Chapter Text
Andromeda finished clasping her daughter’s cloak and adjusted it, checking that it covered her fully. It fit but she’d need a new one in a few months time. She added it to her mental list of things to do. Andromeda had run out of horn of bicorn and fairy wings and nearly out of valerian so needed to make a trip to Diagon Alley. Ted was still at work, and Andromeda figured that it would be easier to an outing of her trip and pick up some other supplies they were running low on. Dora was reluctant to go until she mentioned stopping by Doyle’s Dolls and Toy Emporium.
As they were about to leave Dora’s room, she ran back to her bed to grab her grey wolf plushie.
“Mum, Mr. Wolfy wants to go too.” She jumped up and down in excitement. “Can he? Can he? Please?”
Nymphadora loved to drag that plushie around. Ever since she got it, they were inseparable. “Are you sure he won’t get lost?”
“I’m sure,” she nodded enthusiastically, “I won’t let him.”
“Then he can,” Dora sported a huge grin now that her friend could come with them to Diagon. “And remember, sta-”
“Stay close to you,” she finished. She heard that speech all the time.
No matter how old Dora got she still feared something happening to her, even though Dora always stayed close and followed her. ‘It doesn’t hurt to remind her again just in case,’ she thought. ‘It is December and there will be more people than usual.’ Andromeda called out Leaky Cauldron as she took them through the floo.
More people than usual was an understatement. The Leaky Cauldron was packed with wizards and witches taking a break warming themselves back up from the winter weather. It was colder than usual this year, so she generously applied warming charms on both their clothes and cloaks to keep them cozy.
Diagon Alley wasn’t much better, the street was bustling with wizards and witches going to and fro probably doing their holiday shopping for friends and family. Andie grabbed a hold of Dora’s hand to make sure she wasn’t going to be lost in the crowd.
Her daughter protested, “Mum, I don’t want to hold your hand.” Nymphadora had moods where she didn’t want to be seen holding her mother’s hand, and then she had periods of intense hand holdings, even if it meant interrupting her mother while she brewed an extremely sensitive potion. Children were such fickle things, adorable but also capricious.
“It’s too crowded,” Andromeda explained, reasoning things out always made Dora more agreeable. Just because she was a young child, didn’t mean she lacked reasoning skills. “Once it thins out, I’ll leave you be.”
By the time they exited Twilfitt and Tatting’s, the crowd had mostly died down. Dora trailed behind her a few steps, looking a bit exhausted, but they were nearly done. Andromeda went through her list: She got a new cloak for Dora, replacement ink well from Amanuensis Quills, got the new cauldron to replace the one damaged in the potion mishap, got the horn of bicorn, fairy wings, and… She forgot about the valerian.
Dora grumbled about her saying Twilfitt and Tatting’s was their last shop before going to the toy emporium.
“It won’t take but five more minutes,” Andie said. “We’ll be in and out in no time, and then we’ll go to the toy emporium.” This time they were going to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, the other apothecary was out of valerian when they were buying the fairy wings and horn of bicorn. ‘Hopefully they have some in stock,’ she thought as they walked off towards the store.
Dora trailed behind her mother when she heard an employee shout, “Free Cauldron Cake samples courtesy of Sugarplum's Sweets Shop!!! Get some while supplies last!!”
She turned and looked in the young man’s direction. Cauldron Cakes sounded great, but she remembered she had to stay by her mother’s side. Turning back, her mother was further away, still visible but far. Dora ran to catch up only to trip over her feet and drop Mr. Wolfy. She stopped to pick him up and looked up seeing the Alley crowded with people interested in the free cake. “Mummy!” she yelled, trying to find her through the crowd. ‘Where was she?’ she panicked. The crowd ignored her cries lost in the din of the alley’s activity. “Mum!?”
Nymphadora moved to the side and noticed a few stacked crates and boxes and climbed on them to see if she could spot her mother. There were so many people now. She glanced around.
Not her. Not her… maybe… not her… And then she spotted a familiar shape. Off to the side of the Alley where there were less people, her mother at long last. Dora carefully jumped down and ran after her. “Wait!” she yelled, “Mum!”
Her mother didn’t hear her and continued walking further away from her. She took a turn and disappeared around the corner. Dora ran harder, determined not to lose her again.
Turning the corner after her, Dora saw her mother stopped. She was a few yards away, she could make it. “Mum,” she cried as she latched onto her legs.
Then she heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice growl, “Let go of me, if you know what’s good for you!”
Nymphadora panicked, letting go as she realized she made a huge mistake. This was most definitely not her mother. The woman’s hair was too dark. Her robes were too fine, an expensive silky material which drastically contrasted the dingy, dark alley she found herself in.
The woman whipped after feeling the small arms restraining her legs. Nymphadora dropped her plushie as she took a step backwards away from the woman. The woman was extremely pale, like a vampire. Bright red lips, a red liquid running down her chin. A vampire who was coming closer to her to drink her blood!
Bellatrix looked down at the small kid on the verge of tears… which made sense because she did just threaten untold bodily harm on her. ‘Oops,’ she thought. A part of her wanted to leave her in the alley and continue on with her business, but something about her reminded Bellatrix of her younger sisters as kids, and she wasn’t completely heartless enough to leave a small child in Knockturn Alley. After all, the unspoken motto of Knockturn Alley was: Unattended children will be sent to the coal mines.
“S-sowwy,” the kid stuttered, “M-miss…?”
“Bella.” The curly haired woman supplied as she bent down to pick up the stuffed wolf from the grimy puddle.
The girl flinched as Bellatrix neared, still unsure if the woman before her was after her blood. Bellatrix cast scourgify before smiling and handing the now clean plushie back to the terrified girl.
“Thank you.” Nymphadora noticed her lack of pointy teeth. Perhaps she wasn’t an evil vampire out to suck her blood and turn her into a member of the living dead. She might be able to help her. “I’m looking for my mommy. Can you help me?”
“I’d love to, Miss...”
“Nymphadowa,” she pointed to the stuffed animal, “and this is Mr. Wolfy.” She knew she wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers but she also wasn’t supposed to get separated from her mother, and this lady seemed nice enough to Mr Wolfy. And she was her best bet at getting back to her mother.
Bellatrix had to bite back a laugh at the child’s ridiculous name. Parents were getting far too creative with stupid names. “Nice to meet you Nymphadora and you too Mr. Wolfy.”
Bellatrix led all three of them out of the alley. She looked around through the dense crowd for some woman searching for her missing daughter but didn’t see anyone who looked similar to herself. “Do you see her?” she asked.
Nymphadora leaned up on her tiptoes to get a better view but couldn’t see past the crowd. She jumped but it didn’t improve anything.
“Hold still,” muttered the witch behind her.
Nymphadora was slightly startled as she felt the witch’s hand grab her by the torso. The witch picked her up and perched her on her shoulders.
“Now do you see her?” Bellatrix asked, shifting her hands to better support her and prevent her from falling off her shoulders.
Nymphadora, now able to see into the crowd, glanced around looking for that familiar curly brown hair of her mother’s. After a few minutes of silently searching, she found nothing. She shook her head no.
Bellatrix of course couldn’t see it, but could take a guess. “Do you know where she was going?”
Dora tried to remember the word. It was long. “The a pot the cawy,” she said, finally remembering the name of it.
“The apothecary?” Bellatrix asked.
Dora nodded again. Bellatrix set her down because she wouldn’t be caught carrying a kid on her shoulders in public. It would ruin her terrible reputation.
“What’s that?” she heard the kid ask, pointing to her left forearm. Bellatrix’s sleeve rode up while she picked her up and now showed her Dark Mark. The small child reached out to touch the skull with the snake coming out of its mouth.
“It’s a tattoo,” she lied, not wanting to explain things to a curious child.
“I want one,” Dora announced, her hand stroking the cool design.
Bellatrix chuckled, as she removed Dora’s hand from herself and rolled down her sleeve to cover it up again. “Maybe in a few decades,” she offered, as they walked to the apothecary.
As they approached the dark exterior of the shop, Dora announced, “Not this one. It’s the pink one.”
“Oh Slug and Jitters?” Bellatrix said remember that garishly pink shop she shopped at as a student.
“Mhmm, yeah that one!”
They arrived at Slug and Jitters Apothecary, a place so horribly pink only that nag Dolores would enjoy. Dora’s mother wasn’t there, and Bellatrix was getting concerned. What would she do if she couldn’t find the kid’s mother? Where to drop her off? Bellatrix thought some more before she realized they were approaching the problem wrong. It wasn’t, where would her mother be? It would be, where would a kid go? The Toy Emporium.
They entered Doyle’s Dolls and Toy Emporium. It was massive and filled to the ceiling with toys for children of all ages, and even some items for adult toy collectors. Nymphadora was drawn to the plushie section, and tried to hide her interest in them. She did it poorly, as she shifted restlessly on her feet and took side glances at it.
‘Well, if I can’t find her mother I’ll drop her off here,’ Bellatrix thought as she looked for a clerk to threaten to see if they have seen a distraught mother looking for a missing kid.
As she questioned the young sales clerk, she felt a tug on the bottom of her robe.
“Bella, I’m hungry,” the girl said. “Food?”
Bellatrix grinned. “Sure,” she said. She could go for more food, and she knew just where to go.
Bellatrix took them to the stall section of Diagon Alley, and they stopped at a small stall manned by an elderly wizard. There was a colorful chalkboard with various flavors written on it with the stall’s name, Ice Wizards.
“Bella,” the man greeted. “You’re back already?” He teased his frequent and most loyal customer. Bellatrix was a rare one. Few people looked at 5C weather and decided it was a perfect time to get shaved ice. “Can’t get enough shaved ice? The usual, right?”
“Yes,” she said before turning her attention to Nymphadora. “And what would you like?”
Nymphadora looked at the options. There was cherry, strawberry, grape, blue raspberry, lemonlime, and something called, ‘Dragon’s blood’. Dora asked, “What’s dragon’s blood?”
“Only the best flavor,” remarked Bellatrix, remembering how much she loved it as a kid and how she got some just before a child decided to hug her in the middle of Knockturn Alley.
“Dragon’s blood then.”
“Two dragon’s blood coming up,” said the man as he poured the red syrup into the shaved ice and stuck in the spoons.
Bellatrix tossed the man a few galleons and collected the treats. She handed the cup bowl of shaved ice to Nymphadora who held it in one hand and Mr. Wolfy in the other. The place didn’t really have any good places to sit down and eat unless people didn’t mind getting filthy. Bellatrix generally got the shaved ice and ate it while walking about but Dora struggled to hold her plushie and eat.
“I can hold Mr. Wolfy for you,” Bellatrix offered, after watching her painfully struggle for a minute.
“I’m good,” she answered, only for a few seconds later she changed her mind.
Bellatrix felt the stuffed grey wolf touch her stomach. “I see, Mr. Wolfy.” Bellatrix took the plushie from Dora’s hand and placed the wolf on her shoulder and used a sticking charm to keep him there while she continued to wolf down her shaved ice.
With her hand free, Nymphadora could now try the dragon’s blood. She took the spoon and scooped up a large helping of the icy treat to try it. It was sugary sweet, tasted a bit like strawberry and a hint of something else she couldn’t figure out. She didn’t expect dragon’s blood to be tasty but she could definitely get used to it. It was delicious.
Bellatrix had tossed the spoon having eaten the majority of it and had moved to drinking the rest of it after it melted from her body heat. A bit of the red syrup ran down the corner of her mouth but she didn’t care. She paid for it, so she was going to consume all of it.
A loud yell echoed off the building. “...dora!”
Nymphadora glanced up, it was her mother’s voice. And it was her full name. She was in so much trouble.
“Nymphadora,” came Andromeda’s frantic yell.
“Mum!”
“Nymphadora! Where are you!” Her voice sounded closer, and then she appeared.
Nymphadora saw her near a jewellery stall. She dropped her shaved ice and ran towards her and hugged her hard. “Mum!”
“Nymphadora,” came her mother’s stern and hoarse voice. “I was so worried about you.” She grabbed her and looked her up and down for injuries. “You aren’t hurt anywhere? Did anyone hurt you?”
Nymphadora shook her head no.
Then Andromeda saw the red stains around Dora’s mouth. “What’s that?”
“Dragon’s blood.”
“You ran off, alone for snow cones?!”
“I wasn’t alone. I had Bella,” Nymphadora looked around trying to find Bella, but she couldn’t find her.
Andromeda noticed the people staring at them. “Come on now, we’re leaving.”
“But the toy-”
“No. We’re leaving,” Andromeda turned on the spot, disapparating them.
Once home, the Andromeda’s adrenaline and fear wore off, and she realized she was reacting too hard without getting the full story from Nymphadora. Dora tripped and dropped Mr. Wolfy then got separated, and then she ended up following someone else thinking she was her, and the stranger named Bella tried getting her back and then they stopped for shaved ice.
“Where is Mr. Wolfy?” Andromeda asked, realizing she hadn’t seen him since they left.
Dora had a look of shock on her face as realized he was missing. Bella had him, and she was gone.
“It’s okay, Dora.” Andie comforted, “We can get another one.”
“But Mr. Wolfy,” Dora said on the verge of tears. She lost her irreplaceable friend and a new one wouldn’t be the same.
A thud sound came from Nymphadora’s room, startling both of them. It wasn’t Ted, he still had an hour before he was due home.
“Stay here,” Andie ordered, as she went to investigate.
Andromeda pulled out her wand as she silently approached Dora’s room. Whoever or whatever it was would regret it if they tried to harm her daughter. Andromeda opened the door only to find the room empty and the window slightly ajar. She couldn’t sense anyone new and didn’t feel anything break through the wards.
A raven cawed from outside as Dora pushed past her and saw Mr Wolfy on her bed again along with a plushie penguin. Andromeda walked to the bed and noticed a note.
“Mum, what does it say?” Dora asked.
Andromeda read the note with the very familiar handwriting out aloud.
Mr. Wolfy was missing his best friend, but we made a quick stop to pick up a new friend. His name is Percival the Penguin.
~ B
The letter made everything click for Andromeda. Her daughter had chased after her elder sister thinking it was her. Nymphadora had just spent her day with an alleged, but not ‘proven,’ Death Eater. And the most unsettling of all was that Bellatrix was able to break into her house undetected. Had Bellatrix turned over a new leaf, or was there something worse on the horizon? If Bellatrix wanted to, could she have reconnected with her years ago. She could explain Bellatrix being nice to a child she didn’t know anything about as a fluke but now that she knew Nymphadora was her and Ted’s what would she do?
Andromeda could think about it later, after strengthening the wards around the house. Keeping Bellatrix out was far more important than trying to figure out what she was up to and why.