Et Nulli Miseretur

She wouldn't have believed it, but it's true, her mum has been waiting in front of her flat today. Not only that - she's apologised, and acknowledged that she's been utterly wrong! Perhaps she wouldn't have forgiven her so easily if it hadn't been for her own recent reconciliation with Remus, rendering her soft and sentimental. Andromeda has uttered a couple of wishes, for once meeting with Remus and excuse to him personally. Also, she wanted her daughter to meet someone she hasn't reckoned with...

She's intrigued, to say the least. Wow... Wow. Aunty Cissy. Little Draco. Aunty Cissy. Little Draco. Just - it's not really Aunty Cissy and Little Draco, is it? No more, anyway. Once again, she muses how long she hasn't seen them. Eleven years? Or twelve? Of course, she could ask her mum, but... She's not in the mood to talk to that one right now and it doesn't matter anyhow.

As a kid, she's worshipped her aunt, and doted on the boy. Gawd, he was so cute. Like one of those cherubs. One Christmas, she and Lainey attached wings to his back and levitated him. He loved it, so did they. Sure, aunty Cissy did not love it. It was the only time in fact that she got rather mad with her nieces. But all in all, Tonks' memories of her aunt are nothing but great. She was so cool. In every meaning of that word. She was reserved and detached. She never lost her countenance, no matter what. During all those fights between her mum and uncle Lucius, Narcissa's never raised her voice. When she thought that Lucius had crossed the line, she'd raise one of her perfect brows for the tiniest fracture, and he'd fall silent at once. Same for Draco. Whenever he was angry or upset or unhappy, one look from her would suffice to make him change his mind and smile again.

Lucius was grand in every respect. Everything was grand about him. His voice, his gestures, his facial expressions - everything about him emanated power. But to Tonks, her aunt has been much more mighty. She needn't talk, she needn't gesture, she could command people by looking at them. Not much's changed, eh? Narcissa's still impressive. Still mighty, and admirable, and - strangely irresistible. You just can't turn her down.

Tonks' mother is very different from her sister. Her temper's much closer to the surface, she'll speak her mind, she won't keep the peace for the sake of it. Let's face it, many, if not most of those arguments back then, her mum has started. She couldn't stand her brother-in-law, and she'd use every opportunity to pick a fight. Sure, Lucius was a jerk. No doubt about it. Today, Tonks knows exactly what he's like, and even as a child, she has been aware that he was no nice person. But somehow, his wife's glory reflected on him. Tonks hasn't liked him, but she hasn't minded him much either.

Since Voldemort's return, she's often thought about the old times. The closer the focus has fallen on the Malfoys, the more Tonks has thought of them. Tried to square her memories with the facts. As long as old Cygnus was still alive, there was no contact whatsoever. He died shortly after his oldest daughter's conviction, in the summer of '82. Nana - her French grandmother - was very much a family person, and even if she wasn't exactly happy about Andromeda's choice of a husband, her attachment outweighed her resentment. So they met up again. For birthdays, for Christmas, for summer outings. They have even been on holiday together - two times in summer, to Portugal and New Zealand, and skiing in Switzerland once. The adults might have been uncomfortable with those arrangements, the children have loved them.

Draco was their only cousin, and Tonks and Lainey have had so much fun with him. He has been their doll. So cute. Those soft blond curls he's had as a toddler, the little nose, the bright, lively, sparkling eyes. They have shown him spells, have romped around, sledging in the Alps, swimming in the Atlantic, they've carried him along beaches and up mountains. He hasn't been an easy child, quite his father's son really - demanding, spoilt, egocentric. Did they care? No way. He's been delightful with all his bad qualities. And they enjoyed spoiling him even more.

And the Manor! Malfoy Manor! Oh boy! What a house! House? Palace! The Malfoys have a number of splendid places, in Scotland, Cornwall, London, Ireland. A chalet in France, another one in Switzerland, magnificent mansions in Italy, Russia, Sweden, Germany and Greece. But aunt Narcissa wasn't fond of leaving home, and who could blame her. Malfoy Manor is a jewel. It's breathtakingly beautiful; the epitome of an enchanted fairy tale castle. It has even come with a real moat. Countless towers. Eerie dungeons. Endless corridors, huge halls, velvet, marble, mahogany and ebony everywhere. Furniture carved out of Oligophant ivory - portraits framed in solid gold - chandeliers with diamonds as big as eggs... When they played hide and seek, they often had to stop, simply because they hadn't found each other in two hours.

It's all come to an end after Nana's death. Not immediately, but soon. She died in - hang on, in '84, and although they've tried it some longer, two years maybe, it didn't work out. The first to be cancelled were the joint holidays. Andromeda said she had only ever agreed to go because of Nana. And Lucius has been pretty relieved, too. Must have been awful for him to be seen in public with such disgraceful relatives! They would meet for Christmas still, and a couple of birthday parties, but they all ended in a turmoil. Andromeda and Lucius argued about mere trifles first - about the real stuff later - and they simply wouldn't stop again. Almost a ritual - at some point, Andromeda jumped to her feet, hissed at her husband and daughters to follow her - and they'd all march out, Andromeda's head raised, Ted's head shaking helplessly, the girls upset.

No, she never wanted to leave. She wanted to live in Malfoy Manor. She's wanted to become just like aunt Narcissa, so gorgeous, so elegant, so goddamned witty and cool. She's had these incredible robes - Tonks has only seen such robes in high class fashion magazines, just like that jewellery. Her mum's once joked that Narcissa's wedding ring alone equalled Westminster Abbey in value, which certainly exaggerated the matter, but was true in essence. Clothes do make a person, but in her aunt's case, the opposite might be right, too. She could be wearing a rice bag and ennoble it still.

Her entire attitude was - is, as she's realised tonight - absolutely superior. That's the 'regal demeanour of the Black family' that her mum's always mocked, but it doesn't fail to make an impression. When Tonks was a girl, she tried to imitate her aunt. Not only that she has found a photo of Narcissa in the Daily Prophet and hid it for years, so she could look at it and use her Metamorphmagic powers to copy that nose, the deep blue eyes, the golden hair. She also tried to pose like Narcissa, her straight posture, how she would throw back her hair, how she would arch her brow, her smile... Lainey once caught her in front of the mirror like this and ridiculed her to no end.

Why on earth would a woman like her aunt marry such a complete twerp like old Lucius? It must remain a mystery to Tonks. It is a mystery to the entire branch of her family; Andromeda avoids to mention her sisters, but she is pretty fond of Narcissa, and Ted practically admires her, not at last because of her fantastic knowledge of art and her exquisite taste. Lainey, too, used to like her a lot, back then. All of them adored aunt Cissy and loathed or feared uncle Lucius. Kids can be very perceptive. They're not always right with their sensual assessment - when she was five or six, Tonks staunchly believed that Tom the hunch-backed bartender of the Leaky Cauldron was really a goblin in disguise, trying to spy on the wizarding community - but in Lucius' case, both Lainey and Tonks herself got the right end of the stick somehow. Well, maybe they simply adapted their mother's opinion.

To his credit - he did try his best. Undoubtedly for Narcissa's sake. He forced himself to smile at his nieces, he gave them marvellous presents - Tonks' first racing broom was in fact a gift from aunt and uncle, and they'd arrange a summer class in sculpturing for Lainey, with the famous Euridyke Pappadopulos. But in the end, he simply couldn't help it - he despised his brother-in-law, he always resented his old class mate Andromeda, their children were abominations in his eyes, and he couldn't entirely hide his abhorrence. In unguarded moments, he gazed at them in sheer disgust, head-shaking, and when the fights with Andromeda got more heated, he'd also speak his mind very clearly - this being the usual moment for Andromeda to get up and go.

Must be love, she thinks to herself and notices that she's given a little sigh of movement - or resignation. Her mum disapproved of her daughter's relationship to a werewolf, too, and did Tonks give a damn? No, she didn't. Andromeda will square with it eventually, or leave it. And she loves her daughters too much to leave it anyway, as her visit's proven.

However... Narcissa wants her help. The obvious question is, of course - can Narcissa be trusted in the first place? The other order members will say 'no frigging way!' She's the wife of Voldemort's right-hand man, she's Bellatrix Lestrange's sister, her son is rightfully accused of being a Death Eater who's brought other Death Eaters into the school and who's been about to kill Dumbledore. She does not even deny that Severus Snape is an old pal of hers. But that's the point in a way, isn't it? She doesn't even deny all that; as far as Tonks can tell, Narcissa has been perfectly honest today. And her niece has bought in her story. She'd like to claim that she's been all suspicious and professional about the whole thing, but as a matter of fact, Narcissa's got her five minutes into the conversation.

It must appear weird, quite perverse in fact, to feel sympathy for the Malfoys. Nevertheless, Narcissa is the best advocate for their case that they could ever have; neither Andromeda, nor Ted, nor their daughter resisted her for long. 'Lucius has made many, many horrible mistakes,' she's said. 'I understand that you cannot feel any pity on his account,' she's said. 'But do not make my child pay for his father's crimes. You've got to help him, Dory. You've got to save him! You know that he is good, you know it better than he does himself, Dory!'

Tonks has noticed the sly tricks at once - calling her by her pet name of old, making a personal connection, reminding her of old sentiments, appealing to her sympathy and protective instincts. Narcissa knows that Lucius can't be saved; nothing she could ever say can wash him clean from being a Death Eater. So she overcomes her sense of loyalty - she'd never speak ill of him otherwise - in order to make Draco appear more innocent. She's kept on referring to him as 'my child', 'my boy', 'my baby', she's blamed herself for giving him the wrong principles. She probably believes in her own guilt, too. She elaborated on the kid's despair, his horror after his father's conviction, how his whole world has collapsed last summer, and that joining the Death Eaters was the error of a confused, unhappy adolescent. How he realised what he had got himself in, how he had only continued because he feared for his parents' lives.

'The Potter boy was there, wasn't he? Severus says he was - he will confirm that Draco had no chance. He didn't want to kill Dumbledore in the crucial moment, though he could have done it right there. My baby is no murderer, Dory! But they will murder him when they find him out! Please, please, Dory, only you can help him now. You know the right people! Dumbledore offered him his help - Harry Potter has heard it, too! Please, honour his memory and keep his promise. Please, you must help my baby!'

She did a very good job; Tonks has seen from the corner of her eye how her mum has blinked away some tears. And not only that her pleas were heart-felt and persuasive - her counteroffer was pretty interesting as well. Snape, Lucius and Narcissa are mighty allies. If they are true allies. Snape is higher in Voldemort's favour than ever; Lucius, in Azkaban or not, is an exceptionally powerful wizard. Not to mention Narcissa's own power, and what's more - her charms. She's fooled Voldemort himself, the greatest Legilimens in the world. She can fool anyone.

'And she's fooled you too,' the others will say. But has she? Did Tonks fall for some cunning rhetorical tricks? Was she simply overwhelmed by sentimentality? The proverbial trip down memory lane, because she's been so fond of her aunt as a little kid? It is possible after all. She's by no means objective. Little Draco... Of course she wants to help him, because the last time she's seen him for real he's been an angelic boy of five or six, because she's liked him a lot back then, because she doesn't want to believe that this little darling could be rotten to the core.

It is already dawning when she finally comes to a decision, for the time being. She's going to discuss this with Remus for a start, and if Remus doesn't tell her that she's gone bonkers all of a sudden, she'll arrange a meeting between some select order members and Narcissa herself. She's much more suited to press her own request. She might be capable to talk the devil himself into a prayer.