A formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, death, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such.
*****And I don't own HP, or the excerpts from the book/movie you see below*****
Sirius, Hermione and Molly were quick to clean up the blood. It had been trailed into the hallway and up the stairs by Kingsley- when he had gone up the first time and when he had carried Tonks up the second time- but a few spells later, no blood remained. Sirius seemed to be staring at his watch, muttering every few minutes when Leo still didn't show up, but not really reading the time. After all, he had no idea what time it was when Leo left.
The twins, Bill, Ron and Harry joined them inside after a while, Bill saying that they were certain the Death Eaters wouldn't return. Kingsley would have to redo the spell that made everyone forget the address, but no one wanted to ask him to leave Tonks until Leo returned.
Sirius felt himself become tense with every tiny sound, he was just waiting for Remus or Kingsley to come downstairs and say Tonks was dead.
Molly made tea, but it simply sat and got cold. No one said much. Tonks had known that Weasleys since she had been brought to Kingsley and Alastor's home, because Molly had provided advice to them. Sirius couldn't say much, because he was very angry that this had happened. Hermione looked a little ill, picking at the edges of her fingernails absentmindedly. She had been friendly with the older witch since the first time they met a few years before, and Sirius knew the two were fond of each other.
Finally, they heard the back door open, and Sirius jumped to his feet as Leo walked through the kitchen door, carrying two small crates. "You got it?" Sirius asked, grabbing one of the crates.
"I've got four potions here, come upstairs, it'll help more if a few of you know about them." Leo said, and they headed upstairs.
"Four potions?" Sirius asked.
"Well, six, really." Leo explained, bumping the bedroom door open with his foot. Kingsley and Remus were sitting on either side of Tonks, the baby was asleep in Remus' arms. "I've got everything." Leo explained, as he opened one of the crates and pulled out a vial of dark blue liquid.
Kingsley and Remus stood as Leo set one crate on the dresser. Sirius followed, setting the second down. Leo walked over to the bed, muttering spells to clear the blood away. He uncorked the vial, placing a hand under Tonks' head gently and tilting her head upwards slightly. He poured the vial into her mouth, setting her head on the pillow again. A few moments later, he lifted the hem of her shirt, muttering healing spells.
Sirius felt himself sigh in relief when the wound actually began to heal, and when Leo cleared away the remnant blood, no new blood appeared.
"It's unfortunately not that easy." Leo said. "I've written this down as well, the parchment should be with the potions, but she needs a dose of the antidote twice a day. You can do it twelve hours apart, six hours apart, four apart- I don't care. Twice in a twenty four hour period, at least a few hours apart, to give her a chance to rest from the side effects each time. I've brought three more blood replenishing potions. Give her one each day for three days, starting tomorrow. There's also pain potion, mixed with a fever reducer. The antidote can cause pretty bad fevers and chills, so give her one of the pain potions every four hours, at a minimum. I've also heard of a few cases where a few who have been given the antidote have dealt with excessive vomiting, but we can discuss that if it becomes an issue. The pain potion might wear off sooner than four hours, but unfortunately, pain potions can't be taken any closer together-"
"What can we do, in that case?" Kingsley asked. "If she wakes up and is in pain, but we can't give her anything?"
"That's what this final potion is for." Leo said. "There's a white paste in a single tub. Apply a thin layer to the wound once a day. It'll help heal any bruising and any tenderness. Other than that, just rest as much as possible, try a warm cloth as well. There should be enough of everything for two weeks. I'll be here before I'm due at St Mungo's for a shift, and after my shift to check on her. However, I believe between you three, she should be in capable hands."
"Are we just going to let her wake up on her own?" Remus asked.
"Yes, she lost a lot of blood, so it may be best to let her body rest." Leo said, and he walked back over to the crate. "That's what this is for." He said, holding up a vial of dark amber liquid. "It will keep her from becoming dehydrated or starving, or really anything, until she wakes up. And when she wakes up, she may not want to eat or drink right away, and this will It's quite useful, considering Muggles use feeding tubes and IVs for this sort of thing."
"And she'll survive?" Kingsley asked.
"It's hard to say, but the worst is over." Leo said. "Now, for the baby... I brought one bottle from our wet nurses, but I have thought of something that would benefit both of them."
Leo opened the second crate, pulling out a strange device that Sirius honestly had never seen before.
"It's generally used by Muggles, but it's called a breast pump. It will help Nymphadora's milk come in, provide the baby with the first of it- which is important-"
"No." Remus said, firmly. "I know what that is, I'm not milking my wife while she lays here dying."
Leo looked a little startled, but nodded. "Well, seeing as the worst has been healed, you could probably prop her up and help the baby simply nurse. Or, do what Kingsley did when he adopted Nymphadora, and use Muggle formula."
"I'm pretty sure Dora planned to breastfeed." Remus said, and Sirius wondered why Remus was being so stubborn. Did it really matter?
"Remus, mate, you may have to think of other options." Sirius said slowly.
"We can make that work." Leo said. "Kingsley, Sirius, if you could wait in the hall for a few moments? I'm going to work with Remus to help the baby nurse, and he can help me get Nymphadora into clean clothes."
They left the room, standing quietly in the hall for a few moments before Kingsley spoke. "She hasn't read it, you know." Kingsley said. "The letter from her parents."
"Did she say why?"
Kingsley shook his head. "She doesn't hate them, though, you must know that."
"Well, I don't think she loves them."
"I'm fairly certain she does." Kingsley said. "She just struggled with it for a while. She didn't know the full story, and that was our fault. She just thought she had been left behind by them. She met her Dad's parents when she was fourteen-"
"Did she really?"
"They wanted to raise her. We wanted to keep her." Kingsley said. "So we made an agreement. She'd spend every other Christmas and every other summer with them. The first summer she went to spend with them, she lasted a month. She ran away, Muggle police found her a few blocks away and brought her back to us."
"Did she say what happened?"
Kingsley nodded. "They blamed her and her mother for Ted's disappearance and death. Or, his mother did really. Ted's father apparently never said much. Dora tried to kill herself a few days after she came back here. I found her."
"Dora tried..."
Kingsley nodded. "After that, we told her everything we knew. Absolutely everything." He said. "You mocked us for being overprotective of her, but Sirius, someone has to be, right?"
Sirius was quiet for a moment. "Kingsley, if she dies... I'm really glad she had you and Alastor. She was always your daughter, and I'm really happy she found a place after her parents were gone."
Kingsley was quiet for a moment. "I couldn't imagine my life without her, Sirius. I'm sure it would have been a lot different if we hadn't been given the chance to be fathers. I just really hope this isn't the end."
"Arms here." Leo explained, wrapping his arms under Tonks' arms, pulling her up gently to lean her up against the headboard. "She won't feel you moving her, it won't make the injury worse. When she's awake, have her wrap her arms around you, it'll hurt her, but don't let her move too much on her own. Did you find clothes?"
Remus nodded. Leo was quick but gentle, he simply tore the shirt from where Bellatrix had cut it, pulling it off of Tonks' arms. He took the top from Remus, pulling it over Tonks' head. Remus felt mildly jealous for a split moment that Leo had no hesitation at exposing Tonks' chest, but had to remind himself that Leo was a Healer, he was helping Remus and Tonks. He stepped back to let Remus handle the rest of Tonks' clothes, and Remus knew he was going to throw away the bloodied clothes no matter what. He hadn't kept the clothes from the attack in July, he wouldn't be keeping these.
Leo went on to explain how to hold the baby so the baby could nurse, and left a while later, after making sure Remus was confident enough to move Tonks if he needed to.
They spent most of the following days sitting with her, because neither wanted to be away from her if something happened, neither talking much.
"Remus, you should consider naming the baby." Sirius said, when he joined them on the second day. "He can't simply be 'the baby' forever."
"Dora deserves a say." Remus said, setting the baby on Tonks' chest gently, sitting next to her. Kingsley was leaning against the headboard, holding one of Tonks' hands, seemingly not paying attention to the other two in the room.
"Did you two not discuss a name?" Sirius asked.
"We discussed names, but we didn't decide." Remus explained. "I'm not choosing without her."
"Mate, I hate to say it, but-"
"Then don't." Remus said firmly.
"She may not wake up." Sirius said, ignoring Remus. "You may need to think about naming the baby."
Remus sighed, looking down at the baby, who was slowly falling asleep. Sometimes the baby would cry and be restless until he was set on her chest, where he'd sleep peacefully. Remus would always stay sitting next to them, on the slim chance Tonks might shift- which she had done once or twice and made them think she was waking up- and he liked to watch them together anyway.
"I'm waiting for Dora." Remus said, and Sirius sighed, but didn't continue. Sometimes, Remus dozed off, but only for a few minutes at a time. Every time he did, he had the same dream.
It would start with him hearing Tonks crying out in pain, and he'd find himself kneeling next to their bed, Tonks clutching one of his hands. Leo and Molly were standing near the end of the bed. Another cry, and a moment later, Molly placed a baby on Tonks' chest. A boy, Leo always said with a grin. What should we name him? Remus always found himself asking. Tonks looked up at him, tears on her cheeks, an exhausted smile...
Remus always woke up before she answered, in the same position he usually spent a lot of the day in. He'd spend some time sitting next to the bed, but sometimes he was worried he'd miss the slightest sign of some kind of distress, so he'd lay on the bed, his forehead against her shoulder, listening to her breathing. It was comforting, in a way, just to hear her breathing and to watch the slow rise and fall of her chest.
Kingsley usually simply sat there, holding one of Tonks' hands, staring at it. Whenever the baby was hungry, Kingsley left the room so that Remus could prop Tonks up and allow the baby to nurse.
On the third day, Sirius insisted they needed sleep and kicked Kingsley and Remus out of the bedroom, sending Kingsley to his own bed and Remus to Sirius'.
Remus fell asleep quickly, not realising how exhausted he was.
He was laying next to her, his arm wrapped around her, his hand gently cupping one of her breasts. It wasn't uncommon for them to sleep naked at this point. After all, Kingsley and Alastor had told them to keep a Silencing Charm up, and that they would only enter the room if Death Eaters came around- so Tonks was very relaxed about doing this. He pressed a kiss to the back of her shoulder, trailing his hand down her breast and down her waist, over her hip and towards her inner thigh.
He never thought of himself as a needy man, but he couldn't resist her. She sighed softly, her hand reaching back and stroking him.
"Good morning." He whispered as she turned her head, their lips meeting gently. She smiled against his mouth, as he shifted so he was leaning over her. He looked down at her, and her smile faded.
"Dora?" He asked.
"What are you doing?" She asked, frowning, her eyes looking panicked.
"What do you mean?"
"Let me go."
The scene shifted, and suddenly, he was leaning over her in a dark room, her clothes torn. Someone was laughing, and his body seemed to be controlled by someone else. She began to struggle, and he felt himself pressing his hands into her hips, holding her down. He looked up to see Bellatrix kneeling by her head, holding her arms down, laughing loudly as Tonks struggled and tried to free herself.
He looked down, watching his own movements, his fingers digging into her hips deeper, the Dark Mark on his arm burning slightly- the Dark Lord would no doubt be wanting information. She was young, her body was fit and firm in the exact places it should be, her few years as an Auror hadn't scarred her yet.
It wasn't difficult for him to finish quickly, and he purposefully made sure he thrust as hard and deep as he could- why not cause as much pain for her as possible? It only made her struggle more, and her struggling only made it better, in his opinion.
Remus woke up in a sweat, his heart pounding. Why would he dream that? Of all things...
While his wife was possibly dying, possibly before ever holding her own son, he had dreamed that he had been Rodolphus the night she was raped. The details, the thoughts... they had all been so realistic.
He got up, refusing to sleep any further. He felt shaken by the dream, and walked back to the bedroom, where Sirius was pacing, the baby in his arms. He looked up as Remus entered. "It's only been an hour, you can't have gotten much sleep." Sirius said.
"I need to find out." Remus said, walking over to the dresser, where the books were. "I need to know if he's mine."
"Are you alright, mate?"
"I just want to know. I just want to know if we have to keep an eye on him before full moon." Remus said.
"I thought it didn't matter."
"It doesn't." Remus snapped. "At least, not- Sirius, I'm going to be honest here. I don't care who it was that- I don't care whose- well, I don't care who fathered that baby-"
"You don't care whose sperm did the deed."
"Well- I guess if you wish to be so crude, yes." Remus said. "If I wasn't a werewolf, I wouldn't be finding out at all. That's the only reason I want to know."
"Remus, I thought you were planning to find out anyway." Sirius said. "What's wrong, mate?"
Remus kept flipping through the pages, swearing quietly when he gave himself a paper cut.
"Moony."
Remus finally turned to face Sirius. "What?" He demanded.
"What's wrong?" Sirius repeated. Remus knew Sirius knew he was lying. This had been stuff he had brought up before, and Sirius knew Remus far too well.
"My wife was raped, Sirius." Remus said. "And to think- God, we suspected. None of us did anything, though. No contraceptive potion, nothing. We just sat there, while his sperm was in her body. Do you ever think how she felt? That she knew, while it was happening, that she'd be simply stuck in that house for Merlin knows how long, Rodolphus using her in that way? And then later, to realise that out of all of us who wanted to help her, none of us did anything, Sirius! And now- now look what happened! All of this because at least Bellatrix knows how Dora conceived the baby! And it sure as Hell wasn't my doing!"
There was a gasp at the door, and they both looked to see Hermione standing there, holding a tray of tea. "I'm sorry!" She squeaked. "I didn't mean to- to hear, but- well, I thought- I thought maybe you'd want tea." Hermione managed to say.
"Thank you, Hermione." Sirius said quietly. "Perhaps just leave it with the books on the dresser."
Remus didn't realise he was crying until he felt something dripping down his cheeks. He turned away from Sirius and Hermione, looking at Tonks, who was pale and still on the bed. He wasn't sure how much Hermione had heard, and didn't want to.
"She's going to die, Sirius." Remus said quietly. "And we're just waiting for it to happen."
Unfortunately, all they could do was wait.