He was in her arms again. They day was warm and bright. Remus lied beside her on the blanket they'd brought to the beach that morning. The sun was warm, but not too hot. Tonks' hair was the brightest shade of pink she could make. Remus' most recent scar lined the side of his arm, and Tonks caressed it gently with her index and middle fingers. Teddy could be heard giggling down by the water as he stomped in the very edge of the shore. Andromeda was busy chasing after her grandson, and Ted was right behind her, trying to chase after her in return. It was the height of summer.
Teddy suddenly laughed. "Uh oh!" Andromeda shrieked in laugher as Teddy took off his swimming trunks and threw them in the water, not caring that his small, round behind was in plain view of everyone. Remus shot up and laughed a real belly laugh, a sound that warmed Tonks' ears. Remus got up and decided to join the chase. Tonks stayed put, and after a moment, her pooped-out father joined her at the blanket.
Tonks suddenly noticed a small hermit crab running across the sand. For no apparent reason, she watched the patterns it made in the sand with its feet as it wandered, walking sideways.
Teddy's scream was what brought Tonks' gaze away from the hermit crab to the shoreline. Teddy was suddenly absent. Remus and Andromeda were looking into the sea, scared. Where'd Teddy go?
Before Tonks could even stand up straight, Remus dove in after his son and disappeared beneath the waves. Ted dived in then, after Remus. Andromeda shrieked, and Tonks was speechless. She dove towards the water without another thought, but Andromeda suddenly yanked her back and hurled her back up onto the safety of the dunes.
Tonks whipped her head around, but suddenly, Andromeda disappeared into thin air. Remus, ted, and Teddy never resurfaced. The beach was deserted. She was alone.
The first time Tonks opened her eyes, it was only for a brief moment. She saw nothing but a haze and swirl of pre-dawn colors above her head before falling unconscious again.
The next time Tonks opened her eyes, she was initially blinded by sunlight beaming down on her. Soft voices from all around muttered in some foreign tongue. She couldn't establish where she was, only that she was in a hot place, lying on warm sand. The world was a huge, blue and yellow blur. Teddy was lying across her chest, his hair a light orange, not as vivid as he usually made it, but more of as creamsicle color. Teddy was fully awake, however.
As more and more of the world came into focus, Tonks could see figures standing around her. Her heart suddenly raced. Damnit! They'd found her! Could she Disapparate? No, her mind wasn't as clear and focused as it should've been. She wanted to scream, but she found her throat too dry to utter so much as a whimper. Her head throbbed. She couldn't get up and run if she wanted to.
But the faces became more defined after another moment. These people were darker than her previous captors by far. They also didn't look as malicious and cruel as the other tribe. These people just looked…curious, to be around her. Was her hair pink again or something? How could it have been? She wasn't the least bit happy. Tonks found a lock of her long hair and hung it in front of her face. It was dark, sea green for some odd reason.
One of the strangers standing around Tonks stepped forward cautiously and spoke in the same foreign language (again, probably Arabic or some derivative). Teddy looked innocently up at the young man who'd volunteered to move in closer. He smiled at the baby, and Teddy smiled back his hair becoming that more vivid shade of orange. The man smiled. Tonks held her breath. Teddy would give them away!
The young man called to a woman who looked a few years older than him, wearing a sari-like dress made of maroon silk and gold trim. Her eyes were small, and her lips were huge, but her face was altogether benign-looking. She reached into a bag at her hip and pulled out…wait…was that a wand? Muttering something, Tonks felt herself being lifted to her feet. But she was extremely dizzy. The woman muttered another incantation, and Tonks' lightheadedness suddenly ceased. Finally seeing clearly again, these people all had wands out, pointed at Tonks and Teddy in case she wasn't to be trusted. Still a little confused, Tonks took her wand out of her pocket and put it on the ground as a gesture of surrender.
After a full second of silence, everything happened at once. Teddy laughed as every woman of this tribe suddenly swarmed around Tonks, examining her for injuries, and Teddy as well. The girl in the red sari then took Tonks by the arm, and Disapparated from the site where Tonks had passed out.
Tonks, Teddy, and the girl in red silk, followed by everyone else, arrived at a much larger, much more established campsite than the one where Tonks had been held captive. The portable dwellings looked more sturdy, and there was one defined fire pit, where a midday fire was roasting several pieces of meat on a spit. There were definitely more people in this tribe as well, and Tonks realized that there were twice as many here waiting for the return of the rest of their tribe, than those who'd actually brought her and Teddy back.
The girl in red silk disappeared a moment, and then re-appeared, took Tonks by the arm again, and guided her to the largest tent. Tonks decided if she'd been re-captured by a different tribe, at least she could stay with her son this time.
But once inside, Tonks was asked to sit on a small futon on the ground, and a folded bundle of purple silk not unlike the cloth the girl wore, sat on the edge. The girl pointed to the bundle of clothes and then pointed to her robes…which were, of course, scummy and sand-encrusted. The girl left the tent as Tonks willingly changed. Tonks realized that there was clothing for both herself and Teddy in the little bundle. Such beautiful articles too! Teddy was dressed in a green tunic, and Tonks' purple robes were very loose pants and a longer tunic that reached to her knees. The cloth was soft, cool and loose against her skin, and it felt great.
After she changed, Tonks and Teddy left the tent and looked around the small nomadic village she'd been brought too. She saw several older women with long veils covering their heads from the sun, using wands to draw shapes that illustrated scenes as little children looked on in amazement. Men were levitating game over the fire to cook it. Two young boys were washing the wings of a smaller, brown-feathered hippogriff. Tonks realized that this was a wizarding tribe. Sighing in relief Tonks knew this was why she was better accepted this time.
Catching sight of the girl in red, Tonks caught her attention and waved her over. Now, how could she communicate with her? Would she recognize city names? Were they close to Aktas?
Tonks placed her palm to her chest. "Tonks."
After a second, the girl repeated Tonks' action, this time, saying, "Sahar."
"Aktas?" Tonks asked pointing into the distance, exaggerating a shrug. Sahar shook her head after a moment of thought. "No Aktas?" Tonks asked again. Sahar looked confused. Tonks sulked. Still no lead.
"No Aktas, Tonks," said Sahar, looking genuinely sad for not being able to help.
Tonks nodded in thanks and quickly walked away. Maybe her mind was clear enough to produce a Patronus?
Taking a seat near the fire pit and setting Teddy on the ground beside her, Tonks took out her wand and shut her eyes, trying to envision her happiest memory to date…
Visions of Hogwarts, Teddy, and Remus began flooding her mind, and Tonks felt she'd found her memory…the birth of her son, of course. But before she could wave her wand, a quick vision of Remus lying dead in the Great Hall, and of Molly and Ginny Weasley's faces when Tonks asked for Remus interrupted her happy thought…
"Expect Patronum!"Tonks yelled. Several of the nomads looked up, surprised. A small spurt of white appeared, but faded before anything could be made out of it. Tonks almost threw her wand into the fire in a rage. But she regained her sense and tried again, and again…
It was nearly completely dark before Tonks was exhausted from trying. Teddy napped at her feet innocently, and Tonks had barely managed to get her Shield Patronus back. Not so much as a paw of her she-wolf had popped out of her wand.
Sahar suddenly took a seat beside Tonks in the ring around the fire pit, and most of the tribe sat around the fire pit as well. A bowl was being passed around, everyone taking something out of it. When it got to Tonks she saw there were bits of the roasted game she'd seen being cooked earlier. Tonks didn't realize until then how hungry she was. She grabbed a piece of meat and quickly took a large bite. Sahar appeared to grinned with delight over how much Tonks enjoyed her meal.
Sahar then took out her wand and looked at Tonks. "Patronus?" she asked, pointing at Tonks. Tonks nodded eagerly. The girl waved her wand and shouted the incantation, "Expecto Patronum!" (Were the incantations the same in every language?) Suddenly, a large silver parrot emerged from the wand and flew around the fire pit. Several children gasped with delight before the bird faded out.
Tonks suddenly got an idea. "Patronus to Aktas," she said, while making the gesture with her hand of a mouth talking. Sahar suddenly looked like she'd just understood everything there was to know. She nodded. Waving her wand, she said the incantation again. As the parrot was forming, she started peaking in her language. Tonks sulked again. This wasn't going to work if her mother couldn't understand Arabic (which she most definitely couldn't!). The one word Tonks could register was her own name 'Tonks' somewhere in the mess of words.
Just as the parrot was complete, Tonks put a hand on the handle of Sahar's wand and said very distinctly, "Andromeda Tonks!"
Sahar nodded and released the parrot into the air. Tonks watched without much hope as it flew off into the night. It wasn't going to work. Tonks knew it.
Her stomach suddenly growled. In the meantime, she wondered if there was any meat left…
Meanwhile, in Aktas, Andromeda had been so convinced she'd lost her daughter and grandson to the desert, than she spent the entire day in sort of a trace-like state in the lobby of the inn where she and Charlie stayed. Charlie had briefly Apparated back to England to ask Kingsley Shacklebolt to send a watch to the desert to look out for her. Kingsley had told Charlie that there was a wizard-only tribe that had been given her description the previous night and asked to go out looking for her. Charlie's news didn't give Andromeda much hope.
That evening, Andromeda refused to eat dinner. She'd lost her husband, her son-in-law, her daughter, and her grandson in two months' time. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to go forward herself now.
Charlie kneeled by Andromeda's chair just as it was getting dark outside. "Mrs. Tonks, would you like some fruit? You need to eat something."
"My daughter and grandson have been eaten by savages," Andromeda muttered. "You expect me to eat anything, you stupid boy?"
Charlie motioned to Nabihah, who was standing in the corridor, carrying a fruit tray. She came forward and held out the tray. "Ma'am, there is good fruits fresh in season now," she offered.
Andromeda rudely pushed the tray away. "No thank you."
A little House Elf came running into the lobby from outside, where he'd been watering some plants. Nabihah looked down at the little elf. "Pampi?"
The little elf named 'Pampi' spoke in Arabic, then pointed at the glow of white filling the window.
"Pampi said a patronus has come with a message! A parrot!" exclaimed Nabihah. "No one I know has a parrot!"
The parrot flew in the window and began speaking directly at Andromeda in Arabic. Nabihah listened closely to the bird's words before is dissipated into thin air. Andromeda looked at Nabihah frantically. Could it be?
"No," Andromeda said suddenly. "Nymphadora' s took the form of a wolf because of Remus," she sighed woefully. "Damn!"
"No, wait!" Nabihah said, translating in her head what the parrot had said. "It said, 'Come to camp, just west of Tigris River. Tonks waits for you with baby."
Andromeda gasped and shrieked with joy. "Are you certain that's what it said?"
Nabihah nodded. "Shall I make Pampi get your broomstick?"
"I didn't bring it, but Charlie, get Mashka ready!" Andromeda said, thrilled, excited, and relieved all at the same time. "Stay here while I go fetch Tonks! She's alive, Charlie! Can you believe it? She's alive!"
A/N: Something worthy of note: I didn't just pull those Arabic names out of my butt. I researched, and 'Nabihah' means 'smart' and 'scholar' (so named because she knows two languages and translates them for Charlie and Andromeda) and Sahar means 'magical.' Betcha can guess why she's named that!