T is for Tonks

Chapter 17 - In Deep Water.

I was genuinely so conflicted. Part of me wanted to kill Arthur off instead of Sirius, and part of me couldn't bear it. That doesn't mean Sirius will definitely die. I suppose you'll have to find out. H x.

Much to Tonks's delight, Arthur Weasley had made a full recovery and had returned back to the Ministry after around 8 weeks of sick leave. It had been a handful for her Department to explain the attack to the other Ministry Officials, causing further scrutiny in all of their current work. Then, there had been the mass breakout at Azkaban. Fudge had furiously denied that it had any connection to the (fake) return of Lord Voldemort over the summer, and had insisted that the Aurors focus all of their efforts on incarcerating the devil himself, Sirius Black

Sirius rather enjoyed being the in the news papers again. The price on his forehead had almost doubled over night, and he had been rather thrilled, claiming that women "like bad men." Tonks had caught Remus's eye with a smile.  

Following the destruction of Azkaban, as if things couldn't get any worse, Dumbledore had been arrested. This was a huge kick in the balls for all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix. In addition, it was incredibly difficult for the children, tell tale by Harry's increasing contact with Sirius. Tonks was feeling the stress. She had taken to sitting on the floor of the Drawing Room, staring at the Black Family tree and making internal predictions about who was more likely to kill her. Lets be fair, there was a large range of options. 

Both of her Aunts, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, were powerful ladies in Lord Voldemort's inner circle. From what little Tonks recalled of Narcissa, she knew that she was impressionable and rather naive. She was married to Lucius Malfoy. who had once been at The Dark Lord's right hand and their offspring, Draco Malfoy, was at Hogwarts with Harry. Tonks wondered whether Draco had been initiated as a member of the Death Eaters yet, but that seemed unlikely. Bellatrix Lestrange was infamous throughout the Wizarding world. She terrified Tonks. Rather like Mary Magdeline, Bellatrix was rumored to be the lover of Lord Voldemort, and would easily lay down her life for him. She was also known to be psychotic and well versed in the art of torture. More like an infernal Mary Magdeline, Tonks improved.

If anyone was going to kill her, It would definitely be Bellatrix. 

For a moment, Tonks considered the greasy haired Potions Professor. Tonk's herself had been taught by Professor Snape during her time at Hogwarts, while he was still a relatively new Professor. As much as he hated her, she didn't think he would kill her especially. Severus Snape was a complex man who Tonks found it difficult to trust. Remus had insisted that she should trust him, but Tonks couldn't shake the feeling. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. 

Remus and Tonks's 6 month anniversary fell just after the Azkaban break out, and neither of them had had a spare moment to plan anything significant. Remus had found a bottle of wine in the pantry and Tonks had cooked a special dinner, other than that, they spent their evening as they usually did: Remus sat on the drawing room sofa and Tonks lay with her head in his lap. Sirius had been courteous enough to leave the pair alone, although Tonks thought he was afraid that they would start doing something inappropriate on the sofa.

Given that she was thinking a lot about death recently, Tonks had one nagging worry on her mind in particular. It was something that concerned Remus also, and it was a subject that he always tried to avoid whenever she brought it up. It was understandable to an extent. The pair had only been together for 6 months and considering having children now was absurd. However, Tonks was of the opinion that given the unpredictable nature of the situation with Lord Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix, having children was something they should discuss. Tonks didn't think she wanted to be with anyone other than Remus, and she was already more than ready to settle down. She fiddled with a loose end on Remus's cardigan.