Playing for Time

Chapter 1

Tonks was not really drunk. Tipsy, that was the word. It described the nice, slightly fuzzy feeling of just enough drinks and great company. It had been fun to see her old friends, muggle girls she had kept in touch with even after she had entered Hogwarts. Of course they never knew exactly what kind of school she went to. She had kept her magical ability well away from her friends, something she was quite proud of achieving. She didn't see them much, but once in a while they met, ate and drank and caught up on each other's lives.

She stayed tipsy until she had closed the door and fumbled after the light switch, her wand still buried at the bottom of her bag. But somewhere between the moment she realised that the lamp didn't light up, until she was slammed into the wall by invisible hands, she became dead sober. Pressed hard into the wall she was suddenly alert and thinking straight, but it was too late then. Tonks pressed her cheek against the cool surface and willed herself to think. Several trains of thought seemed to run through her mind at the same time.

She was aware of the faint smell of paint from the wall. Her father had insisted on painting it for her, even if she had told him that it would be much faster and easier to do it with the help of magic. A labour of love he had called it and she did love it, even if the paintwork was far from perfect, a bit uneven here and there, and just in front of her, a hair from the brush had been caught in the drying paint.

She became aware of, and cursed the fact that she had not noticed earlier, that the wards around her home was broken. Perhaps not all of them, though... She carefully probed her mind around the remains of the spells, feeling the intruder's spells wrapped around them. There, unnoticed, where the alarm spell, slowly working through her captors new layers. In time it would ease through and a warning would be sent and then help would arrive within seconds. She just had to stay alive until then. Alive and still here.

All the while she was aware of the man behind her. He was standing very close, but not touching her, but far too close for comfort. Tonks strained to move her head so she could see her attacker and was rewarded by a brief glimpse of fair hair. With an arrogance she didn't feel she greeted her unwelcome guest.

"Why hello, uncle Lucius. I'm so flattered that you come to see me. But I didn't know you could get permission from Azkaban."

He hissed angrily and she was slammed once again into the wall, causing her head to spin. Her thoughts raced even faster - everything she had ever learned about Lucius Malfoy flashed through her mind in seconds. Arrogant. Dangerous. Vain. Very vain.

"That's quite a cocky little mouth you have there, halfblood." His voice, low and cultured, spoke close to her ear. "I believe the Dark Lord will take it out of you in a very short period of time. Why don't we join him, so you can see for yourself. I am sure he will be delighted with your company." He laughed softly. "Somehow I doubt that you will be equally delighted."

Truly scared now, Tonks worked through her possibilities. If Lucius managed to leave with her, the chance to survive was very slim. Unbidden pictures of people, tortured and killed by the Death Eaters came to her mind. Dorcas Meadows. The Longbottoms, and many more. The Death Eaters obsession with blood would not help her, the Black blood from her mother was in their eyes hopelessly diluted with her father's. Blood that had been mingled with that of a Muggle-born would only be a source of contempt.

No, if she was to be saved, she had to stay here until the alarm was activated. She cursed again, now because her wand was in her bag, way out of reach for her. If she was to get out of this mess, she had to use Lucius Malfoy's weaknesses. Tonks felt a bit queasy. She had to put up a believable act now. Her life depended on it and she would only get one chance.

"Please don't hurt me." Her voice sounded breathless from fear. Well, that wasn't an act - she was truly frightened. "Please don't take me to You-Know-Who."

She sensed him take a step closer, still not touching her, but she could feel the heat from his body through the all too thin layers of her clothes. Tonks closed her eyes and concentrated. She let her body change, subtle changes that no one would see. She breathed out when she could feel her clothes tighten around her breasts and hips as they swelled.

"Please don't take me there, Lucius. If you don't, I could make it well worth your while. Think about it - you know that I am an Metamorphmagus. I could be anyone you like, for as long as you like. No need to mess around with Polyjuice. No restrictions."

She heard his sharp intake of breath and she allowed herself a brief triumphant smile, but he hadn't caught the bait fully yet. He was surely interested, now she had to make him stay that way. The memory of a re-told conversation flashed through her mind. A few phrases, a description of a a brief meeting years ago, and she suddenly knew who she had to change into.

"Anyone you like, Lucius. And I'm sure you agree that a half-blood is so much better than a Mudblood."

"Prove it."

His voice sounded as haughty as always but Tonks could detect a note of eagerness behind it. She concentrated again, harder this time. She felt the familiar tensing when her facial muscles changed. It was difficult to do it without a mirror to check if it came out right, and it was so desperately important that nothing went wrong now. Her hair grew, changing colour as it tumbled down to her shoulders. New colours on her eyes as well, re-shaping nose, mouth and eyebrows. She would not end up an exact replica, she was still older, but it had to do.

"Let me turn around and you can see for yourself." Her voice sounded much more confident than she felt. Inside she thought. "Oh sweet Merlin, if this works and I get through this alive, I need to have a very long talk with Hermione." Very briefly she hoped that her guess would be wrong.

The invisible hands spun her around and when Tonks saw his face, the brief widening of his eyes, she knew that she had guessed right. She felt sick, but determinedly pushed the feeling away. Right now, she had to do what was necessary to survive.

A small smile played on Lucius Malfoy's lips. "No stamina, half-blood. It doesn't take much to make you crawl, didn't it? Very well, I will see if this is worth my time."

He leaned closer to her and for a moment Tonks thought he was going to kiss her, but his lips just brushed over her cheek, before he whispered into her ear;

"Make sure that you make it worth my time. I will have my fun anyway, so you better exceed my expectations here, if you want it to pay off for you."

He took a step back and looked her over carefully. A few words and a small movement with his wand made her T-shirt split open, revealing her breasts that strained against the now too-small bra. Lucius smile grow broader, uglier and he let his gloved hand trail over her body, lingering here and there. Tonks willed herself to remain motionless, using all her will-power to keep her face blank, hiding the repulsion she felt. She felt a sudden gratitude to her invisible restraints, without them she doubted that she wouldn't shrink back from his touch.

He removed his hand, moving away from her slightly. "Now. On your knees and we will see how well you can ascertain my pleasure."

Tonks found herself being brought down to a kneeling position and then she was free, nothing was holding her anymore. She looked up. The angle made the wizard's face look deformed and to Tonks it looked like he was finally showing his real face, not the beautiful man but that of the monster he truly was.

"I am waiting."

She closed her eyes to try to compose herself, opened them again and stared at layers of expensive fabrics. In the corner of her eye she could see her bag and when she looked back on the man before her, she realised that she could not act any longer. Tonks could not bear to touch him and before she thought it true, her body reacted. She threw herself away from him, desperately attempting to reach her bag and her wand.

She miscalculated her move. Perhaps it was the alcohol in her system, or fear, or a combination of both. Perhaps it was the clumsiness that she never seemed to be able to fully shed. Lucius got a hold of her hair as she passed him and threw her in the opposite direction. She landed on her elbow and the pain paralysed her for a moment.

With a hand still in her hair, Lucius stepped forward, placing a foot on the hand she used to push herself upright with. She looked up at him and his face seemed unnaturally white to her, his eyes burning with a pale fire. He yanked her up further, his foot still on her hand. Tonks cried out in pain as the pressure on her hand increased. Something was breaking in it, she could feel it even if it didn't hurt as much as she thought it ought to.

"It's shock," she managed to think before another yank made her forget everything except the pain. For a fleeting moment she saw a picture of all the small and fragile bones in her hand and she wondered how many of them that were broken now.

Then, just as she was nearly claimed by unconsciousness, she felt a sudden movement around her, as if a gigantic rubber band had snapped. Then she knew that the alarm wards had finally worked through Lucius's spells. With an effort she shook away the threatening unconsciousness, using all her strength to make the nails of her free hand grow long and deadly sharp. With her last bit of strength she sank the claw-like nails in the hand that was buried in her hair.

Lucius let go of her head at the same moment as Lupin and Kingsley apparated into her room. The dark wizard took a step back and her mangled hand was free. The last thing Tonks managed to do before she really fainted was to roll away from him, to ensure that he wouldn't be able to leave with her.

She awoke slowly, staring up into faces she knew belonged to her friends, though at the moment they were just blurred shapes.

"Did you catch him?" she asked and she saw the shapes shake their heads.

"No, he managed to apparate before we could do anything." That was Kingsley, she couldn't mistake his deep voice. And then Remus's low, concerned voice caressed her ears.

"Don't move Tonks, we will apparate you to St Mungo's in a moment." Someone stroked her face in a calming manner, and Remus spoke again. "It's over now and you will be fine."

"Yes I will," Tonks thought. But she also knew that she had made a much more personal enemy of Lucius Malfoy than before and that thought filled her with a dread she wasn't really prepared to accept.