Ted Tonk's day begins with a rough start. His wife is in a snit because of something she read in her morning tea. His daughter is a snit because her all of her yellow shirts are dirty. By the time he manages to sneak out of the house, Ted is twelve minutes late to work. It all goes downhill from there. St. Mungo's has been swamped with the war brewing and wizard-flu season around the corner.
Ted arrives home exhausted to an irate wife, a fussy toddler, and a skittish house elf.
"Something's wrong, Ted," Andy hisses, her curls sparking with anger. "I can feel it in my bones. Nymph can feel it. The damn elf can feel it. Your sister's gone and gotten herself killed and mark my words, I'm going to kill her for it."
"Love, you can't kill someone who's went and got themselves killed already," he points out.
Suffice to say, his evening does not improve after that.
At half past eight, Nymphadora tucks herself into bed. Ted and Andy collapse into their own soon after. They stare up at the white ceiling and bask in the serene darkness.
"I'm sorry for what I said about Lucy," Andy says after a while. "I worry about her is all."
Ted sighs. He worries about his sister too, but there's nothing to be done for it. Lucy will do whatever she wants whenever she wants and-
"Maybe it's Sirius this time," Andy frets.
Ted sighs again and flips over so he can nestle closer to his wife. She smells like vanilla and brown sugar and home. They are a ragtag bunch, his family, but they are his, down to the displaced heir and the bold house elf.
"Whatever it is, whoever it is, we'll weather it together. It'll all work out in the end. We did, didn't we?"
Ted manages four hours of sleep before Nymphadora wakes up screaming. They stumble into her bedroom to find Coco already stroking Nymph's ever-changing hair. It takes nearly a quarter of an hour to calm her down. Just as Coco is about to fetch a glass of warm milk, her tiny frame freezes. Her chocolate eyes swivel to Ted and Andy.
"It is happening," she whispers, her grey-brown skin paling to sickly ashen hue.
"What?!" Andy snaps. "What's happening?!"
"The Plan. The Plan is happening. I is...ooooo, I is not knowing what to do, Mistress Andy."
"What's the matter, Coco?" Ted asks kindly, struggling to fight back his own unease.
She tugs at her long ears and looks down at her bony feet. "I is...I is being bought by Miss Lucy, but we is all bonded as family and Master Sirius..."
Andy hums in understanding, her head tilted to the side thoughtfully.
"Sirius gave you orders that contradict Lucy's, didn't he?"
Coco nods.
"I see. Do you prefer Sirius's orders over Lucy's? Is that why you're so conflicted?"
Tears well in her big brown eyes as she nods again. Oh hell, Ted thinks, how could anyone be cruel to someone so sweet?
"Coco," he says, "I want you to do what you think is right. Do what your heart tells you to do. It's what Lucy would want. She wouldn't want you to be upset."
"Besides, she's very good at admitting she's wrong when it benefits her."
"Andromeda."
"Well, it's true."
"Then I has decided, Master Teddy," Coco announces.
"Brilliant! What have you decided, my dear?"
Coco draws herself up to her full height, which is hardly level with the doorknob at her back.
"Master Teddy must go to Hogwarts Hospital Wing. It is where we is going when we is finished with The Plan."
Ted surges to his feet. "The hospital wing?!"
"Yes, Master Teddy. Hogwarts Hospital Wing."
"Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred!" Andromeda exclaims. "What the hell are they up to now?!"
"They is up to something very brave. I is very proud to be bonded to Miss Lucy and Master Sirius. You's will be too if you go to Hogwarts Hospital Wing."
With those dramatic words, Coco disappears with a soft crack. Ted, Andy, and Nymphadora all gape at where she had been standing in her pale pink uniform.
It takes them half an hour to get to Hogwarts. Andy refuses to stay behind, something ridiculous about Ted being as useless as a flobberworm in politics. He doesn't understand what politics have to do with anything, but he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he floos his best mate, who takes Nymphadora back to his place in Cambridge. Next, he helps Andromeda gather their healing kits and then they're finally, finally apparating to Hogwarts.
They arrive just outside the castle gates. Ted takes a moment to relish in the sight of his old school. Hogwarts stands just as proud and welcoming as it did nearly ten years ago, as it would for tens of years to come. The magic a steady beacon of warmth in the cold night. It puts Ted in mind of something Dumbledore once said about finding the light in dark places, which puts Ted in mind of Lucy, because she would slap him upside the head for being such a sentimental Hufflepuff.
Ted summons his patronus, a shaggy guinea pig, and sends a quick message to Dumbledore. Some time later, they are shocked to see the Headmaster himself appear dressed in a nightshirt and heavy bath robe.
"Has there been an attack?" He demands as he taps the the gates with his wand. They open just wide enough for the two of them to enter. A weight lifts from Ted's shoulders as soon as they pass through the wards. If only Nymphadora were old enough to be in Hogwarts, where she would be safe nine months out of the year.
"Should there have been?!" Andy asks, her brows raised dangerously high.
Dumbledore frowns. Despite his age, Ted and Andy struggle to keep up with his pace as they hurry across the castle grounds. Hogwarts is beautiful at night. The sky is clear, revealing a nearly full moon and sparkling stars. The worst things always happen on the most beautiful days. Mother lost her fight against cancer on a sunny spring afternoon.
Ted sighs. "No, Professor, there wasn't an attack. It's a different sort of emergency. It all started with our house elf..."
Dumbledore quickly casts a privacy charm. He listens carefully as Ted explains everything that happened, beginning with his wife's morning tea. The two men are so deep in conversation they hardly notice Andy come to an abrupt halt at the top of the grand staircase.
"Dear?"
"The hospital wing is this way."
"I thought we might go to my office."
Andromeda takes one step forward, her eyes gleaming and her wand tight in her fist. Ted fights back a smile; she's so beautiful when she gets like this.
"If my sister is going to arrive in the hospital wing, then we are going to be in the hospital wing. I will not take no for an answer."
"...Very well, Mrs. Tonks. Lead the way."
The Hospital Wing is just as he remembered it. There are four bed curtains drawn throughout the long room and bright moonlight filters through the windows. The new healer, Madam Pomfrey, greets them before quickly disappearing to get some rest while she still can. Dumbledore takes the opportunity to cast silencing charms on the slumbering students and summon Professors McGonnagal and Slughorn. The heads of houses floo up quickly, both of them as orderly and put-together as they always were in class.
After the situation is explained, Professor McGonagall sighs and sinks down into one of Dumbledore's conjured chairs. The floral upholstery clashes terribly with her tartan robes.
"Could they not have waited until the weekend, Albus?"
"Is this related to the incident in the library?" Slughorn asks.
"What incident?" Ted wonders.
Slughorn glances from Ted to Dumbledore nervously. Distantly, Ted realizes that despite being a father and a much older brother, he is very, very young compared to these men.
After several long moments, the Headmaster clears his throat. "One of my students confronted Miss Tonks in the library. I do not know what happened, but eventually the student threatened Lucy and you, her family."
"Her family?!" Ted shouts, rising from his chair. "Family as in who? Me? Andy? Surely not Nymphadora!"
But their grave expressions reveal the truth.
"She's just a baby," Ted whispers in horror.
"Don't worry, love," Andromeda says, reaching over to tug him back into his seat. "I'm sure Lucy is taking care of it."
"Andromeda-" Dumbledore begins, but Andy sneers down at him over her aristocratic nose.
"Lucy is a grown witch. It is her right to protect her goddaughter in anyway that she sees fit."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about."
Andy sniffs haughtily, a remnant of her austere upbringing. "And that's exactly why I chose her."
"Then you chose well, Andromeda," Slughorn says.
Dumbledore sighs. "Horace, do I dare ask if you know something?"
"Of course not!" He cries, not fooling even ever-oblivious Ted in the slightest. "Only of her retaliation in the library and Ms. Evans's display in Defense class."
"Retaliation?" Ted ask warily, just as his clever wife needles, "Evans? Lily Evans? There were witnesses?"
Slughorn bows his head in a model display of solemnity. "Yes, my girl. Lily Evans and James Potter were visiting Lucille to pass on a letter from home. A shame that she cannot entrust us to protect something so trivial as her post, but I have nearly seven hundred students to look after and Lucille has always been so-"
"What did she do?" Ted cuts in. He is all too aware of what Lucy's months away from home are like. She returns every holiday with new scars and heavy bags under her eyes.
Surprisingly, McGonnagal is the one to answer. "Allegedly, she took his wand, slit his wrists, and vanished his clothes. With Lily and James unwilling to say anything, however, there is naught we can do."
"Or should do," Andromeda snaps. "What did this Lily Evans do in her class?"
All three professors look anywhere but each other.
"She cast a perfect autosarcophagy curse in a duel and then challenged the perpetrator in front of the class," Dumbledore finally reveals.
Horror blooms in Ted's chest. Self-cannibalism is an inconceivable concept and to curse someone to such a fate is abhorrent. Just to have the hate inside oneself to damn another living being so...
"Just what exactly did he threaten us with?!" Ted cries.
Andy, however, is caught on something else. "Where did a muggleborn Gryffindor learn that?!"
Andy's question brings them all up short until Ted remembers a conversation with Lucy summers ago. It was the first time he'd ever seen her exchange owls with schoolmates. She described Severus Snape as a very reserved and intelligent boy in Slytherin with a muggleborn best friend. They were apparently sharing their ideas on spell creation and magical theory over the summer. Ted almost blurts out the name, but he catches himself at the last moment. He's been around too many Slytherins to know when to keep names to himself. He'll tell Andy when they're back at home.
Their contemplations are disrupted by a sudden, deafening crack. Ted clambers up, expecting to see his sister and cousin, but is instead met with the sight of a severely injured house elf.
Coco is covered in blood. A chunk of her ear is missing, a patch of skin has been torn out of her arm, and there are innumerable cuts and bruises besides. The warm brown shade of her skin has paled into a ghastly grey, but it is her eyes that are the worst. He's only seen eyes like that on soldiers in his muggle history books.
"Coco! Coco, what's happened?!" Andy demands, crossing over to their elf.
Ted is quick to follow. He drops to his knees and begins categorizing her wounds. A house elf's ears have more nerve endings than a human does in their entire body. It'll have to be the ear first. Coco pays him no attention as he begins waving his wand at her head. She stares deep into Andy's eyes and thrusts out a metal box.
"You must take it. You must hide it-"
Coco's frail voice cuts off as she wavers on her feet. She blinks her bulbous eyes several times and sets her mouth into a determined frown, but her knees give out once more. Ted lunges forward to keep her upright.
Professor Dumbledore strives over with his wand raised, his head inclined to Ted. "May I?"
"That's for her to decide."
The headmaster blinks once, twice, and then his beard spreads into an inappropriately bright smile.
"If only there were more men in the world like you, Ted Tonks," he says as he lowers himself to one knee. Andy immediately tucks the small box into her robes.
"Coco, will you allow me to heal you?" Dumbledore asks kindly.
"No," she rasps pitifully, tears beginning to streak through the blood and grime on her face. "No, Coco must return! Coco must save her masters!"
"Sirius can take care of himself, Coco. Let Prof-"
"Master Sirius has no wand!" She wails. "His wand is cracking into halves and the dead men-"
Behind them, someone gasps loudly. Dumbledore rises to his feet, his magic unfurling with his long limbs. It is both comforting and frightening. Ted would be helpless against someone like that. Even Sirius would be destroyed with half a thought. But that mighty power is emanating from Dumbledore, a man would only ever use it for good. He defeated Grindelwald. He is the only one You-Know-Who fears.
"Take me and I will save them."
"You's cannot. There is wards, wards against wizards-"
"Can you take another house elf?!" Andromeda demands.
Slowly, Coco moves her head up and down in affirmation.
"Dumbledore, please," Andy begins, but he is already calling out for his own house elf.
"Oddment!"
A very pale, very fuzzy house elf appears in the hospital wing. His blue eyes grow wide when he notices Coco bloodied and shaking.
"I must ask you to do something very brave for two students of Hogwarts. They are trapped where only a house elf may come and go. Will you allow Coco to lead you and return them all here?"
Oddment puffs out his little chest in pride, but hesitates a little when Coco staggers over to clutch at his arm.
"Miss, is you well enough-" He squeaks out.
"Oh, he's done it now," Ted murmurs to himself.
Sure enough, Coco holds her chin up high and nearly rips the poor elf's limb off with her fierce grip. They disappear with a near violent crack. It echoes again almost instantly.
Sirius Black materializes with a sword in one hand and a half-dead witch thrown over his other shoulder. His jeans are soaked, his eyes are alight with a mad fervor, and he reeks of the heady metallic scent of dark magic. They are all frozen in shock, incapable of doing anything other than gaping at him, until another crack rings through the room.
A young house elf winces under their combined stares before he squeaks out, "Miss Coco is being healed in the kitchens, Professors."
He disappears with a snap of his fingers. As if on cue, Sirius launches into action. He props the sword against the nearest footboard and lowers Lucy onto the bed. Madam Pomfrey rushes over and begins casting a barrage of diagnostic charms. Ted longs to join her, but he knows better than to interrupt. He wouldn't be able to keep a clear head with his sister looking like that. Like his mother had—
All of his despondent, panicked thoughts burn away at the sight of his cousin's torso.
"Fucking hell, Sirius, sit down!" Ted cries out.
Half of his jumper is ripped off. Long claw marks trail along his left arm and a bleeding bite mark mars his chest. Like Coco, his eyes are the worst. Unlike Coco, they are not haunted. They are alive with an fervent insanity that twists at Ted's guts.
"Get me Regulus," Sirius rasps.
"Sirius, sit down! If that's what I think it is-"
"I need Regulus."
Dumbledore eyes the blade with a disturbed expression. Sirius doesn't seem to notice. An ebony wand- Lucy's wand, Ted realizes- appears in his hand. He uses it to sever the strap of that blasted bag she carries around everywhere.
"My boy, I don't think that's wise," Slughorn cautions.
"I'm keyed into the wards," he mutters. He sticks his arm into the bag and says, "Accio journal. Have been since the Shack."
Ted recognizes the thick, leather-bound book that flies from the purse. She bought it back in first year and has been writing in it ever since. He'd discouraged her from buying something so expensive at the time. What could a first year need with a journal charmed to hold a thousand pages? As always, she'd defied his expectations. He wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised to learn that she's added her own expansions over the years.
Sirius scowls down at whatever he reads before frantically flipping through the pages.
"Shouldn't one of you be going after my brother?!"
"Horace, if you would-"
"No, wait! We need you!" He digs in his front pocket until he procures a scarlet vial, then tosses is at the potions master. "She called it the Draught of Despair. Created by old Tommy-Boy himself. Nasty piece of work."
Slughorn's eyes widen under his bushy brows. "And she-"
"What were you-"
"Inferi and-"
"SHUT UP!" Sirius suddenly bellows. Everyone except for Madam Pomfrey edges away. "SHUT UP! Just go find Regulus and please, for the love of Merlin, shut up and let me fucking think! I can hardly keep it together as it is!"
McGonnagal clears her throat in the resounding silence.
"I'll go get Mr. Black. Horace, do you need anything else?"
Slughorn uncorks the vial and sniffs. When that reveals nothing, he conjures another vial and transfers the potion over. It's unlike anything Ted has ever seen, alive with the most entrancing emerald glow.
"I think I'll need Severus Snape," he croaks out.
McGonnagal strides back to the fireplace with a curt nod. The headmaster is much more doubtful.
"Horace, is that wise? Why not Lily? Young Mr. Snape is-"
"Lucy likes him," Ted cuts in, almost desperately. He doesn't care who helps so long as she is healed. "She talks about him sometimes and she never talks about anyone from school."
The other men ignore him completely. Andy, however, squeezes his hand tight.
"I haven't delved into what he has, Albus. I never trusted myself." Slughorn wipes at his glistening forehead with a handkerchief. "He's more knowledgeable than I will ever be with combining dark magics with potions, but he hasn't quite achieved mastery over the art yet. We might be able to save her together."
"Very well, old friend. Very well. Do what you must."
A wooden door appears near Lucy's bed with a wave of his wand. It is in that moment that Ted realizes just how sick Lucy is. Unbridled fear rushes over him in tidal wave. Adjacent potions labs are only necessary for the most severe cases, even at St. Mungo's. Here, at a school, it must be three times as expensive and difficult to manage. It seems to click for Andromeda at the same time. She lets out a strangled sob and clutches his hand even tighter.
"Sirius, what happened?" She whispers.
"That's what I'm trying to find," he snaps, still thumbing through the book.
"Mr. Black, its time for me to know now," Madam Pomfrey interrupts gently. "I've managed to stabilize her, but I don't know how long it will last. We need to know how to neutralize the potions in her system."
Sirius huffs but he never looks up from the journal as he speaks.
"We had an idea of what the draught did. Two people sort of died from it before, or after or whatever, but we didn't...I completely forgot about it and I don't think-...Here it is!"
He tries to copy the page, but it only glows yellow before rapidly returning to normal. Sirius lets out a long string of curses that has the Matron scowling and Dumbledore's beard twitching.
"Her wand's never liked me," he grumbles.
"Here, use mine," Andy says, passing it over quickly.
This time, the page copies itself without a complaint. Sirius practically shoves it at Madam Pomfrey. Her mouth drops in shock and horror. Dumbledore glides over to make a copy for himself, skimming over it with a grim expression.
"Sirius, why did she activate this? Was someone there?"
"It was the draught. She kept saying she wanted to die. The draught made her want to die, but I forgot about that damn tooth of hers so I didn't think anything of it. She said the password and I was so worried about getting the antidote down her throat that I forgot my wand fell. It cracked and the sword was there and there were so many of them. There were children. He killed children and turned them into those things and they were-...I-I had to do. I had to do it. There were so many."
Distorted speech, shaking hands, blueing lips. Shock is finally beginning to set in.
Madam Pomfrey swishes her wand, bringing the next bed closer to Lucy's. Ted waves her off. He may not be able to help Lucy, but he can manage patching Sirius up.
Ted has just shoved a calming draught down his throat when the floo turns green again. McGonnagal steps through with two more students. They are both tall and slender and dark haired yet look nothing alike. The one who must be Severus Snape has glittering black eyes that immediately lock onto Lucy's prone figure. The other could be Andromeda's twin. They have the same deep-set eyes, aristocratic nose, and arched brows. He can be none other than Regulus Black.
As Ted casts his healing spells, Regulus Black floats over to their beds with an air of polite curiosity. If he is troubled or disgusted by Ted and his family, he does not let it show. His nonchalance does not waver when his eyes catch on Sirius's bloody wounds or Lucy's chalky complexion or Dumbledore's warning expression. The facade only falters when his gaze catches on the sword leaning against the iron bed frame.
Utter delight shines in his eyes. He lifts the sword in both hands, the ruby pommel winking just as mockingly as he smiles.
"The Sword of Gryffindor has once again made its way back to Sirius," Dumbledore explains. "It appears your brother is a very brave young man."
"Oh, he's more than that," Regulus Black declares. He lifts the sword in one hand as if to charge at an enemy, and says, "Flamma."
White and blue flames erupt along the blade. Thick shadows seem to coat the flames in a dark embrace. The scent of blood drifts strongly across the aisle, sending Madam Pomfrey's conjured lights into a hysterical flicker.
"Finite."
The fire is gouged out by a silent gust of wind. The shadows, however, seem to linger along with the scent of fire and blood. Madam Pomfrey shivers across Lucy. Neither of them are familiar with such dark magic. He can't imagine what it must have been like for Andromeda and her cousins to grow up with it, to have fought against its corruption as a child.
"I'm surprised you remembered, big brother," Regulus says, placing the sword back against the bed. Dumbledore immediately banishes it back to wherever it belongs.
"Ah, Severus!" Slughorn says, his heavy frame appearing around the lab door. "Come here, my boy. And bring that recipe Albus has."
Severus Snape hesitates, his beady gaze darting from Lucy to Regulus. He doesn't budge until Regulus nods the slightest bit. Only then does he jolt into action with surprisingly graceful movements.
"What did you need my help with?" Regulus asks curiously.
"Sirius needed to see you."
Regulus turns on his heel and studies Andromeda with a blank expression. After a terrible moment, the two of them reach some silent accord. Ted lets out a breath of relief and turns his attention back to Sirius, vanishing the top layers of his clothing with a flick of his wand. Regulus eyes his brother's wounds with an idle curiosity.
"What is it you need from me?"
"Do you remember that time with Bella and the library?"
In response, Regulus rolls up his left sleeve. Ted's heart stutters, half expecting him to reveal a Dark Mark. Instead, there are only thin red curse scars marring his pale skin. He smirks up at Ted in amusement, fully aware of what he had anticipated. Ted dips his head back to Sirius's mottled flesh.
"I kept hearing you scream," Sirius says, oblivious to their exchange. "That magic, whatever it was, I didn't realize how heavy the air was until I got back here."
"Surely that isn't what happened to her," Regulus says. Ted glances up in time to see his nose scrunch in distaste. "I'll be ever so disappointed if all it took was a little ambiance to take down the legendary Lucille Tonks."
"No. No, it wasn't."
"I'm assuming you want to keep the scars?" Ted interrupts.
"Fuck yes I do. Girls dig scars."
Everyone except Regulus rolls their eyes. He settles for arrogant disdain.
"Must you be so plebeian?"
"Ferula iuventa." Ted intones. Bright turquoise bandages spotted with dancing house elves wrap around most of Sirius's arm. His face brightens a little with humor. "No point in wasting dittany then. It'll be the chest next."
"Ah, the enigmatic Edward Tonks," Regulus drawls. He sprawls across Sirius's feet, his head propped up on his fist and silver eyes alight with something Ted would rather not puzzle out. "I wondered if fate would ever bring us together."
Ted purposefully ignores his wife's piercing gaze as he replies, "I'm not nearly interesting enough to be called enigmatic, but I am pleased to meet you. Sirius, don't touch that." He slaps Sirius's hand away from the wound on his chest and kneels down to get a better look. "There'll be no avoiding dittany on this one, I'm afraid. Andy, if you would."
Ted casts the required charms, all too aware of the scrutiny as he works.
"I disagree. Most of my esteemed peers would disagree. You were brave enough to steal the sanest Black sister out from under their noses and act like you did nothing wrong."
"You say that like I ever had a choice in the matter. Andromeda always gets what she wants. I just happened to be lucky enough for her to want me."
Regulus hums, his head tilted to the side in an eerie litany of Andromeda. He watches as she joins him with the dittany and helps apply it to Sirius's chest. There is no doubt that he is analyzing every breath, every tick, every word. When they're done, Sirius stretches out along the mattress until his little brother is forced to rearrange himself. Regulus looks just as artful as he did before. Andromeda is also blessed with the same inherent elegance. Lucy says it's a pureblood thing, but Ted has to disagree. He's met many a graceless pureblood in his line of work.
"Fate is a strange mistress. Funny that we've met at such a fortuitous time, is it not?" Regulus ponders.
Andromeda crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I expect you'll go home to find a school owl from yours truly."
"Why would you bother to write to us?"
"Dear cousin, I'm wounded! Can a man not-"
"No, men like you can not and do not."
"My, my. I see it isn't just that you look like dear Bella. You're just as crass as she is too. I saw her not too long ago, you know."
Professor Dumbledore doesn't bother to mask his intrigue. He ignores McGonnagal's silent protests and edges closer to the hospital beds.
"What do you want, Regulus?" Andromeda snarls. "My sister is dying this very second. I do not-"
Regulus scoffs. "Don't be dramatic. It's uncouth. Lucy isn't going to die just yet. Dumbledore wants too much out of her for him to let her expire so easily."
"Mr. Black! Lucille is-"
"We're all very aware of what Lucille is, Headmaster. Tell me, brother. Who did she take the curse for tonight?"
Sirius is quiet for so long, Ted has to check to see if he's fallen asleep. He's only staring up at the ceiling, his handsome face uncharacteristically grim.
"What would you do if someone used Kreacher to test a potion- a potion so terrible it made you try and off yourself- and left him to die while he was rolling around and crying on the floor?"
Regulus stares at his brother for a long moment. Ted glances at Andromeda, hoping she has some insight to what he's thinking, but she's just as leery and circumspect as everyone else.
In the end, he only says, "I suppose I didn't have a magical sword or a buxom blonde to come to my aid."
"She thought you were an inferi. That's when she poisoned herself."
"Interesting," he murmurs, rubbing his chin. "Why would I be the metaphor for her failures?"
"Couldn't she just like you and not want to see you to die?"
"Pah! They've given you too strong a calming drought. Nothing in life is ever so simple. Besides, how did she manage to poison herself in the middle of an inferi attack?"
Dumbledore is the one to answer when no one else is able to. Ted can hardly bring himself to think it, let alone give it voice.
"Muggle spies carry suicide pills in the event of their capture by enemy forces. Lucille has modified this practice so that she only need speak a key phrase and poison leaks from a false tooth."
"She's quite good at that," Regulus says, his voice frighteningly proud. "Why, you should have seen the muggle torture she's shown us! All hypothetical, I assure you, but informative nonetheless. Ingenious, really. I'm afraid you'll have to replace that tooth, though. She might have need it of it very soon. It's why I sent you a letter, you see. It would be for the best if you went into hiding. I have it on good authority the Dark Lord will be recruiting her over Yuletide and he'll come for you all when she denies him."
"No," Ted whispers. "No. It can't be."
He collapses onto Sirius's bed, his chest constricting painfully. Ted likes to think he's a good father, but he can't protect them from this. Not from You-Know-Who. He won't be able to support them. There's a nice little nest egg in Gringotts but there will be bills to pay and food and necessities to buy and God only knows how long the war will drag on. He should have saved more. He should have prepared better.
"I'll take care of everything, of course," Regulus is saying. It sounds as though he's talking from very far away. "Sirius was meant to inherit a small fortune from poor Uncle Alphie- the dragon pox is about to do him in, poor man- but a few Yaxleys for the Gringotts dragons will take care of that easily enough. I would also caution you against using Lucy as secret keeper. It's too obvious and if you replace that tooth-"
"Regulus," Andromeda chokes out, "please shut up."
Over the ringing in his ears, Ted can barely hear Sirius say, "Why? Why help them? What's in it for you?"
"They have something I want." Ted's head snaps up to meet Regulus's smirk. "And us Blacks always get what we want, don't we Andromeda?"
The ringing fades to a buzz. Colors brighten, edges sharpen. Ted hasn't felt like this since he last came face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange. It takes a lot to rile up a badger, but they're deadly things when the need arises.
"OH HO HO!" Slughorn's voice booms from the lab. The door slams open and he waddles through with a steaming goblet in his hands and a disgruntled teen at his back. "OH HO HO! We've figured it out! It'll be a long two weeks before she's up and about but she'll-"
Slughorn pulls up short at the tense atmosphere, his eyes flitting from Ted's murderous scowl to Regulus's fierce grin.
"Did we miss something?"