HP: Spirit Talker

POV Andromeda Tonks

The ritual didn't end as everyone (including the woman herself) had expected. Unfortunately, clans were always good at keeping secrets, so no one could ever know how a clan member had been punished. And the fact of appealing to the Clan Guardian was never mentioned, and the rituals themselves were almost impossible to record — the main ritual halls were always protected and shielded as much as possible.

The Blacks were the only ones desperate enough to tell the world about their Keeper, and a few other families like them. The Gaunt family, for example, derived from the word "hunt," whoever they thought they were, did not hide and even openly used the abilities of their Keeper, the Shadowhound, who could pick up any scent and then track down anyone, anywhere. When you think about it, that's a pretty dangerous ability, especially for all sorts of "dark" personalities. It's kind of the reason their guardian is the reason Gaunt is used up. Together:

Andromeda had managed to overhear and see a few things in her time, so she knew that in one "beautiful" moment, a secret alliance of several clans had gathered and together they had destroyed the Gaunt family, quietly, carefully, thoroughly. The thought had even crossed the woman's mind more than once that not only the Gaunts had been destroyed in this way, but many others as well, including the Blacks...

After the ritual, she stayed for another half hour while everyone recovered, partly in her own thoughts and partly observing those present. Draco's reaction to the devastating news was not surprising: everyone knew that the teenager had almost prayed to his father, and the truth revealed could have broken the boy. It was good to have someone to look after him, and in bed too of course — Draco would need that too — an experienced woman knows how weak men can be, even the strongest of them.

The boy with the pain in his eyes was tenderly embraced by his young companion, who whispered something to him as she led him away. Even the impetuous Bella held back, though Andromeda could see the emotions raging within her. As the doors slammed shut, the brunette swung her wand sharply to create a soundproof barrier, then laughed loudly and not at all aristocratically, throwing her head back and even howling in places.

She was literally filled with glee at what had happened, and the woman could no longer hide: she really enjoyed the result of the ritual. With some excitement, Andromeda shifted her gaze to Narcissa: until recently, her sister had felt warm feelings for her husband, genuinely caring for him despite Lucius' aloofness, his coldness.

But there was not even a hint of dissatisfaction, Narcissa looked slightly tired, as if after several dances without a break, but there were no 'heavy' emotions visible, except for a raised eyebrow at the sight of their mutual sister. Hmmm-ah, Bellatrix, unstoppable, distraught from years of dealing with the Eaters...dead, suddenly came to life. For years, Andromeda had thought Bellatrix was lost in a bloody frenzy of madness, but when a brief obituary was printed in the Prophet, it was as if a thick, rusty needle had been stabbed into her heart.

For many weeks, the image of her young sister haunted the woman, memories of her childhood resurfaced in her mind, selectively showing only the best "shots", and each time the needle was turned, the wound continued to bleed. Only communication with Narcissa, which they had been forced to hide from everyone for years, eased the pain and slowly healed the bleeding wound. Who would have thought that Bella was still so important to her?

But then she suddenly came back to life in a way she hadn't been for years: healthy, beautiful, smiling, not a seizing psychopath with a crazy, squeaky laugh. It wasn't surprising that Narcy, the most sensitive of the three sisters, had even fainted when she saw the "dead woman", and Andromeda herself had been very close to her to support her in this endeavor.

The woman shifted her gaze to Bella, who was no longer laughing, but simply crying and wiping away drying tears. No, it didn't bother her that her sister had not only come back from the dead, but had also regained her mind and had taken the title of Regent of the Black Family — relations had always been very important, if not the most important, but on the other hand, — the woman looked at the one who had arranged all this, — there was too much information and impressions to think about. She had told her daughter very little, just enough to lure Nymphadora to the ritual.

Her daughter had been warned of who she would meet there only minutes before, as they walked from the garden to the house. Catching Nymphadora's impatient, meaningful look, Andromeda realized that her daughter was on edge, and it was no longer safe to drag this out any longer — dangerous, after all, with so much Black blood in her daughter.

With a gentle apology, Andromeda and her daughter left Malfoy Manor. Nymphadora was silent as they walked to the apparatus court in the garden, but when they reached her cottage, she burst into tears, but the beginning was not what the woman had expected.

— Mother, — the girl looked glum and self-conscious. — We must find an excuse that will make them believe us: you didn't know about what happened before the ritual, you didn't know that Leystrange wasn't dead, and so on. We must discuss every detail so that no one can confirm suspicions about you during the investigation of this case, Mother. — There was a brief pause, eye to eye, and then the girl touched her mother's palm gently, hope in her gaze. — You really didn't know about any of this, did you, Mother?

— Let's go inside, — the woman covered her daughter's palm with her hand, squeezing it lightly, and then pointed with one eye to a gap in the trees of their garden, through which she could see a private residential area in the suburbs of London.

The girl nodded in understanding, and they walked to the cottage together. As a novice Auror, Nymphadora knew of many different surveillance techniques, including the possibility of listening at a distance, as well as simple spells of "Air Lens" — analogous to a telescope or binoculars — all depending on the modification of the spell. And of course, all the knowledge and skills the daughter had acquired at the Auror School were shown to her mother as the only friend (she hadn't managed to make any real friends, even with the "friendly Hufflepuff") she could boast of.