. "Why do you doubt us?"
"Well, the blood testing showed no Polyjuice in your blood, but you still could be ex-Death Eaters fleeing Azbakan. After all, we caught two last night as well who proved to be just as guilty."
"Check with the Ministry in England! Talk to Kingsley Shacklebolt, my daughter WORKS with him and was in the Order of the Phoenix with him!" Andromeda spat out.
"Again, could all be lies. I will not bother Minister Shacklebolt with your petty case. I will process your information like I do everyone else, and even then, how can I be sure you didn't give false information?"
"You're absolutely pathetic, believing two innocent women and a baby were incapable of telling the truth!" Andromeda said sternly. Tonks just wished Andromeda would shut up before they got into worse trouble.
"Captain!" called the man to his colleague. "I don't think we'll get much out of them tonight."
"Come with me," called the Captain Auror, waving his wand to that Andromeda and Tonks followed him without much of a struggle. They were led deeper into the basement of the ruins to where the cells were. The Captain chose a somewhat larger cell with two beds piled on top of each other (Muggles called them bunkbeds) and a small toilet, completely out in the open, in the opposite corner. The Captain shoved the women roughly inside and locked the door. The only light came from two torches hanging just outside the cell bars. The air was damp and thick. Tonks could hardly breathe.
"These cells are Apparation/Disapparation-proof, magic-proof, and your wands are I my desk, out of reach of you. Your thestrals are tied up outside. There is no way of escape. We will come get you in the morning for more questions. If you're LUCKY, your names can be processed within a month or two, and you will be free…maybe." And with those words, the Captain left the women to themselves. Andromeda was furious. Tonks seemed depressed, no doubt. But she was much quieter about the whole thing.
"Nymphadora, darling, you wouldn't, by any chance have an extra wand on you?" asked Andromeda.
"You think if I did, I wouldn't have blasted that evil man with a few jinxes and Memory charms?" asked back Tonks.
"Damn them to hell," muttered Andromeda, pacing the floor. Tonks took a seat on the bottom bunk of the bed, still rocking Teddy. "Looks like our journey really is over."
"No it's not, Mum," assured Tonks. "They just need to process our names. Kingsley will surely vouch for us."
"But that will take at LEAST a month! You want to wait here until then?" asked Andromeda.
"Of course not. Mum, I think the best way to get out of this is to NOT put up a fight," Tonks said. "We know we're right, and once they figure that out, they'll send us on our way with gift baskets!"
Andromeda looked at Tonks with disbelief. "This isn't real. You're the one acting rational now?"
Tonks shrugged. "I suppose so. Mostly for Teddy's sake above anything else."
Andromeda nodded. "You really are a mummy now," she muttered. Tonks felt a chill run down her spine, as if what Andromeda said was just sinking in now. Neither mother nor daughter talked much after that…
The hours passed slowly for the caged birds. Tonks, having no food for Teddy, nursed him quietly until he drifted off to sleep. For a few hours after that (it had to be close to midnight), Tonks napped on the lower bunk with Teddy. Meanwhile Andromeda paced some more (it actually helped settle her nerves). But…she could have sworn she heard muffled voiced from above her head.
"But why not? They seem so unwilling to talk…"
Andromeda tried to follow the faint noise to its source. Ther was a small hole in the upper corner of the cell, right above the toilet. Andromeda lowered the seat and stood on it to get a better hear. It was two Aurors talking (the voices seemed vaguely familiar).
"These are two strong women, who were well-packed. They clearly intended to go SOMEWHERE…"
"They talked of some 'pilgrimage' but where in Europe has somewhere wizard and witches flock to?"
"Perhaps their destination was in Asia or Africa. They might not have been destined for a European landmark."
"I still think they're ex-Death Eaters on the run, sir."
"We can't know until information is delivered from England to us on their histories! And that damn processing procedure takes months! How can we get them to talk? Torture?"
"Torture is completely unethical, sir. But…the daughter, the Lupin girl with the baby…maybe the baby is the key to getting her to say something."
"Did she talk at all during the interrogation?"
"No sir. Just the loudmouthed mother…"
Andromeda growled. Loudmouthed? She hadn't been called a 'loudmouth' in so long…ironic how it was beginning to seem like Tonks and Andromeda were switching personalities.
"Hm, what do you suggest we do with the babe?"
"Nothing," Andromeda ordered subconsciously. If any of those nasty Aurors touched her grandson, they'd find themselves trying to run away from her without any legs.
"When we wake them tomorrow, we'll take the child away until Damoiselle Lupin talks."
That was all Andromeda needed to hear. They were going to do something bad to Teddy, and Tonks had nothing to 'talk' about that wasn't already said! This was very bad. Andromeda got off the toilet and paced the room, trying to think of a way out. But she didn't have her wand, and she couldn't Disapparate…
But what about wandless magic? Andromeda sighed. She was able to perform wandless magic, but not very well, and she hadn't done so in the long time. She looked at the door and took a deep breath. Perhaps no one you Apparate in and out of the cell, but maybe the cell itself was still vulnerable?
"Reducio…" muttered Andromeda, mutters and holding out a hand, concentrating on the barred door. Nothing happened to the door. Damn.
But then, Andromeda got a second idea. She concentrated on herself and muttered again "reducio." This time, Andromeda shrunk slightly. Sighing with relief, Andromeda grew herself back to her normal size and went to Tonks' bedside to shake her awake.
"Nymphadora!" Andromeda said. "We're leaving!"
Tonks blinked away and sat up slowly, so as not to wake Teddy. "We've been sprung?"
Andromeda shook her head. "No, we're making our escape tonight. I can shrink us enough so we can squeeze through the bars."
"Mum, are you mad?!" Tonks nearly shrieked.
"Do you WANT to find the Borderland or not?" Andromeda asked. Tonks sighed and nodded.
"Using wandless magic, Mum?" she asked. Andromeda nodded and waves her arms, muttering the spell again under her breath. Tonks and Teddy both shrunk to about a quarter of her original size. Then Andromeda again shrunk herself. Tonks and Teddy were easily able to get through the barred door. Andromeda had been off when performing the spell on herself and had to shrink again before letting herself out.
"That seemed almost..too easy," Tonks muttered. "Why wouldn't the Aurors have thought of that before?"
"Not many people can go wandless, Nymphadora," Andromeda whispered. "Engorgio…"
Tonks and Teddy, followed by Andromeda, quickly grew to their normal size. "Keep him quiet!" Andromeda instructed. Tonks nodded and pressed Teddy snuggly against her bosom. Andromeda wished she could form light from her hands, but even she wasn't THAT capable. So they had to guide themselves in the dark.
Surprisingly, there was no door locking the dungeons off from the rest of the ruins, so Andromeda, Tonks, and Teddy easily began walking up the long, relentless spiral staircase towards the outside.
"They tied up our thestrals right outside the gate. We can get them easily," Tonks muttered.
"SH! You want to get caught? If we do, they're false suspicions will be confirmed, no less!" Andromeda snapped. "I think we're almost there…"
Sure enough, a light terminated the spiral stone stairwell, but Andromeda, who was in the lead, took a peek around the final curve into the source of the light. What she remembered was that the stairwell led right up to the Captain Auror's office. The man was asleep at his desk.Andromeda saw hers and her daughter's wands sticking out of a drawer in his desk. Andromeda turned back towards Tonks.
"Stay here and keep Teddy close. When you hear me Body-Bind him, run for the door on the other end of the room, understand, Nymphadora?"
Tonks nodded and looked down at Teddy. Amazing how he could still be asleep. "But Mum, once he's uncursed, won't they come flying after us?"
"Surely, but legally, they can't chase us once we cross into Switzerland. Seeing as they were border patrolling, I'd say we were within an hour from the border where we were arrested."
"But can't they alert other countries of us?" asked Tonks.
"You of all people would know, yes! But that just means we have to be more careful, won't we? I can easily Apparate home from our next stop to retrieve some papers. Now SH! I need to do this before he wakes up! ACCIO, wands!"
Andromeda held out her hand in an open position, and both wands came flying out of the desk and into Andromeda's hand. She tossed one to Tonks. "Now keep alert! Once I curse him, bolt out the door, stun or bind anyone you see, regardless of who they are, got it?"
Tonks again nodded silently.
"This must be done silently and swiftly. Head right for where our thestrals are, get on yours, and fly off towards the border. I'll bring up the rear and catch up once we're in the air again. We must fly hard and fast, and all night, you hear? If I fall behind, keep going until you hit Zurich!"
"Mum, let's do this before I get nervous!" Tonks moaned. Andromeda nodded. She saw no more directions that needed to be given, so she ran up the staircase and into the source of the light. Tonks kept a look out for the signal. She had her doubts about this 'brilliant plan.' After all, as 'skilled' as her mother was, it was still going to be at least five highly-trained Aurors against one middle-aged witch.
"Um…uh…what in the name of—?"
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
As soon as she heard the familiar "thud" of a body hitting the floor in a full Body-Bind, Tonks quickly kissed Teddy's forehead and bolted out of the stairwell. Immediately hearing the ruckus, Aurors began scrambling around for their wands, but Andromeda and Tonks began shooting curses first as they tried to advance to the exit.
"STUPEFY!"
"REDUCTO!"
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
"PROTEGO!"
"SILENCIO!"
The curses, counter-curses, and protection shields flew all over the lobby. Amid the chaotic scene, Tonks lost track of her mother. But after stunning an Auror blocking the main exit, Tonks found a clear shot to freedom. Although she wanted to try and see if her mother was going to make it out in one piece, Tonks obeyed Andromeda' command and ran to the gate. Sure enough, the thestrals were there waiting for her. She quickly severed the ropes of both of them, but she only hopped on one, made sure Teddy, who looked startled mad (yet his hair was still a happy blue), was still secure in her arm, and then took off into the clear moonlit night.
Tonks flew away from the moon, heading due west. She looked behind her every few seconds to look for both Aurors chasing after her or her mother, escaping from the fray herself. Tonks was relieved that she saw no signs of pursuing Aurors giving chase.
But her heart felt heavy with fear every time she turned around, only to see Andromeda nowhere in sight.