Narcissa Malfoy was every bit the Pureblood she was raised to be. She always dressed impeccably, she memorised perfectlythe proper etiquette as a Pureblood lady who was part of the elite society, she could tell which one diamond was fake even from ten feet away. When she met someone new, it would only take Narcissa less than three minutes to determine whether they were Purebloods or half-bloods or filthy scum. But there was more than that to be a proper Pureblood. She knew that there were other values that she had to uphold. When Narcissa was just a little girl, not older than seven (back when she had all of her sisters), she remembered her late Grandmother Black told her that the most important part of being a Pureblood was that her loyalty lied, first and foremost, to the honourable Black family. The old woman said that even when Narcissa was married to another Pureblood, no matter how respectable the man was, she should never forget that she was forever a Black. No matter what happened, she must not turn her back on her truerelatives because family was the only thing that mattered in the world when all else was ruined and torn apart.

"And you three," old Grandma Black had said a month before her death, her grey eyes were looking seriously at Narcissa and her sisters. "You mustn't let anything get in your way. We Black women are alwaysstronger than our men, and that scares people. In the future, your sisterhood will be tested. Men will try to tear you three apart because when you stand alone, you are weak. But if you remember our values, it should not matter."

Naturally, just like everything else in her life, things didn't go as she wished it would.

When Narcissa was sixteen, her older sister Andromeda walked out of their house after their parents made her choose between her family or her then-fiance Ted Tonks. It had been two decades since the last time she saw Andy.

When Narcissa was twenty-six, her oldest sister Bellatrix was sent to Azkaban for torturing Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom to the point of insanity. It had been a decade since the last time she saw Bella.

She knew that she was slowly losing her family. She knew that. She wished she could do anything to change what had happened, but unless she could get hold of a Time-Turner, there was nothing that she could do to make things right again. Narcissa wasn't a fool, unlike what Bellatrix always believed her to be. She was actually quite bright. She was aware that the reason her family was breaking apart was because of the stupid prejudice war the world had. A part of her wanted to change her views because now she understood that because of it, she'd lost her sisters. But it was hard to change something that had been ingrained into her brain since she was born. The fact that she was married to one of the Dark Lord's biggest supporter certainly wasn't making things easy. Yes, Lucius had managed to wriggle his way out of the jail-time, but he was still the same Dark Arts prince that stole her heart, the same prejudiced bigot who had given her flowers when she cried over Andromeda's departure. Oh, Narcissa hated Lucius for being a Death Eater. She hated that because of his relations to all those dark wizards, the whole world thought so little of her family other than the evil megalomaniac people believed them to be. She hated every evil things he did under the Dark Lord's command. But deep down, she knew the Lucius she had fallen in love with, the man who winked at her after he hexed Bellatrix's hair green during a Pureblood party, was still there somewhere. That side of Lucius had never left. It only made an appearance when they were alone in the safety of their chambers.

She should hate Lucius, her Grandma would tell her to do that. But how could she hate the man that she truly loved? How could she leave the man who had given her beautiful and brilliant son?

(I understand now, Andy. I do. I truly do. And I'm really sorry.)

When Draco was born, Narcissa thought that she had never seen a babe as beautiful as the one she was holding in her arms. The moment the tiny little thing opened his grey eyes, she knew that there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. She watched proudly as Draco grew up to be a brilliant boy who spoke before his first birthday, and had started walking just a few months later. She showered the boy with love and affection that most Pureblood parents seemed to neglect on showing. She might have spoiled him a little too much, but that wasn't what worried her the most. As Draco got older, she noticed that the boy got closer and closer to his father. It wasn't like Lucius had never cared for his son. No, it was actually quite the contrary. Ever since Draco's birth, Narcissa had always felt like she was competing against her husband for Draco's love. Lately, she felt like her beloved son was distancing himself from her as Lucius introduced him to the outside world. Father and son would go together on little trips after dinner, and every time they got back, Narcissa saw something in her son's eyes that she had never seen before. She saw contempt, and the fact that the emotion got even more pronounced scared Narcissa. The beautiful woman had been silent for a long time. She had let everything happened without lifting a finger to stop or change anything. But now that her son was involved, she realised that she had to do something. Narcissa knew she had to do something lest her son would follow the dark path her sister and husband had gone through.

And that was the reason why she found herself at St Mungo's a week after her cousin Regulus' re-introduction party, standing right in front of Healer Lupin's office when most of the staffs had gone home.

"Come in," Narcissa heard the Healer called from her office at the sound of her knocking. Taking a deep breath, the Malfoy lady got in.

"Evening, Healer Lupin," she greeted formally, giving a small smile when Dorcas Lupin lifted her head up and looked really shocked to find Narcissa there.

"Mrs Malfoy," Lupin said, composing herself quickly once she got over her shock. There still was a bit of a frown on her face though.

"I'm sorry for not reserving an appointment before. I hope I hadn't interrupted you from your work or something," Narcissa said as she took the seat across Lupin. The petite Healer shook her head.

"Not at all, Mrs Malfoy. I was about to head home, but I think I still have sometime before my husband sends out a search party for me." Narcissa knew the other woman meant it as a joke, so she tried to give a small laugh in return, albeit forced.

"My son talked a lot about you, you know," Narcissa said, remembering Draco's rare show of admiration toward someone who wasn't his father. "He told me how good you were toward him after- during his…stay at the Hospital Wing. He appreciated the fact that you treated him just as you did your Godson. And I'm forever grateful for your help."

"I was only doing my job, Mrs Malfoy," Lupin said. "And although Draco had the tendency to exaggerate a little, it really didn't bother me. It was rather funny, actually."

"Draco's dramatic flares come from the Black family," Narcissa offered good-naturedly. She was glad when the other witch laughed, knowing that her cousin Sirius must have shown the same childish tantrums her son did when the Auror was hurt.

"Oh yes, I believe so," Lupin chuckled, her eyes twinkled fondly. They fell into a comfortable silent for awhile until Narcissa decided that she really shouldn't stall lest Auror Lupin would really send his men to find his wife.

"Well, I'm here to talk about something really important, Healer Lupin." Narcissa stopped, glancing at the beautiful wedding ring Lucius had slipped around her finger fourteen years prior.

("My love, what's wrong? Tell me.")

"About what, Mrs Malfoy?"

("Lucius? Lucius, please.")

"I'm here to talk about the poisoned pies my husband sent to your friend Miss McKinnon."

All the warmth and humour dropped from Lupin's face, replaced by something harsh that didn't fit the petite witch at all. Leaning onto her seat, Lupin's blue eyes stared at Narcissa long and hard before she finally spoke. "Why did he do that?"

Why indeed, Healer Lupin.

"You are aware of my husband's involvement in the First War, right?" Narcissa began with a rhetorical question. "Now, we all know how Lucius convinced the Ministry that he was under the Imperius Curse the whole time. I believe that, considering who your husband is and what he does, you know Lucius lied."

"I know that, Mrs Malfoy. And you're right; Remus told me everythingabout his and Sirius' suspicion toward your husband's shoddy past."

"Then you'll understand when I say that my husband did what he did because he heard rumours the Dark Lord was coming back. The way he saw it, the only way the Dark Lord wouldn't kill us for lying about his involvement was by hurtingSirius Black."

("I've done something horrible, Cissy.")

"How did Mr Malfoy know Voldemort was coming back?" Lupin asked smartly. "I'm assuming that he knew Voldemort was after the Stone with Quirrel's help. How did your husband find out about it?"

Narcissa loved Lucius. She truly did love him.

But, she knew her priorities. She always did.

It didn't mean what she was going to do didn't break her heart though.

"I promise I'll tell you everything I know about Lucius and everything he did," Narcissa said, feeling her heart racing. "But you have to promise me that you will not tell your husband or my cousin that I'm your source of information. And please, don't come after him. If you capture Lucius, he'll know that I've betrayed him."

"Why? Is he going to hurt you then?" Lupin said, the look on her face looked angry at the thought that Lucius might hurt her. In a twisted way, it sort of amused Narcissa that the other woman cared for her well-being despite their history.

"No, Lucius will never hurt me. He is bad person, but he loves his family too much to hurt us. No, I was afraid that if he finds out, that means the rest of them will find out too. And when theydo…" Narcissa trailed, the thought was too much for her to utter out loud.

"I see…" Lupin said. "Well, I'll see what I can do, Mrs Malfoy. And oh, I hope you're not offended when I ask this, but do you want anything else in exchange for the information you'll be giving us?"

Narcissa stiffened slightly. This was it. This was the reason why she went to see the Healer.

"Actually, yes," Narcissa said, her voice was a tad higher in her anxiety. "I…I want to ask for Dumbledore's protection. It's not for me though. I think I can hold on very well myself. I want protection for my children."

The word didn't escape Dorcas Lupin's keen hearing.

"Children?" the other woman repeated, looking thoroughly taken aback.

"Yes," Narcissa whispered. "Children."

For the first time ever since she found out about it, she moved her hand to caress her still-flat stomach gently, allowing someone else other than herself to find out her secret.

Because, not even Lucius knew she was with a child.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

"Impedimenta!"

A flash of blue light, followed by a dull thud as her spell hit her opponent. She waited for ten seconds until the signal came. Pleased with herself, she finally lowered her wand and helped the poor sod to stand. Soft claps came from all direction as people congratulated her. She gave them all a small smile but said nothing. Her muscles were screaming from the strain of having to duel for two hours nonstop. She was so tired and all she wanted to do was to get back to her flat so she could sleep until next week. But everything – the fatigue, the soreness – it was all worth it though. At least now she could proudly say that she was no longer the clumsy, half-blood Hufflepuff who always blew things up. She could now say that she was Auror Nymphadora Tonks. Starting from that day on, people would never bother asking about her parents anymore. Heck, she could even ask people to call her by her last name and no one would question her about it. Feeling a lot happier than she ever was in years, once she was done shaking hands with all of the people present for her final Auror test, Tonks quickly excused herself to the locker room. Only when she was sure that she was alone did she finally drop her façade of bubblegum-pink hair and teal eyes, and revealed her true appearance. Her cheek-bones shifted higher and her nose got a little longer as her hair changed into its natural light-brown and her eyes also had gone back to her dull brown orbs. She paid a slight glance to her reflection on the mirror and let out a deep breath.

For years since she was young, Tonks always had to deal with the constant teasing her school mates threw at her about the fact that she was a half-blood related to the oldest and most powerful Pureblood family in all of Britain. Not everyone knew it, but at least in the Pureblood society, it wasn't exactly a secret that her mother Andromeda was disowned from her own family because of her decision to marry a Muggle-born. That was why Tonks decided to become an Auror, because she knew that if she succeeded, the look on her tormentors' faces would be priceless. When she first applied, she made sure to keep quiet about her parents, or her relations to the Black family. She was well aware that her mother's cousin was one of the best Aurors in his era, and Tonks really wanted nothing to do with his brilliant reputation if she was to pass. It wasn't like Tonks didn't like Sirius Black. In fact, she practically worshiped the ground he walked on. The two of them were really close because Sirius often treated her like the little sister he always wanted from the late Lily Potter, and Tonks really liked the thought of Sirius as an older brother of sort. But Tonks knew that if anyone was to find out she was related to Sirius, people would think that the only reason she passed her Auror test was because of Sirius and not because she really was a good witch. The last thing she needed was for people to doubt her.

"Hi, kid!" Sirius called her after she had her shower and was heading out of the locker room, her bubblegum-pink hair and teal eyes were back on view. "Great work back there. So proud of you."

"Hello, Sirius," she greeted him. "I didn't know you were watching. And by the way, I thought I told you to not talk to me when were in public."

"I'm Moody's second-in-command, girl. So, of course I'd be watching," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "And about me not talking to you in public, there's no one else around. Everyone's either gone home or back at the training room. Besides, if you're still worried about people doubting your ability, I'll bloody knock some sense into their pitiful brains."

"Nice to know that I'll always have you to count on to," Tonks laughed. The senior Auror winked at her and chuckled.

"You know that I'll always have your back, kid. Nothing I won't do for Andy's little girl."

It was Tonks' turn to roll her eyes. She hated it when he said that. "What do you want to talk about, Sirius? I know you're fond of hearing yourself talk, but if you have nothing important to say, I'd really like to go home."

In all the years she knew the man, Tonks rarely saw him without his usual grin. The only times his grin was absent was when there was something terrible happened. The first time she saw it was back when she was only eight, a month after the death of James and Lily Potter. Tonks and her parents went to the funeral, and it was the first time she met her mother's cousin. She remembered being a little scared of Sirius upon seeing the grim look on his face. It took her mother sometime to convince little Nymphadora that cousin Sirius was actually a really funny man. Tonks and her mother agreed since a long time ago that Sirius was the perfect embodiment of mischief. Therefore, whenever he lost his grin and looked distressed, it was unsettling to see.

"I just received a letter," Sirius said stiffly. "The letter said that there'd been sightings of Voldemort."

"Huh," Tonks said. "I get that it's important news, but I fail to see why you need to tell me this."

"The letter isn't signed, and there's no return address."

"So?"

"But it did say that Voldemort was seen in Romania."

"What does it – "

Oh.

("Most girls don't like to get dirty, you know.")

("Well, I'm not most girls, so shut up or I'll kick you.")

Tonks let out a shuddering breath as she closed her eyes in an effort to blink away the overwhelming feelings she had. Her mind had taken a sudden trip down memory lane, and no matter how hard she tried, she was powerless to stop herself from going through every singlememory she had of him. It had only been a year, and she thought that it was enough time for her to get over it. But now, she knew that even if it had taken her a century, he would always be in her mind. When Tonks opened her eyes again, she found Sirius' mercurial ones had looked at her in worry. The older man was the only person other than herself and him who knew about it. It was actually by pure chance that Sirius found out about it, when he witnessed Tonks screaming at him that day. Being the good person he was, Sirius promised that he'd not tell Andromeda about it.

"You okay?" Sirius asked, cocking his head to the side in a manner that reminded Tonks greatly of her mother. It was obvious that the two cousins shared more than blood.

"I'll be fine," Tonks said. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "It's from him, you think?"

"I don't think so. I know so." Grimly, Sirius added, "And before you start asking me how, I just found out that the last time anyone saw him was almost a month ago. So, if my calculations are correct, he went missing around the same time he sent me this letter."

Without even saying it out loud, Tonks knew what Sirius meant.

"What do you want to do about it?" Tonks asked after awhile. If there was anything she knew about her mother's cousin, it was that Sirius would jump at the first chance to rescue someone. The Metamorphmagus suspected that it had something to do with the fact that he lost his best friends and didn't want anyone to feel the pain he felt.

"I'm going to rescue him, of course," Sirius said, confirming Tonks' guess. "And you're coming with me, kiddo."

Tonks wasn't lying when she said she didn't see it coming.

"What?" Tonks yelped, glaring at Sirius in disbelief. "Are you insane? Wait no. Don't answer that. You are insane."

Sirius let out an amused chuckle as he reached out to ruffle her hair, much to Tonk's utmost annoyance. "No, sweetheart. Contrary to popular belief, I'm perfectly sane. At least, right now I am... I want you to come with me because one, it's not exactly an Auror mission so I can't have my men coming with me. Two, your tracking skills are brilliant and if there's anyone who can tell me where he might be going, it's you. And three, it is your boyfriend we're rescuing, dear. Who knows him best other than you? And his mum, perhaps. Also, I do like a little plot twist where the damsel saves the knight. Wait. I suppose it's still the knight saving the damsel, but you're the knight, and he's the damsel... Anyway, we're getting off-tracks. The point is, you're coming with me, and I'm not taking no as answer. I don't think you're going to say no anyway."

"But…" Tonks trailed off though, knowing that there was no point to argue Sirius.

He was right after all, like he always did.

(And she did want to come and rescue him.)

"Alright, I'll do it," Tonks sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But you are the one who's going to tell my mother that you're taking me away on a rescue mission in Romania, when I've only graduated just hours ago. Merlin knows the woman will have a fit if I do it myself."

"You leave Andy to me," Sirius said, winking. He then took her hand and started to drag to follow him. "Come on, now. We have to go somewhere and we have to go soon."

"Wait, where are we going? Sirius, wait! Tell me where are we going!"

"Tell Charlie Weasley's family that we're saving their Golden Boy, of course."