Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything in their magical world. These characters and their world belong to the talented J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
Once she was settled back in bed, Bella couldn’t keep her eyes opened. Her small excursion had been enough to completely drain her. It was pitiful how little she was capable of. She was asleep before Andromeda had left the room.
When she awoke, she had no idea what time it was. She was certain, however, that she had been asleep for quite awhile. As soon as she opened her eyes, she could sense that someone was in the room. She felt a sense of foreboding. As if something horrible would soon come to pass. A cold chill ran down her spine.
“Who’s there?” she demanded, trying to sound menacing. Not an easy feat when you’re blind and helpless.
“It’s just me,” came Andromeda’s familiar voice.
“It’s not time for more potions, is it?”
“No.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Were you trying to leave?”
Bella hesitated, but decided to tell her sister the truth.
“Yes.”
“Why? Did Nymphadora say something to you?”
“It’s not about your daughter,” Bella told her, in a tired voice. “I was trying to leave because my being here isn’t fair to you. If the Ministry ever finds out that you’ve been helping me they’ll send you to Azkaban with me. They’ll probably arrest your whole family. I don’t want to be responsible for that. And don’t forget about Rodolphus. He’ll come back for me, eventually. He could never stay away if he thought I was living in peace. I don’t even want to think about what he might do to you and your family. It’s not safe for me to be here. I don’t want to be the reason something horrible happens to you.”
“What do you want me to do?” Andromeda demanded. Her voice took on a harsh note that Bella hadn’t heard since they were children. “Do you think I’m going to toss you out, and let you die on the streets? Do you think I could send my own sister to Azkaban? You’re too weak to defend yourself. You need to let me take care of you. Let me worry about you. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“How do you think I would feel if you lost your life trying to take care of me?”
“It won’t come to that.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know,” Andromeda replied, and Bella felt her sister’s arms wrap tightly around her.
“Well, aren’t you just the optimistic one, Mrs. Tonks?” came a hard cold voice from the doorway. A voice that Bella recognized instantly because it had tormented her for years. He had come back for her, just as she knew he would. Rodolphus had returned.
She felt Andromeda pull away and jump off the bed.
“Get out of my house,” she screamed.
“Gladly,” came the cold reply, “as soon as you hand over my property, we’ll be on our way.”
“My sister is not property; and she certainly doesn’t belong to you.”
He laughed. It was a cruel laugh. It sent shivers through Bella’s entire body. She had heard that laugh many times, and nothing good ever followed it.
“She is not worth the fight, Mrs. Tonks. Just let me take her.”
“No.”
“Andromeda, it’s okay,” Bella said weakly. “I’ll go with him.”
“You will do no such thing,” Andromeda snarled, the harshness had returned to her voice. “This man beat and tortured you. He blinded you, and then he left you to die. I will not let him touch you. He will not hurt you, again.”
“Let me?” Rodolphus’ cold laugh filled the room again. “I’d like to see you stop me, you useless blood-traitor. This wouldn’t even be necessary if you had done what you were supposed to do. I should have known that a blood-traitor wouldn’t have the common sense to dispose of a threat. You should have just turned the bitch over to the Aurors. Why didn’t you?”
“She’s my sister.”
“How touching. Now, step aside and let me reclaim my property. I will not ask you again. Move!”
“Andromeda, just listen to him,” Bella pleaded. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m his wife; I’m used to this. Please, just let me go.”
“No,” Andromeda said firmly, to both her sister and Rodolphus.
“Very well,” Rodolphus replied. “You can’t say that I didn’t warn you.”
Bella heard her sister whimper in pain. She heard Rodolphus laugh. Terror and fury surged through her body, like she had never felt before. She did what came naturally, without thinking about the consequences or her new limitations. She was simply scared for her sister. She wanted to save her. She reacted the only way she knew how. Reaching into her robes, she retrieved her wand. She pointed it where she believed Rodolphus to be, and she said the familiar incantation, “Avada Kedavra.”
A few seconds later, the room filled, once again, with the sound of Rodolphus’ maniacal laugh. This confused Bella. Dead people didn’t laugh. She had just killed him. She used the Killing Curse. He couldn’t be laughing. He was dead.
“Thanks, babe,” he said, when he finally stopped laughing. “You saved me from having to kill your stubborn sister. You might be good for something after all.”
It took a few moments for his words to sink in. Then it hit her”hard. She hadn’t killed Rodolphus with the Killing Curse. She had killed Andromeda. She had just murdered her own sister. She couldn’t understand. She couldn’t breathe. How could that have happened?
“Noooo,” the scream escaped from her lungs, without her knowledge or consent. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.
She felt Rodolphus slap her, but the pain was numbed. She knew he had hit her, but she hardly noticed. Andromeda was dead. She was dead because of Bella. What else could possibly matter? How could she care about something as trivial as being slapped around by her abusive husband?
“Shut up,” he growled. “Someone will hear you. Now, get up. We have to go.”
She hardly heard him. She knew he was talking, but his words didn’t make any sense. Go? She couldn’t go. She had to stay with Andromeda. She continued to sob loudly. The words “you killed her” were echoing through her head. Her own sister was dead because of her.
Rodolphus grabbed her hair, and tried to force her to move. “Get up, you stupid bitch.”
She felt nothing. Her whole body had become numb.
Rodolphus was pulling her to her feet when a loud male voice yelled, “Stupefy.”
Bella was no longer being pulled up. She felt Rodolphus’ grip loosen, and she fell to the floor.
“Mum!” she heard Tonks scream. “How did this happen? The neighbors showed up at the Ministry. They said they heard yelling. B”but she’s dead! How did this happen?”
“I’m sorry,” Bella said, through sobs. “I’m so sorry.”
“You did this!” Tonks shrieked.
“I”I didn’t mean to.”
“Tonks, you need to calm down,” said the male voice. “Your dad will be here soon. He’ll need you. I’ll take care of them. I’ll see that they’re both back in Azkaban, where they belong.”
“Thank you, Kingsley,” Tonks replied, her voice trembling.