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The Purple Black
"You dare insult his name with such cheap tricks!?" Bellatrix screeched at Lucius, the man concentrating all of his efforts on not backing away from his sister-in-law as she stormed towards him.
The two families had quickly left the campsite, putting on a show of niceties in front of the group of Ministry wizards they had found their way to before saying they would be returning to their own homes accordingly. Of course, this had not happened. Bellatrix was in a fury and she was not about to allow Lucius to get away with his follies. Bellatrix had grabbed Nymphadora and apparated her straight into the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor (Rodolphus had joined them upon arriving home to an empty manor and promptly realising where his wife had truly apparated to).
"Do not storm into my home and talk to me in such a manner, Bellatrix." Lucius narrowed his eyes at the woman, his gaze periodically flickering to her currently sheathed wand.
"Talk to you in such a manner!?" Bellatrix hissed, "You are lucky I didn't curse you to insanity the moment I found you on that campsite!"
"Bella—" Narcissa spoke in a tone that attempted to soothe her sister, though as soon as her deathly glare turned on herself she could not help but stop in her tracks.
"Don't you Bella me." Bellatrix growled, "Did you know about this?! Did you agree this was a good idea!?"
"Of course I didn't." Narcissa argued, "He talked to Rodolphus first, did he not warn you? I thought you would want to join in, I thought such barbaric activities were just your sort of thing."
"It was not acting on orders! You abandoned him, you denied him so do not give me such rubbish excuses to say you were doing this for him." Bellatrix spat before mocking the man with her childlike tone "What was it you told the Ministry, Lucius? That you were under the imperius? Or did you just throw money at them this time?"
Nymphadora shared a glance with her cousin, both were standing back awkwardly as they were sure they did not want to get in the middle of this particular argument. Though personally Nymphadora couldn't help but agree with her Aunt; she was slowly starting to feel that Bellatrix perhaps should go back to her previous idea of cursing some sense into the blonde idiot.
"I did what I had to keep my family together—we all did." Lucius spoke as calmly as he could, though this calmness only seemed to ignite Bellatrix's fury further. As Rodolphus' spoke the man's name in a warning manner, though it was too late.
"I never abandoned him! I have been searching for him since that night all of those years ago!" Nymphadora was sure she had not seen her Aunt this furious before, it was beautifully terrifying, but Merlin was it fun to watch.
"You know as well as I do that the only reason we did not go to Azkaban for our crimes was because Barty and Rabastan testified that they were the only ones there. We weren't seen." Rodolphus interjected, his voice low as his own anger now bubbled below the surface. "We were never questioned, we only lied to the extent that The Dark Lord had trained us to lie about our activities. We have always been faithful. We continue to search. Whereas you secretly pray that you can live your life undisturbed by your duty."
"I do not—"
"You will be the one begging for mercy when he returns, Lucius Malfoy." Bellatrix hissed, letting her husband take her hand, "We will be the ones rewarded for never stopping. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed you."
"That is enough!" Narcissa cried, causing both Draco and Nymphadora to jump slightly at the rare occurrence of Narcissa Malfoy raising her voice in such a fashion. "Do not talk to my husband like that in our home in front of our son! I will not permit it! Now leave, if you wish to have these sorts of discussions do so in your own home but I have had enough!" Narcissa took a deep breath before she looked to her son, her prim and proper decorum returning instantly going to him and taking his arm in her own. "Come on Lucius, I'm tired and I wish to go to bed."
Nymphadora's jaw nearly fell open, she couldn't believe Narcissa had managed it but sure enough—with one last glare at the Lestrange couple—Lucius Malfoy simply turned and walked the stairs to go to bed.
"He's not worth your efforts." Rodolphus said after a moment of the Malfoy's departure.
"Don't think I've forgotten that you didn't stop this foolishness." Bellatrix scoffed and without a moment's notice, she gripped tightly onto her husband's hand and disapparated, leaving Dora dumfounded before she quickly returned home to the manor.
It was that night's incident that had led Nymphadora Tonks to be left in Diagon Alley to shop with Narcissa alone that day. It had been previously planned that Bellatrix would go with them, but since that night Bellatrix had decided her anger had temporarily stretched to her sister too. Nymphadora didn't mind spending time with her Aunt Narcissa, though as she sat in Twilfit and Tatings watching her pick out yet another dress that she thought would be 'perfect for her complexion' Dora was starting to get bored.
"You know," Dora sighed as she stood up from the wall she was leaning on, "it may suit me today, but what about tomorrow?"
"What do you mean?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that shade of pink might look 'lovely' on me today, but what if tomorrow I decide I want florescent orange hair?"
"You wouldn't suit florescent orange hair." Narcissa shrugged, though she put the dress back regardless.
"Well, I could change my appearance to make myself suit it." Dora smirked, "Aunt Bella said it doesn't matter what colour hair I have anyway and I agree; my hair should not be restricted because of my dress colour."
"You cannot have a wardrobe full of black dresses, Nymphadora." Narcissa shook her head as the girl went to the darker dresses.
"I'm not saying black." Dora rolled her eyes before running her hand through the dresses, "This is a very dark green, this is a very dark blue, this is a very dark red—"
"They're near black."
"Aunt Bella wears a lot of black." Dora argued.
"Yes well if I thought I had any chance of convincing my sister to put a bit of colour in her wardrobe I would but she is a lost cause." Narcissa rolled her eyes, though she walked over to the darker dresses anyway.
"I don't think Aunt Bella would suit pale pink frocks." Dora grinned, "Could you imagine it?"
"No." Narcissa couldn't help but laugh. "But you would suit it . . . amuse me, Nymphadora. I've never had a daughter to play dress up with."
Nymphadora considered the woman for a moment, a playful smirk on her lips before she sighed dramatically, "Go on then. But I get the final say—and you're paying."
"Well, that hardly matters to me." Narcissa scoffed, looking rather smug with herself as she went back over to the more colourful dresses.
Nymphadora watched her Aunt for a few moments, though soon decided it was best not to watch what colourful hideous things she was pulling out as she went to look out of the window instead. The street was quite quiet, considering that it was the height of summer and the students would be returning to Hogwarts soon, though children still ran along the street with their exhausted parents in tow. Nymphadora smiled wistfully at the sight, remembering when that had been her own mother running after her. That was when she saw her, jumping in shock at the sound of the hat stand Dora had previously had her hand on tumbled to the floor.
"Oh Dora, what are you doing?" Narcissa frowned.
"N-Nothing." Dora clambered to get to the fallen stand, busying herself with righting it and ensuring the hat was on just right, "Stumbled—It's hot in here."
Narcissa frowned at the girl for a moment, "Why don't you get some air?"
"I couldn't leave you in here alone." Dora shook her head, her eyes flickering to Andromeda Tonks walking closer towards the shop as the girl could begin to feel her heart beat in her chest. She wasn't sure why, but out of all the people that she could possibly bump into the person she would want to see least in the world was undoubtedly her mother. They had not left on good terms, she knew that seeing the woman in public would be awkward but it was an awkwardness she had managed to go years avoiding and she planned to keep it that way. It was as it became obvious that her mother was walking straight to the shop however that there was only one way to attempt to avoid it. "I'm going to get a drink!" Dora rushed, "Get whatever you want, I don't care—I'll come find you later."
"Dora—"
It was too late. The small brass bell chiming above the door seemed to echo through her entire being. Narcissa stopped and stared at the woman, a slight look of realisation coming over her before in a flash it was replaced by her usual pureblood mask devoid of any emotion as her once sister mimicked the same appearance.
"Narcissa." Andromeda said curtly, though the blonde witch merely let out a small sound of acknowledgement. It was then that the older witch moved her gaze, spotting her only child standing rigid, hopelessly trying to portray the same air of uncaring as she tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her ear. The two witches locked eyes, neither saying a word to each other as they stood in an awkward silence.
"I didn't think you could afford to shop in places such as this, Andromeda." Narcissa said quickly, a harsh sting to her words though as Andromeda Tonks pulled her gaze away from her once daughter the youngest witch could not help but feel grateful for the interruption to their silent staring contest.
"I have disposable income, Narcissa." Andromeda said to her sister, her tone making it sound as if she was merely discussing the weather in contrast to responding to such an insult. "I don't have many expenses nowadays."
Nymphadora forced herself to stay still, sharing a discreet glance with her Aunt as she prayed for the ground to swallow her whole. It was at that moment that the shop owner came to the front of the store, completely disregarding the obvious tension in the room as she greeted her newest customer. It was as Andromeda began to speak to the shop owner that Nymphadora decided she couldn't stay there anymore.
"I'll come find you later, Aunt Cissa." Dora tried to sound as strong and confident as her Aunt could, though she feared the emotion in her voice seeped through as Andromeda turned slightly at the sound of her voice. She didn't care. She quickly went to the door, leaving the shop door banging shut behind her as she made a break for Knockturn Alley determined to get a strong drink at the White Wyvern to attempt to calm her nerves. It was as she got to the entrance of the street that she felt the hand on her arm. She quickly turned, her hand reaching for her wand on instinct though freezing as she saw her mother staring back at her. The emotion on her mother's face was showing clearly now (though Dora suspected it was still showing far less emotion than what the woman was truly experiencing), it took a few moments for the metamorphmagus to regain her senses before she snapped "Get off me!"
Andromeda immediately let go of the woman's arm "Dora . . ." she breathed, "how are you?"
"How am I?" Dora couldn't help but laugh, not having to see her mother's eyes glance to her hair to know that her previously black hair was turning red. "Are you being serious? You don't talk to me for five years and that's your first question?"
"I—" Andromeda winced slightly as she tried to think of something better to say, "I worry about you."
"Well don't." Nymphadora snarled. "You disowned me, mother."
"You left me no choice!" Andromeda snapped, though quickly tried to compose herself as she took note of the witches and wizards watching them as they walked past. "You were the one that wanted to leave."
"Because you wouldn't even let me talk to my own Aunt!" Dora did not care if people were watching her, especially if it made Andromeda Tonks uncomfortable, "I had to go live with Aunt Bellatrix and Uncle Rodolphus, they care far more than you ever did."
"Dora they're—I'm not getting into this argument again." Andromeda shook her head, "I just want to know you're safe—that you're happy."
"A lot happier than I ever was living with you." Dora hissed, "I have freedom, I can do anything I want and Aunt Bella encourages me every step of the way—unlike you."
"Dora, I cared, I still care." Andromeda said, taking a deep breath to control her emotions before she shook her head. "She's gotten to you too much . . . just maybe try to write to me and tell me you're still alive for Merlin's sake. If not for me for your father, he misses you. The whole situation upset him terribly . . ."
"Well, we know who is to blame for that." Dora glared at the woman, turning on the spot just as she was going to speak and storming off down Knockturn Alley. She didn't care, her mother didn't care about her, not truly, so why should she care about her? She couldn't remember the last time she was so angry, determined to scream and break something in her anger as her internal dialogue ran rampant in her mind.
She wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Perhaps if she was she would have realised that the reason she fell over as she went to duck into a side alley to calm herself was not due to her own clumsiness but a tripping hex. Perhaps she would have heard the footsteps of the man that had been followed her, having listened to her entire conversation with her mother from the shadows of Knockturn. It was only as the strange hooded man approached her that she realised what was going on. But as she lay on her stomach, her hands grazed from the fall, she didn't stand a chance as she scrambled for her wand.
She hissed in pain as a hand pulled on her hair to pull her from the floor, the other hand digging a wand into the small of her back. She didn't even get a chance to think to yell for help as with a feeling of pure dread she was forced into side along apparation.
Oh I love a cliffhanger every now and then haha I hope you enjoyed, please do leave me a review if you have a moment!
The Purple Black