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*****
Also, good news, guys!
I am starting a sequel for this! So, it will follow whoever survives! Yay!
I promised a sequel last time and didn't deliver. I also didn't deliver an ending. I will deliver BOTH!
"Well, it's not terrible." Tonks said, her grey eyes studying Hermione's- now her own- face. "I must admit, Sirius was right. I really don't look my best."
"Will that help, though?" Hermione asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I mean, not to be rude, but you- well, you definitely look like you've been ill."
"Ill would be an understatement, Hermione, but yes." Tonks said. "The hair's a little too short, but we can manage."
Tonks stood, heading for the closet. "Now, your shoes won't matter much, the robes will cover them. However, you'll need a pair of mine. We have different shoe sizes." She said, grabbing a pair of her work boots. "Easiest to run in, trust me."
"Run... in?" Hermione asked. She really didn't want to think about the fact they may have to flee.
"Just in case." Tonks assured her, looking through her robes. She pulled out a black set of robes. "These might work. I haven't worn them since I was nineteen, that was for Kingsley's brother's funeral." She walked over to the bed, dropping the robes and shoes. "Now... we need to work on the transfiguration. I feel weird asking this, but also I don't think it should be weird at all, because it is technically my body... can you take your clothes off? Leave your underwear and stuff on, but it might be easier to transfigure that way..."
Hermione was quiet for a moment, and then nodded. She stood, pulling her shirt off. Tonks walked to her dresser, digging through a drawer and grabbing a bra. "You'll need this. Unfortunately." Tonks said, and Hermione took it.
"What if the black robes don't fit?" Hermione asked, turning away from Tonks and unclasping the bra she was wearing. Hermione found it funny, because while that was something Hermione generally did around others- this was Tonks' body she was hiding from Tonks. "Oh my God..." Hermione whispered, as she put on the new bra, her eyes noticing the jagged scar across Tonks' abdomen. She also noticed there were a couple of faded scars, possibly from a different attack?
"What? Are you alright?" Tonks asked.
Hermione turned around, brushing a finger over the scar across her abdomen. "And this is... healed?"
"I'm debating that." Tonks said. "It still hurts sometimes. Plus, the breast engorgement isn't fun. We can make it work, though. No one will see the scars, we'll transfigure your chest- Bellatrix is very slim, I currently don't have the same body as she does and never did, honestly. We'll make you look as close as we can."
Tonks worked quickly, transfiguring everything she could from the neck down, before handing Hermione the black robes. They were a little too tight, even with Tonks' work, but they'd do. Once Hermione turned back, they'd fit her much better. Tonks transfigured Hermione's hair longer, until it reached her waist, and then ran her fingers through the curls, messing them up, apologising when her wedding ring snagged a strand of hair and Hermione yelped quietly.
"So, Hermione..." Tonks began slowly, twisting and tugging gently at the curls to mess them up.
"Yes?"
"I've been trying to figure it out for a while, but... is it Ron or Harry?"
"I'm sorry?" Hermione asked, startled.
"You're interested in one of them, which is it?"
"I- well, it's not important. Not now." Hermione said, but then sighed. "It's neither of them."
"Who is it? Does he know?" Tonks asked.
"I doubt it."
"You should tell him."
"It's probably just some silly teenage thing, and like I said-"
"You know what's a silly teenage thing? Dropping someone because they lost your team a Quidditch match, not this." Tonks said.
"Are you saying you broke it off with someone who lost a match, or...?" Hermione asked slowly. She really didn't understand how people could take Quidditch so seriously.
"No, I lost Hufflepuff a match." Tonks said. "I was a Beater, I missed a bludger and it hit our Seeker, and we lost. After the game, a boy in seventh year came up to me and said he no longer fancied me. I still have no idea who he was."
"How old were you?"
"Sixth year." Tonks said. "Said he had fancied me for about a year, but losing a game like that..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, that's an awful thing for someone to do."
"It's fine, I doubt I was going to marry the bloke." Tonks said. "However, I've noticed you lot seem a lot more mature than kids were when I was in school. Must be the war. So, I doubt your feelings are a simple 'silly teenage thing'. Maybe you should talk to whoever he is."
Hermione was quiet for a minute, while Tonks continued her assault on her hair. "Is this going to work?" Hermione asked.
"I don't see why not, Bellatrix clearly never learned how to care for her curly hair. Or perhaps, she doesn't have the time, with all the murdering she's doing-"
"I meant the Gringotts plan." Hermione said as Tonks finally picked her wand up again and began to focus on Hermione's face.
"Oh. Well... I can see flaws, but no plan is ever flawless." Tonks said. "There's something that just doesn't seem right, and I can't figure it out."
"Doesn't seem right...?" Hermione asked. "With the plan?"
"No, with your- well, my face." Tonks said. "Could be the age thing, could be the nose. I have no idea. I'm going to get Sirius, he'll be better at helping me with this part."
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror as Tonks left. She honestly had to admit, she didn't see any resemblance to Bellatrix. She wondered if that was because she knew it had been Tonks' hair, and Tonks had much kinder features than Bellatrix. Even with the poisoning, Tonks still didn't look nearly as bad as Bellatrix did at times- even though Bellatrix had a certain aristocratic beauty, she had clearly lost some of that while imprisoned in Azkaban. In Tonks' case, Hermione believed the Blacks' aristocratic looks may have been softened by the introduction of Muggleborn genes.
As she waited, she found herself wondering about the outcome of the war. What would happen to everyone if Harry died? What if they couldn't find all of the Horcruxes?
And what if they did find all of the Horcruxes, but still lost Harry? Could any of them kill Voldemort in that case? Would they be able to?
"It's probably just because she looks too young." Sirius' voice said, as Hermione heard two people enter the room. Hermione turned, and Sirius made a 'huh' noise. "No, I see what you mean now."
"Aren't you supposed to be disguised?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not going with you." Sirius said. "We figured that one person being seen with Bellatrix is safe enough. Two, however, may draw attention. Especially if Bellatrix is going to Gringotts."
"However, we don't exactly have a Bellatrix here, do we?" Tonks asked.
"Not yet." Sirius said, pulling out his wand. "I'd say we have an Andromeda instead. The hair's too light, face too round, eyes too nice- Hermione, you need to look mean. And you look too young."
Sirius first transfigured Hermione to look older, pausing when he was sure she looked old enough. "Should we bring Remus up here, let him see what you'll like in twenty years or so?" He asked Tonks. Hermione glanced in the mirror, and she had to admit- while she did look a little more like Bellatrix, she really hadn't changed much at all. She found it interesting that witches and wizards seemed to age a lot slower than Muggles.
"No, he'll have a heart attack if he thinks I won't ever look old enough to his wife. Besides, aging through transfiguration and aging naturally are different. For all we know, I could look like Ron's Great Aunt Muriel by the time I'm fifty." Tonks said. "However, you're right about the nice thing. Hermione, can't you try to look mean?"
"I- I guess I could try." Hermione said, and she tried to look a little tougher, but judging by their facial expressions, she wasn't doing a very good job. "I don't know what you need me to do."
"Well, maybe it's not just you." Sirius said, tracing his wand along Hermione's cheeks. "Maybe it's the Muggle genes, most of them are far nicer than Bellatrix."
"As Kingsley once told me, some people have more kindness in their little fingers than Death Eaters have in their whole bodies." Tonks said. "Perhaps that's why we can't make her look mean? Because she isn't?"
"I can be mean!" Hermione objected.
"No, I agree. Hermione can be mean." Sirius said. "I'm thinking it's because you look too innocent, Dora."
"Why do you think I'm such a good Auror?" Tonks asked. "Dark Wizards never expect the innocent looking ones."
"Unfortunately, that tactic doesn't work here." Sirius said. "Bellatrix never looks innocent." Sirius turned his attention to Hermione's hair again.
"What if the potion wears off?" Hermione asked. "While we're trying to make me resemble her?"
"It won't, there was enough for a few hours. And the transfiguration should make it last longer anyway." Sirius said. "Alright, I think this is the closest we can get."
Hermione turned to the mirror again. She had to admit, she now looked a little more like Bellatrix, but still didn't look as menacing. However, she figured transfiguration wouldn't help with that.
She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on Tonks' boots. "Are Harry and Ron ready?"
Sirius nodded. "Ron is very unrecognizable." He said. "Now, Hermione, you've been practising with the patronus, I trust you to send me a message as soon as you can. Let me know you're all safe."
Hermione nodded. "I will."
Hours passed with no word from anyone who had gone to Gringotts. Tonks and Remus went to bed, both tired from handling Teddy, only to be woken by Teddy's loud cries as someone banged on their door.
"Remus! They're going to Hogwarts, the Order is needed!" Sirius yelled, as Remus jumped out of bed and rushed to the door. Tonks got out of bed to grab Teddy.
"Sirius, are you insane? You woke Teddy!" Remus snapped, opening the door.
"Mate, you coming to fight or not?" Sirius asked.
"No." Tonks said, and Remus looked at her. "Remus, stay here."
"Dora-"
"Remus, please." Tonks said.
Remus sighed, walking over to Dora. He pulled off his wedding ring, placing it in her hand, closing her first around it. "Give that back to me when I return. I promise I'll come back, for both of you." Remus said. "I need to fight, this could be it, Dora. This could be the end."
"Dean, Luna and Kingsley are going with me." Sirius said. "Alastor wanted to, but he hasn't got a wand and is half blind. He'll remain here with Dora. Now, Dora, I promise I will do everything I can to ensure Remus comes back. If things get too rough, I'll make him return to you."
Tonks was quiet for a moment. "Then I suppose you should get dressed, Remus."
Sirius nodded, leaving the room and heading downstairs. Remus got dressed quickly, and Tonks followed him downstairs too. At the bottom of the stairs, he turned to her. "I'm coming back." Remus promised, before pressing a kiss to Teddy's forehead and a kiss to her lips. "For both of you."
With that, he was gone, following the others from the house. It felt far too quiet suddenly, even though it wasn't any quieter than it would have been in the last few evenings around this time.
"You may as well come and have some tea." Alastor said, and she nodded. She walked down the last step, heading over to place Teddy in the bassinet next to the couch, before sitting on the couch next to Alastor. He handed her a mug of tea, which felt warm and comforting in her hands. Alastor placed something on the table, and she realised it was the letter from her parents. "King found this in your jacket a while ago. You really should read it."
"I really don't want to."
"It may help distract you for a while." Alastor said, and she sighed. She set down the tea, picking up the envelope. She tore it open, pulling out three pieces of folded parchment filled with neat cursive.
Dear Nymphadora,
It has been one year since we were taken prisoner. I don't know why they decided to keep me alive after killing Ted a few days after we were captured, but I am grateful for this opportunity.
All I can say is that I hope you never have to face a world as dark as the one we currently live in. I hope that by the time you're old enough to understand and remember things around you, the war might be over.
I've written to Kingsley and Alastor as well, asking that they ensure you get this when they think you're ready. I hope that Narcissa keeps her promise and sends these to the two locations I asked her to, because I need you to know all of this, to understand the situation as it truly happened.
I just hope you can forgive me one day.
When I was seventeen, shortly before I completed Hogwarts, I agreed to leave Ted and marry a pureblood. I believed it was the right move. I found out I was pregnant two weeks before I was set to marry Rabastan Lestrange. I lied, convincing him the baby was his.
Truth is, the baby wasn't. Ted and I had been sneaking around all summer, certain we could maintain an affair even if I married Rabastan. The idea of that was thrilling.
Bellatrix found out, but agreed to lie for me as long as I stopped seeing Ted. I couldn't do that, so I left. Narcissa wrote to me, saying I had been disowned and that Rabastan was demanding I return the heir of Lestrange to him. I never told him, and I don't plan to.
Nymphadora, you are a halfblood, and I could not be happier with that information. Even if I am killed, even if Bellatrix tries to find you, you will know the truth. I don't know if you will ever find out about this before I reading this, but Alastor and Kingsley know. You deserve to know anyway, even if you never meet Bellatrix.
You deserve to know the truth behind our disappearance as well. I know you may never forgive us for this, but the truth is... we went willingly.
When Bellatrix showed up, she was only with Rodolphus and three other Death Eaters we didn't recognise. I begged her not to take you after Rodolphus and another Death Eater had already taken Ted. For some reason, she agreed, as long as I went with them. Perhaps she was mad that she had been unable to produce an heir for the Lestrange family, and the idea that you could possibly be the heir angered her immensely. I was grateful when she said she wouldn't kill you, but I didn't realise that meant she'd leave you to die. I didn't know that was what she had done until later.
A few days after we were imprisoned, I remember overhearing Bellatrix yelling at Lucius. Apparently, Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt had filed for permanent guardianship of their goddaughter- you. I don't know when the verdict will be delivered on who gets you, but I sincerely hope Lucius and Narcissa lose. You will not survive if you are placed with the Malfoys, I am sure of it.
I love you, please know that. Your father loved you. We never wanted you to be hurt by my family.
Please don't hate us. Please understand, we thought it was the best thing to do. Had I known I would have been fleeing anyway, I would have concealed my pregnancy. They would have never known about you, and there would have been no reason for them to come after us.
This was our fault, and we just want you safe. You don't deserve to pay for our mistakes, Nymphadora, and I am so sorry if you ever do.
And we thought going without a fight was best. I really hope one day you'll understand just how much we love you, and how much we wanted to protect you.
I truly hope you found a family with Alastor and Kingsley. I hope you'll have everything you need, you'll have our Gringotts vault. I know none of what we leave you will ever repair what we've done, but it will help. I hope.
I hope you know that we love you, and always will.
Love,
Your Mother