"I'm not sure this is a good idea…" Tonks muttered as they approached Regina's home.
"I wish you'd decided that before we left." Killian muttered under his breath, following the women towards the door.
Emma shot him a look but didn't say anything. It had taken a long time for some agreement to be arrived at in the kitchen of The Burrow after the blonde had announced that she was going in search of Regina. Most of those assembled there had completely dismissed her opinion that there must be a reason behind her behaviour, believing that the witch was simply showing her true colours at last. Several members of the Order, however, had agreed to accompany Emma and Tonks to Regina's home although, whether they genuinely believed that there would be some kind of explanation for the events of the day, Emma wasn't sure.
David and Philip reached the front door first and, wands aloft, had magically unlocked the door. Emma was immediately concerned; knowing that Regina wouldn't have left her home unprotected if she was out and, if she was in, would be ready to defend herself.
"Wait." The blonde muttered. "This might be a trap."
"I thought you said Regina wouldn't hurt anyone." Killian reminded her grouchily.
"She's allowed to defend herself in her own home, isn't she?" Emma snapped.
When he simply shrugged and glanced over his shoulder at the shadowy driveway, the witch ground her teeth and stepped forward. Killian had been trying to take her mind off things, as he called it, since she had broken up with Regina. He used every opportunity he came across to point out the brunette's flaws and never hesitated to remind everyone of her past and connections when he could.
Putting her hand on the front door, Emma applied just enough pressure to open it a crack and poked her head inside. It seemed completely deserted, but she knew Regina well enough to know that appearances could definitely be deceiving.
"Regina?" She called loudly. "Gina, it's Emma."
"She's obviously not here, love." Killian called from outside, getting impatient. "Let's just go in and have a look around."
Scowling at him, the blonde stalked deeper into the house that she knew like the back of her hand; the house that had been her home until a couple of weeks ago. They checked every room systematically, combing through the house with their wands drawn, expecting an attack. Finally it was just Henry's room that hadn't been inspected, but Emma was loath to let the others traipse around it.
Signalling for them to wait out on the landing, she pushed open the door slowly, the familiar creak sounding ominous in the silent house. An involuntary gasp left her mouth as she spotted the holdalls placed carefully on Henry's bed. Apparently Regina had been here long enough to pack up her son's things.
"Was she planning this?" Tonks asked in a low voice, causing Emma to jump and clap a hand over her rapidly beating heart as the younger woman moved to her side. "She can't have been. She wouldn't…"
"Clearly she was." Killian disagreed as he and David appeared in the doorway.
"No." Emma snapped. "She must have done this afterwards… she wouldn't let Henry stay at the Burrow without his things."
"Is there a note?" Tonks asked gently, sensing that the blonde was on the verge of exploding.
They hunted around for a while, the two witches convinced that Regina would have left them some answers; something, anything, to explain her actions. Killian, Philip and David were less convinced and only poked around half-heartedly. None of them were seriously looking for a note from the missing woman, believing that she must have packed the bags before the incident that afternoon.
Finally, realising that there was no hidden message for them to find, Emma and Tonks reluctantly gave in to the calls to leave and return to The Burrow. They collected up Henry's things and made their way outside. A shiver passed through Emma as she pulled the front door closed, wondering whether she would ever see the owner again and, if she did, what state Regina would be in. Killian attempted to take her hand, but Emma snatched hers away, tucking it up in her armpit away from him.
Tonks watched her, knowing the truth about Regina's motives. She desperately wanted to tell her friend about the conversation she and her aunt had had, but she knew that it would mean putting not only Emma in danger, but Regina would also be at risk. She hated that she was forced to listen to everyone badmouthing the older woman, casting aspersions on her character and the reasons for her behaviour, when all along Regina was doing what she could to protect them all. Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, she nodded at the others and Disapparated.
With hushed voices they briefly explained to Molly, Arthur and the others what had happened at Regina's home, before Emma excused herself. She carried Henry's bags up to Ron's bedroom where Henry was sleeping and knocked softly on the door. The sound of footsteps across the floorboards was followed by the soft scraping of the door being opened.
"Emma?"
"Henry… I…" Not knowing what to say, she simply held out the bags to him. "I'm sorry."
"What for?" He asked quietly. "It's not your fault. It's my mom's."
"Henry, no. It's just–"
"I saw her, Emma." Henry exploded, his eyes brimming with anger and hurt. "I saw her out of the window. I watched her duelling with Tonks; she was trying to kill her! Mom was trying to kill her own niece! She is just like my grandmother!"
Emma's eyes blazed with just as much intensity as his. "No! No, Henry! Your mother is nothing like Cora. Nothing!"
"How do you explain what she did then?" He demanded just as angrily.
"I can't." She admitted sadly, shaking her head. "She probably thought it was for the best… that it would protect you from… We have to believe and trust that Regina knows what she's doing. She worked so hard to leave her family's reputation behind her. Henry…" Emma shook her had again sadly, "Hen, you can't give up on her now."
"I'm scared." The boy admitted sincerely. "I'm scared for Mom… she's not–"
"Emma!" The call from down stairs was loud enough to make both of them jump.
Exchanging a look, they rushed from the room and down the rickety, spiralling staircase that ran from the top to the bottom of the house. The rest of the Order were gathered in the Weasleys' kitchen, looking expectantly at them as they entered the room. Emma threw her arm around Henry's shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze as they faced the others.
"Mad-Eye's Protection jinxes have been triggered." Arthur informed them quickly. "Ron, Harry and Hermione are at Grimmauld Place. I've sent a message to let them know we're all safe, but we think we're being watched."
"So what's our next move?" Ginny asked, her determined expression mirroring her mother's almost exactly as she leant her full weight on the kitchen table.
Molly spluttered. "Your next move is to get up those stairs to bed, Ginevra Molly Weasley."
The teenager rolled her eyes. "Don't full name me, mum. I want to help."
"You're just a child, Ginny!"
"I am not!" She argued. "I'm only a year younger than Ron and he's out there somewhere, on his own, fighting the Death Eaters!"
"Stop it, Ginny, come on." Tonks murmured, putting an arm around the girl and rubbing her bicep calmingly as she spotted how pale the older redhead had gone in response to her words. "That's enough."
Exhaling irritably, she wrenched herself out of the Metamophagus' hold and flounced out of the room and up the stairs. After a few moments they heard her bedroom door slam shut. Molly sighed and dropped heavily into one of the chairs around their kitchen table, putting her head in her hands. Mary Margaret and Tonks went to her at once, rubbing her shoulders and doing their best to reassure her.
"Ginny has got a point, though." Ruby said. "What is our next move?"
Her Grandmother sighed, but didn't disagree with her. In fact, all of them had been wondering the same thing. They looked to Remus, as the natural leader, to answer his younger cousin's questions. The werewolf, however, simply rubbed a hand over his face tiredly and shot a look at his wife, who shrugged her shoulders, still hovering protectively beside Molly.
"Rufus Scrimgeour is dead and the Ministry has fallen to the Death Eaters." He recapped after a couple of moments. "It's highly likely that we're being watched… our every movement will be scrutinised in case we can lead them to Harry. Regina knows far too much about the Order for my liking."
"But we–"
A sound from outside alerted them to danger a split second before the door exploded in a shower of wood and sparks. Unable to stop themselves, almost everyone in the kitchen screamed and leapt backwards as Death Eaters began swarming inside. None of the Order had time to react, finding themselves bound by invisible ropes as the Dark Lord's followers began thoroughly searching the house.
Footsteps on the stairs accompanied Fred, George and Ginny as they were shepherded forcefully into the kitchen. Relief crossed everyone's faces at the sight of the trio, completely unharmed, although they were all still furious at the intrusion.
When their search showed up nothing, the Death Eaters started interrogating everyone. They refused to tell them anything about where Harry might be hiding out or what he might be planning. Emma demanded information about Regina, but the Death Eaters refused to answer any of her questions.
And then, to the Order's complete surprise, they just left.
"You might want to check up on your parents." One Death Eater suggested snidely to Tonks as he passed, jostling her roughly as he went.
Not waiting around, the young witch Disapparated from their midst, aiming straight for her parents' house. Seeing that their back door had suffered the same fate as the back door at The Burrow, Tonks sprinted inside, looking around wildly. There was no sign of her parents in the kitchen or the living room, so she took the stairs two at a time in search of them.
"Mum? Dad?"
"Dora?"
Almost breathing a sigh of relief, Tonks threw open the bathroom door and saw her parents. Ted was perched on the edge of the bath, wincing as his wife pressed a cotton wool ball soaked in disinfectant against a cut on his eyebrow. The young witch rushed over, kneeling in front of her father and examining him quickly, before turning to her mother.
Ted chuckled. "Give over, love. I'm fine and so is your mother."
"He's right." Andromeda agreed, patting her daughter's cheek gently. "They asked us about the Order and Harry Potter and then they left."
"That grandmother of yours is a piece of work, Dora." Ted told her, shaking his head and standing up. He pulled a face as he straightened, rubbing his back awkwardly.
"Wait? Cora was here?" Tonks looked between her parents quickly. "She didn't… did she… did she use the Cruciatus Curse on you?"
"My mother is nothing if not predictable." Andromeda confirmed her daughter's fears. Catching Tonks' arm as the younger woman turned away furiously, she smiled weakly and shook her head. "Leave it, Dora. We're both fine."
"Was Aunt Gina here?"
There was a long pause as her parents frowned at her, neither of them having heard what had happened at the wedding. With a long sigh, the witch promised to explain, before leading the way back downstairs and until the kitchen. Ted bustled around making tea, while his wife and daughter sat at the table and Tonks explained everything that had been going on in the past few hours.
"That makes sense…" Andromeda mused. "There was one Death Eater… d'you remember, Ted… that one Death Eater who hung back. I thought it was strange at the time… But I never considered…"
Her husband nodded thoughtfully. "Mmmm… didn't seem to want to get involved at all, that one."
"I bet it was her!" Tonks exclaimed excitedly, overjoyed to have the beginning of a lead. She stood up, unable to stop herself almost trembling with concerns and beginning to pace around her parents' kitchen. "We need to help her!"
"The best thing we can do for Regina at the moment is to leave her be." Her mother attempted to soothe, laying a hand on the agitated younger woman's arm. "If Mother or Bellatrix believe, even for a single second, that Regina is going to betray them then her life would be in great danger. We have to trust that Regina is smart enough to have come up with a plan. I don't doubt for a moment that she knows precisely what she's doing and she is more than capable of looking after herself."
"But… what about Henry, Mum?" Tonks asked plaintively. "He doesn't understand what's happening. Maybe I should–"
"No!" Andromeda leapt to her feet and grasped her daughter firmly by the shoulders. "Leave Henry out of this, Nymphadora. He's just a child. You must honour your aunt's wishes. Regina's right… Henry is far safer not knowing what's going on."
"He thinks Regina's joined the Death Eaters… that she's betrayed the Order. He has no idea how much of a sacrifice she's making for all of us. I can't just… he's not… it's not fair!"
Smiling weakly, the older woman gathered Tonks in her arms and held her tightly, rubbing slow, soothing circles on her back. Ted placed the three mugs of tea on the table and took his seat, meeting his wife's eyes and smiling fondly. Gradually the younger witch calmed down, her hair fading from the bright, post box red that it had been at the height of her anger about the situation, to a soft honey blonde.
"Regina is clever, Dora." Ted reminded her gently. "She's more than a match for Cora if she puts her mind to it. She's a good woman and she's doing what she believes is best for everyone. Regina sees the bigger picture; this is about more than just one person. We have to trust her."
Nodding slowly and wiping her eyes, Tonks reluctantly took her seat once more and picked up her mug. "You're right."
"Of course I'm right." Her father agreed with a chuckle. "Dad's always right."
"Not always…" Tonks argued, just for the sake of it.
Ted gave her a crinkly-eyed smile and squeezed her hand across the table. His wife gave him a small nod and he winked, knowing that he had said the right thing at the right time. He may be a man of few words, but he had known exactly what their daughter had needed to hear in order to stop her flying off the handle and jumping into the fire feet first. Something would need to be done, eventually, but that moment wasn't the time.
