So, a day later with the update than I would have wanted but I have been super this weekend so please forgive me. haha
Please read, enjoy and review if you have a moment as I absoloutely love hearing your thoughts and it really spurs me on.
The Purple Black
She had been awoken from her nap by the burning sensation in her left arm. Dora groaned as she forced herself to sit upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and wiping the slight drool from her mouth.
"Shit." Dora sighed as she swung her legs from her bed, summoning her cloak and pulling on her boots.
She didn't bother with her mask, she was already a wanted woman and The Dark Lord had mentioned that the sight of a wanted criminal or two may do enough to strike some fear here and there. She had known that this task was coming, so thankfully she was already dressed the part, though her nap had only been an exercise to ensure that she was well rested for the evening's events. She had not meant to sleep for so long. She stepped into the hallway as she pulled on her cloak, waiting for a moment as she was sure her Aunt would soon follow her. But as another twinge coursed through her arm she knew that she could wait no longer and, a little confused, she left the protections of her wing and made her way down to what was now the meeting room.
"So nice of you to join us," Selwyn sneered as Nymphadora closed the heavy doors behind her, unable to help but flash a glare as Alecto sniggered from beside her brother.
"Is this it?" Dora asked, decidedly ignoring his remark, "Is it just the four of us?"
"Why?" Amycus raised an eyebrow, "Scared your Auntie isn't here to keep you safe?"
"I am more than capable of looking after myself, Amycus," Nymphadora hissed, "You're the one seemingly unable to go anywhere without your sister in tow, does she keep you safe? Or is it the other way around?"
"Silence," Selwyn growled as the siblings went to protest, Alecto reaching for her wand. "We have an important task to carry out."
"Do tell," Nymphadora smirked as she looked away from the glaring pair.
"Tonight is a mission to send a message," Selwyn said casually, though an air of excitement carried underneath his tone, "we have found the whereabouts of a member of The Order of the Phoenix, they are not as well protected as they think they are. We are to break down their measly protections and—after getting what information we can—kill them."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alecto grinned, "Let's go."
Selwyn rolled his eyes as if bored of the entire situation already. He quickly reeled off the address and the spot that they were to go to and without a second's notice he turned on the spot and left them to follow. Nymphadora quickly left, arriving mere inches from Selwyn she smirked and took a few paces back and looked around. They were in small wooded area, dim lights of houses clear in the distance she took a moment to take in the welcome light summer breeze. Two more sounds of apparation echoed behind her and she turned to raise an eyebrow at the Carrows.
"So nice of you to join us," Nymphadora teased, grinning when she was met with glares and turning only when Selwyn instructed them to move.
She was not naïve to the fact that she was not well loved by all of her comrades. A half-blood daughter of a blood traitor would hardly be a welcome sight to most blood puritans in most circumstances. Though she had her powers, her abilities special to only her, she also had Bellatrix. Her Aunt was forever the one to prove herself, to show up her comrades at the drop of a hat with both her own abilities and her strange relationship with their master. They were jealous, to a degree. She knew her fellow Death Eaters could not openly berate Bellatrix, could not make snide remarks to her face for fear of being submitted to her favourite curse, so they settled with open distaste of her 'little half-blood protégé'. She didn't care, she would prove to them that she was worthy of both the mark she bore and the special attentions of The Dark Lord's right-hand woman. She would wipe the smirks right off their faces, she had already done so with her little outing at the Ministry and was more than happy to do so again and again until she was just as feared and respected as her Aunt.
"Stop," hissed Selwyn, motioning to a small house at the end of the street, "this is primarily a wizarding neighbourhood, we need to enter without raising too many alarms."
"Shame," Amycus frowned, "I could have done some muggle baiting whilst in the area."
"We have one mission tonight, Amycus." Selwyn hissed, drawing his wand as they remained hidden in the shadows. "We need to act quickly, keep as hidden as possible as we surround the house and attack its wards from each side. They should crumble easily."
"What are we waiting for then?" Nymphadora smirked, though she waited for the small nod of the man beside her before she continued on to the house in question.
She decided she would bring up the front with Selwyn, allowing the two Carrows to stride around to the back of the building. She was almost waiting for a large attack, such as the last time she had been near an Order member's home, a twinge ran through her scarred back at the mere memory of the event. But this wouldn't be like that night, this was far more simple and far less likely to bring the attention of the woman's comrades or the Ministry until they had wanted it to. She smirked at the idea.
Within minutes the signal came to tear down the wards and with one swift motion she brought down her wand to slice through the invisible protections as if she were cutting through some coarse fabric. The wards fell, a light came on in the top front window and Nymphadora Tonks gave a devilish grin.
Knowing they had little time to get to her before she could call for help she ran forward, just behind Selwyn as she cast their own wards upon the perimeter to stop the woman escaping from their grasp. He tore the door down, barely paying much notice to the two Carrows as they reached them in the middle of the home. Nymphadora turned to her side, noticing the stairs, knowing where their victim lay. She ran to her like a hungry animal ready for its next meal.
The woman stood in her bedroom doorway, wand pointed directly at her ready to fight. She couldn't help but grin at her, the woman put on a good display of false bravery but she was not easily fooled, it was a show that soon faltered as she saw the other three come up behind her.
"Aw," Nymphadora tilted her head to the side, mocking the woman, "scared? I would be if I were you."
"You don't scare me," Emmeline Vance spoke firmly, despite the small quiver in her voice.
"Are you sure?" Alecto laughed, "Because you look scared enough to me."
"In fact," Dora smirked, "your hand is shaking, your eyes are a little wide and you're very much outnumbered right now. You look terrified."
"I warn you, I will call the Order and the Ministry here at a moment's notice!" Emmeline yelled, trying to sound strong-willed and unafraid but her voice cracked at the effort and the effect was lost.
"If you could have you would have by now," Selwyn said simply.
The lone woman stared at her assailants, unmoving for a few moments as if she was considering her options. Nymphadora watched her with a smug smirk, knowing that the witch was doomed and slightly amused that she would even try to think of a way out of her situation. Though after a few moments of silence the young witch sighed.
"I'm bored," She tightened her grip on her wand, moving forward as she was pleased to see the witch back away from her ever so slightly.
"Enough nonsense," Amycus drawled, throwing a curse at the woman almost casually.
It was enough to start the game. Emmeline immediately tried to deflect it, managing only to throw it slightly of course as Nymphadora had to jump to the side of the small corridor to avoid being hit. She growled, throwing spell after spell at the woman to force her further into the bedroom behind her. She grinned, not caring that her peers clearly found it amusing to see if she could deal with the woman on her own. She knew she could. It took barely minutes of duelling the witch but as it became clear that, although she could injure the woman (which was evident from the cuts and forming bruises on the woman's face and arms), she could not easily disarm her. She noted the curtains behind her, smirking as a quick silently cast Incendio caused them to burst into flame. Emmeline screamed, jumping out of the way to stop her robes catching alight and it was within that moment that Nymphadora found her advantage. In her momentary distraction she disarmed her with ease, catching her wand in one hand as with the other she quickly twisted ropes around the woman's body and laughed as she went crashing to the floor.
"Don't burn the place down whilst we're inside!" Amycus yelled as Selwyn and Alecto ran over to put out the flames.
"That's for after, no?" Nymphadora smirked as the struggling form of Emmeline Vance glared up at her, "Nice of you to step in and help though."
"You seemed perfectly capable, Tonks," Alecto said.
"You know," Nymphadora sighed, putting her boot on the struggling witch and rolling her onto her back, "I would almost take that as a compliment if you weren't such an intolerable, sarcastic bitch."
"You—!"
"Stop it," Selwyn hissed, storming over to the witch on the floor, "you know the drill, Miss Vance. Tell us information that is of use to us."
"Go to hell," Vance spat.
"No thank you," Nymphadora smirked, "Crucio,"
The witch squirmed on the floor, holding out for barely a second before a blood-curdling scream rebounded off of the four walls of the room. Nymphadora watched the woman writhing under her spell for a few moments before with a sigh, she released the curse. Emmeline panted for breath, feebly trying to pull her arms free from her bonds as her face remained scrunched up against the small jolts of pain still running through her as the curse's effects wore off.
"Information," Nymphadora said simply.
"What are Dumbledore's plans?" Alecto asked, with an air of slight boredom.
They knew that trying to get information from the woman was a useless task, she would remain silent on the topic as if her lips were sewn shut, but they had to ask. The woman looked up to glare at her captors. It was all too predictable.
"Maybe we should just drive her insane . . ." Dora mused.
"Can't come up with any original ideas, Nymphadora?" Amycus sniggered.
"It sends a message," Nymphadora hissed, shooting a glare at the man.
"If she does not speak, she dies," Selwyn said simply.
"I won't speak," Emmeline said from the floor, her voice admirably steady as she signed her own death warrant.
"Sounds fine by me," Alecto rolled her eyes, "let's kill the bitch quick so we can get out of here."
"Scared we're going to get caught out?" Nymphadora teased.
"She just has more sense than you, Nymphadora," Amycus smirked, "Don't be jealous."
"Enough!" Selwyn growled, "Stop squabbling like children and concentrate!"
A dry and quiet laugh sounded from the floor and Nymphadora furrowed her brows in annoyance at the woman.
"You're pathetic . . ." Emmeline said, "you won't win this war, you can barely keep your side together, you—"
The woman was cut off, her words turning into a yell of pain as Nymphadora swiped her wand across her and a large cut appeared on her side. "I'm taking credit for this death," Nymphadora hissed "when they find your corpse, they'll know it was me."
The others didn't argue, merely watching as she got to work. Mere minutes passed and Nymphadora Tonks did not need the killing curse to finish off her victim, though she used it for good measure. The mangled body of Emmeline Vance lay in a pool of her own blood, her bonds long torn apart from the force of the spells Nymphadora had used to destroy her. She stepped away from the witch, finally satisfied and amused to see that her fellow Death Eaters all had a mild look that let the witch know she had impressed them.
"And how," Selwyn was the first to eventually speak, "will they know it was you?"
Nymphadora smirked, pointing her wand at the witch's hair "Crinus Muto," she watched as the witch's hair turned a deep purple, "well, this might send the message. Maybe I'll make it my mark." Dora sighed satisfactorily and turned to the others with an innocent smile, "Well, speaking of marks, I'll let one of you do that shall I?"
Alecto grunted and left the room to cast the dark mark, the others following behind him as they went to leave the scene of their little task.
Nymphadora couldn't contain her residual excitement as she returned to Malfoy Manor, practically giggling with joy as she entered the wing that she shared with Bellatrix.
"You look happy," Narcissa commented, making the girl frown slightly as she was confused to see her in their particular section of her home, "dare I ask what you've been up to?"
"No," Dora shook her head, "probably best not to."
"I see," Narcissa nodded, walking past her and pausing briefly to the concealed exit to the wing, "maybe try not to excite your Aunt Bella tonight."
"Why?" Dora frowned.
"She . . . She is tired," Narcissa shook her head, saying no more as she left, leaving the girl even more perplexed at her appearance than she had been when she first saw her.
She didn't bother to heed her warning, knowing that no matter how tired her Aunt was that she would want to hear all about her outing and her successes. She knocked quickly on her door.
"I told you I'm fine, Cissa!" Bellatrix hissed from within the room.
"Um . . ." Dora bit her lip, "I'm not Aunt Cissa . . ." she put her hand on the door, waiting for her Aunt to let her in though she frowned as she was still greeted by silence, "Aunt Bella?"
". . . Come in," Bellatrix sighed from within.
Nymphadora entered the room slowly and carefully, frowning as she saw her Aunt laid on her bed. "I can come back . . . ?"
"No," Bellatrix shook her head, going to sit up though giving up after a moment and sighing as she settled for propping herself up on her pillows, "shut the door."
The young woman did as she was told, moving over to her Aunt and sitting herself cross-legged on the end of her bed as she leant back on one of the four posters. She couldn't help but ask her Aunt "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Bellatrix hissed, carrying on quickly as she saw her niece go to defend her line of questioning, "I think the house elf is trying to poison me, I just need to lay down for a bit. What did you want me for? Have you been out? I felt you leave the wards of the wing."
"Yes," Nymphadora let herself smirk slightly, a look that was quickly returned by her Aunt, "I went on a little adventure."
"Oh?" Bellatrix cocked an eyebrow in intrigue, "Do tell."
"Oh, we just went to some Order hags house," Dora said casually, giggling as she saw her Aunt smirk at her, she went on to explain the night in great detail. Telling her Aunt all about how the other Death Eaters had clearly thought her incapable and how she had proven them wrong by brutally murdering one of Dumbledore's own. "I think Selwyn was more than a little impressed. He said," Nymphadora scowled as she imitated the man, "well done, I suppose." She rolled her eyes with a smirk then looked back to her Aunt, "I can't wait for the papers tomorrow. You think they'll mention the fact I morphed her hair purple?"
"I would suppose so," Bellatrix said, "you're right in thinking that they will most likely take it as a mark of the girl who once ran around Hogwarts with purple hair. Knowing those idiots they'll probably try to pass off that mark as you working alone, less likely to scare than reporting on a group of Death Eaters raiding an 'innocent woman's' home and brutally murdering them. The Dark Lord will be pleased."
"You think?" Dora tried to hold back her grin to no avail.
"Yes," Bellatrix nodded, leaning her head back on her headboard and taking a deep breath before she continued, "it's nice to have individual Death Eaters that can terrify filth with their name alone, like me," she smirked slightly, "keep it up and you'll be just as feared."
Nymphadora smiled slightly at the thought, though as she watched her Aunt she couldn't help her concern bubbling up in the pit of her stomach again, "Aunt Bella—"
"I'm fine," Bellatrix said firmly, opening one of her eyes for a moment to look at the girl before she sighed. Closing her eyes she reached a hand out for her niece and pulled her down to lay beside her. She wrapped one arm around her, stroking Nymphadora's hair absentmindedly as the girl rested her head on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Nymphadora murmured, absentmindedly playing with a loose thread on her Aunt's dress as she rested into her.
"No reason . . ." Bellatrix said casually, "I just thought you would be missing a certain someone . . ."
"I—" Nymphadora bit her lip, not caring for her Aunt's skilful turn of the conversation as she tried to think of something to say, "Who?"
"Just a certain man currently residing in Azkaban," Bellatrix mused.
"You're trying to change the subject."
"So are you." Bellatrix laughed slightly, "I am your Aunt, I'm allowed to divert conversations should I wish to."
". . . Aunt Cissa talked to you, didn't she?" Nymphadora sighed.
"You spoke to Narcissa about him?" Bellatrix looked down at the girl curiously, moving her hand underneath her chin to gently goad her to look up at her. She frowned as the girl looked up at her with her wide dark eyes, "What happened to the days when you would tell me all of your secrets, Dora? You would share everything with me . . . You can come to me with these things . . ."
"I was worried you'd hurt him," Nymphadora said truthfully, "you were quite stern with him to stay away from me."
Bellatrix let out a breath, pressing the girls head into her shoulder again. She lay in silence for a few moments before she quietly spoke again, "Is he good to you?"
"Yes," Dora said without hesitation.
"You don't believe he would hurt you?"
"No."
"Do you love him?"
". . . Maybe," Nymphadora said carefully.
". . . Be careful, Nymphadora," Bellatrix sighed, "He is not necessarily mentally stable and I do not wish for him to hurt you."
"He wouldn't," Dora said quickly.
"Well then . . ." Bellatrix said, "I cannot stop you from continuing this . . . relationship. Just heed my warning and know you can—and must—come to me should anything happen. Understood?"
"Yes, Aunt Bellatrix," Nymphadora said, closing her eyes as she let herself relax in her Aunt's embrace.
"Good . . ." Bellatrix murmured, "now shush. I am tired and you seem to be too."
Nymphadora couldn't help but agree, the night's events had taken it out of her and her earlier nap was not satisfactory. For now she was merely grateful that her Aunt had not pitched a fit at the news of her and Barty's relationship and decided not to press further into her own state of wellbeing. Though she was sure to make a mental note to pick up on that topic as soon as was appropriate, something was wrong with her Aunt and she was doubtful of the excuse of the house elf trying to poison her.
So, I hope you enjoyed, please leave a review if you have a moment (I have a not so secret love of reviews haha).
The Purple Black