Regina was shaking like a leaf as she sprinted out of sight, leaning heavily against the wall of a tin structure a little way away from where the main battle was taking place. She scrabbled at the mask covering her face and yanked it off, dropping it to the ground just in time to double over as the contents of her stomach forced itself up her throat.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, the witch moved a little further along the wall and even more out of sight. Regina slid slowly to the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her forehead on her knees. She hadn't minded Emma throwing spells at her and was even slightly amused by how rattled the blonde had become when she had defended herself with seemingly minimal effort; after duelling practise with her mother and sisters, nothing Emma could throw at her would compare. But when Oratius Parge had appeared and attempted to cast the Cruciatus Curse on the younger woman she had reacted instinctively, defending Emma without a second thought.
"Expelliarmus!"
Feeling her wand sail out of her hand, Regina's head shot up and she leapt to her feet, suddenly very aware that she was defenceless. Tonks' mouth dropped open as she regarded her aunt, who raised her open hands into the air as a sign of defeat.
"Aunt Gi… what are you…?"
"Are you alright?" Regina demanded, stepping forward and ignoring her niece's question. She looked her over quickly for obvious signs of injury. When it was clear that the younger witch was unharmed, the brunette let out a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly. "Dora, I… is everyone else alright?"
"Other than that Death Eater you just destroyed…" Tonks told her, arching an eyebrow. "What's going on? What was that curse?"
"Sectumsempra… Severus invented it when we were at school." Regina admitted quietly, glancing over her shoulder as though she expected to see someone creeping up on her. "I couldn't let Parge hurt Emma."
"I don't understand. Why are you here… dressed like that?"
"Not through choice, I assure you." The older woman muttered. "I thought that a visit to my mother might be called for. I haven't seen her since the meeting at Malfoy Manor and I assumed she would be getting suspicious. I'm guessing that this is some kind of test of where my loyalties lie."
"Haven't you just seriously messed up, then?" Tonks asked, nodding her head in the direction of the battle that was still going on.
Regina sighed. "I fear that I may have." She raised a hand to her face and rubbed her eyes wearily, fighting to hold back the tears that prickled behind her eyelids. Then she took a breath and pulled herself together, her tone instantly business-like. "I have asked Molly to take over parental responsibilities of Henry should I be killed, but I want you to watch out for him as well, Dora. Do you understand me?"
"Aunt Gi… that's not what… Cora wouldn't…?"
With a mirthless laugh, the brunette nodded. "Of course she would, dear. I let her down… I don't expect to get out of this one lightly."
"You don't have to go back." Tonks pointed out, almost desperately. "Stay here. The Order will protect you."
"And put them in even more danger than they're already in? No." Regina shook her head firmly. "Cora and Bella would rip worlds apart to get to me if they thought I'd double crossed them. It would be the gravest insult of all. Besides, I refuse to hide. They won't find me cowering in a dark corner somewhere." She patted her niece's cheek gently. "It is better for everyone if they don't know. I'm sorry to put this on you, Tonks, dear, but this conversation must remain between us."
There was a pause as the younger witch considered the options. She grasped Regina's hand tightly as the brunette turned away and pulled her back. As Regina narrowed her eyes in a silent question, Tonks grinned.
"I've got it."
"Got what, dear?"
"The answer. All you need to do is find a way to make Cora and Bellatrix think that you're on their side, right? We just need a bit of theatrics."
"What are you talking about?"
The Metamorphagus grinned even more broadly. "We'll have the duel to end all duels. You and me; I'll even let you win."
Regina scoffed. "Let me win? I assure you, dear, if I wanted to injure you, you wouldn't be able to stop me."
"Right, come on, then."
"This is incredibly stupid and dangerous and–"
"No, it's not." Tonks shook her head vehemently. "Neither of us have any intention of attempting to actually hurt the other and we both know that. We just need to make it look good. Bellatrix tried to kill me and I bet she'd forget all about that little slip up with Parge if she heard that you'd got me."
Regina looked outraged. "I would never get you, as you so charmingly put it."
"I know that, Aunt Gi. But you could do me a serious injury, couldn't you?" The younger witch suggested with a grin. As Regina watched, angry looking gashes appeared all over her niece's body. "No pain, no gain."
"Nymphadora!"
A split second later the wounds were gone and Tonks shrugged. "Please, Aunt Gina. It's worth a try, at least. I can't bear the thought of you… you can't let them…"
Against her better judgment, the older woman nodded slowly. "Fine, but this is still between us, alright? It's safer for everyone else that way. Whatever's said… no one else hears about this conversation."
Reluctantly Tonks agreed. She waited while Regina picked up the Death Eater mask from the ground and fixed it in place. Nodding determinedly at her aunt, the young woman sprinted out from behind the shed, sending a hex flying behind her. Regina blocked it easily, returning the fire in a stream of constant jets of light.
Tonks repelled them hastily; unable to stop her eyes widening as the onslaught continued and she stumbled backwards. Regina reigned in the attack, slowing down her hexes and allowing her niece to take control of the duel. She blocked the spells with minimal effort, chancing a glance around to see whether anyone else was paying them any attention.
Remus, spotting his wife under attack, rushed forwards to join the duel. Tonks tried to dissuade him, saying she was fine, but he wouldn't hear of it. Suddenly under fire from both sides, Regina began to feel the strain. She remained in control but, with Remus' spells more on target than those her niece had been firing off, she was forced to grit her teeth in concentration.
As a jets of light from somewhere off to her right informed her that a third and then a fourth party had joined her opposition, Regina raised her arm sharply across her body to deflect the barrage of spells. The movement, however, caused her bicep to dislodge the mask over her face. Her heart clenched in her chest as she felt the cool metal slipping. There was nothing she could do as the mask fell away, revealing her identity to everyone around her.
Tonks' eyes widened in horror, which she would later pass off as the result of the realisation of who was attacking her, as she watched her aunt unable to do anything to prevent the situation unfolding. There was nothing Regina could do to stop it. Almost in slow motion, her eyes flickered over the figures standing around. Shock and betrayal was etched into each and every one of them and Regina felt physically ill.
Feeling like she had no choice but to escape, the witch flicked her wand and Disapparated.
After being shut in the house by Emma, Henry had raced up the rickety, winding staircases in search of a decent vantage point to watch the fight unravelling below him. His mouth dropped open as he watched the duels with great interest. His mother had never let him duel, even practising with her, in case he got hurt. He had, however, duelled with Draco on the odd occasion when he'd been staying at Malfoy Manor and Regina wasn't around to stop him.
The fourteen-year-old watched carefully as the witches and wizards blocked and parried and attacked, picking up on their differing techniques eagerly. He soon realised that the Death Eaters, while more aggressive in their tactics, were less skilled than the members of the Order and more inclined to go straight in with the Cruciatus or Killing Curses. Tonks' style particularly interested him; it was almost as though she was toying with her opponent, teasing them with lesser spells before hitting them with an Impediment Jinx or a Stunning Spell.
His attention was drawn to the familiar blonde in the pale blue dress who was duelling a Death Eater on the very edge of the fight. She was sending a constant stream of spells towards her opponent who, to Henry's surprise, was simply blocking the attack and doing nothing to retaliate. His eyes furrowed in further confusion as they both turned towards a second Death Eater. Rather than the first taking advantage of Emma's distraction, it appeared to Henry that the Death Eater had attacked his accomplice. Then, as the teenager watched, they ran out of sight behind a metal structure.
Confused, Henry tried to work out what had just happened. He kept one eye on Emma who, after a brief conversation with Killian Jones, had turned and re-entered the fray. The majority of his attention, however, was focused on the shed that the Death Eater had vanished behind. As he watched Tonks heading towards it, before disappearing from sight, he banged on the window, attempting to attract someone's attention and direct them to where his cousin was.
Henry swore loudly as, a short while later, Tonks erupted back into his line of vision, battling fiercely with the Death Eater. He gripped the window sill, almost pushing his nose through the pane of glass as he leant closer and closer, gripped by the exciting duel taking place below him. He felt grudging respect for the Death Eater when Remus joined the fight and then even more so when Mr Weasley and David Nolan jumped to their assistance as well. Watching the four against one fight, Henry held his breath, wondering how long the Death Eater could hold out.
"No…" His heart clenched painfully in his chest as the mask fell from the Death Eater's face and he realised who was battling so fiercely against the Order. "No! NO!"
He banged on the window with his fists, unable to believe that his mother could possibly have betrayed her friends like that. He could see the panic and fear in Regina's eyes as she stared around at the people in front of her and banged on the window again. Then she Disapparated in a cloud of black smoke and something seemed to break.
At Regina's disappearance, the rest of the Death Eaters seemed to take that as their signal to leave as well. All over the Weasleys' garden clouds of black smoke appeared and ascended into the sky, before vanishing completely. Those who were left looked around in complete confusion, as though they couldn't quite believe what was happening. Slowly they began to move towards the house, Emma waving her wand as they got closer to the building to remove the protection spells she had placed on it.
Hearing the front door opening, Henry leapt down the stairs and almost crashed into the group who entered the hallway at the same time as he reached the bottom. They stared at him, a myriad of expressions on their faces as the full realisation of what had just happened hit them.
Molly was the first to leap into action. "Fred, George… take Henry upstairs and show him some of your joke thingamies."
"But–"
"Now, thank you." She snapped.
Her sons and the younger boy scowled at her as the three of them made their way very slowly up the stairs. As soon as they had disappeared from sight, the woman ushered everyone else into the kitchen and closed the door firmly behind them. They paused for a moment, waiting to make sure no one was eavesdropping outside.
"What in Merlin's name–"
"Wait." Emma commanded, raising her wand. "Muffliato." When she received several strange looks, she shrugged. "Regina invented it years ago."
At the mention of the brunette, everyone froze. Only Tonks knew the truth but she had promised her aunt she would keep the truth to herself. As silence descended once more and the mass of assembled witches and wizards struggled to work out what was going on, that promise seemed harder and harder to attempt to keep.
Emma wandered towards the kitchen window, leaning heavily against the counters and staring out into the garden. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where the Cruciatus Curse had almost hit her and it was only then that the obvious occurred to her. The Death Eater who had saved her from that pain and the one who had turned out to be Regina were one and the same. But what did that mean?
"… then that means that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is in control of the Ministry." David was saying in a low voice.
"He's got control of Hogwarts too." Mary Margaret reminded them darkly. "Snape's the new Headmaster and they're bringing in Death Eaters to teach classes."
Aurora chewed her thumbnail anxiously. "And now what happens?"
Clearly they had moved on from the mystery surrounding Regina into discussing what were, to most of them, more pressing matters. To Emma, however, the most pressing matter was what was going on with her ex-girlfriend and why Regina had been acting so strangely lately. She couldn't understand why Regina, knowing that Henry was at The Burrow, had participated in the attack. Even if the woman felt nothing for anyone else who had been at the wedding there was no way she would have done something that would put her cherished son in danger.
"She must have been under the Imperius Curse." Emma announced, taking everyone by surprise. "Regina would never have put Henry in danger like that."
Everyone exchanged a look, before Molly stepped forward looking upset. "I know you don't want to believe that Regina–"
"She just wouldn't, Molly. You know that."
"I agree." Tonks said immediately. "Aunt Gina would never risk Henry's life or mine."
"She was trying to kill you!" Her husband argued.
"No, she wasn't. She was against four of us and all she did was deflect our curses. She saved Emma from being hit by the Cruciatus Curse!"
With most of those assembled not looking convinced, Emma and Tonks moved away and sat together, brooding over the events of the afternoon. Neither of them would have believed for a second that Regina had been there of her own free will and, while the woman's niece knew the truth, Emma firmly believed that she had been magically coerced into carrying out the attack.
"Molly…" Tonks called as the witch headed over to fill the kettle. "Does this… do you think this counts as something happening to Regina? Where Henry's concerned, I mean?"
"What are you talking about?" Emma demanded, looking between them.
The other women exchanged a look. Then Molly perched beside her on the sofa and took the blonde's hand between hers, giving it a reassuring pat. "Regina came to me the other day and asked whether, if anything happened to her, I would take care of Henry. Of course I agreed, although I never thought… I never imagined that I would actually have to… not so soon…"
Emma shook her head and stood up, making up her mind and deciding that they wouldn't be able to change it. She tucked her wand into her back pocket, avoiding the curious looks that were being directed at her.
"Em?"
"I'm going to her house." The blonde told the two women in front of her. "I need to know she's OK."
"She won't thank you for it." Tonks warned. "She really won't."
"I don't care." Emma snapped. "This isn't Regina."
"At least let me come with you."
After a moment's hesitation, Emma nodded. She couldn't deny that the thought of having the younger woman with her when she went looking for answers. Molly was looking between them anxiously as though she thought that going to Regina's home in search of her was the last thing they should do.
