Ted closed the door and came over. Gideon also revealed himself beside them.
Ted lifted his daughter into his arms and said softly, "Dora, these are our friends. They're here tonight to help us. But you need to be a brave girl, all right? If you hear any strange sounds, go to the basement with your mother immediately."
Tonks's expression suddenly grew serious. She nodded, and her hair turned dark brown.
"I'll protect Mum," she said, her childish voice small but firm.
Andromeda came over and kissed her daughter lightly on the forehead.
"All right," Moody cleared his throat. "We need to set up defenses right now. Gideon, take Ted and check the back door and windows. Frank, with me, we'll establish the outer wards."
"What about us?" Lily couldn't help but ask, clutching her wand tightly.
"You two stay with Andromeda and Nymphadora," Moody said. "You'll act as the reserve, just in case. It's your first real mission."
Lily bit her lip and nodded, while Snape silently studied the room, taking note of anything that might be useful.
The members of the Order immediately set to work. Moody and Frank made themselves invisible again and began circling the house quietly, casting layers of protection and alert spells along the perimeter.
Inside, Tonks watched the adults in fascination, her hair constantly shifting colors as she did.
"When do you think they'll come?" Lily whispered.
"At any time," Snape replied softly. "But don't worry. With Moody and the others here, we just need to handle our part properly."
By the time Moody and Frank reappeared, Gideon and Ted had already secured the back of the house.
Time ticked away in tense silence, the atmosphere inside growing heavier with every passing minute.
The adults took turns keeping watch, while the others tried their best to appear calm, not wanting to frighten young Tonks. Ted tried to distract his daughter with a storybook, but even he could barely focus; Andromeda had prepared a simple supper, but hardly anyone touched it.
Not long after darkness had fully fallen, Moody suddenly straightened up.
"They're here," he rasped, staring hard toward the front door. "Three of them, coming from the east."
Everyone immediately moved into position. Snape and Lily took their places by the basement entrance, guarding each side.
Andromeda scooped up Tonks, forcing herself to stay composed as she hurried toward the basement. In her arms, the little girl's hair had turned gray.
"We'll hold the line here," Snape said as he lifted the trapdoor, speaking gently to the girl. "Be brave, just like your father."
The little girl nodded to him, though her lips trembled slightly.
Moments after the trapdoor shut, a piercing laugh ripped through the night air.
"Come out, you filthy Mudbloods and blood-traitors!" a woman shrieked, her voice wild and cruel. "And my dear sister, come out and see me, Andromeda!"
"Bellatrix," Snape said under his breath, swiftly flicking his wand to pull several chairs toward himself and arrange them in a circle. "She actually came... is she planning to become the Black family's executioner?"
The next instant, the front door and the screen behind it exploded with a deafening blast. Three black figures stormed in, wands unleashing deadly green flashes.
Snape immediately hurled one of the chairs into the air, transforming it into a shield that absorbed the Killing Curse aimed at him and Lily.
The battle erupted at once. Beams of spellfire lanced through the air, casting flickering light across grim faces and the gleam of Death Eater masks.
"Hand over the Mudblood and that little half-breed!" Bellatrix Lestrange stood in the doorway, her eyes blazing with madness.
Moody attacked from the flank, a red jet of light streaking straight for Bellatrix, but she dodged nimbly and retaliated with the Cruciatus Curse. Moody barely avoided it, his wooden leg scraping harshly across the floorboards.
Lily saw another Death Eater trying to circle around and instantly fired a Bombarda spell. The blast left a scorched mark on the wall. Snape seized the opening as the man dodged, striking him squarely with a Stupefy. The Death Eater collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
"Ah, Severus," Bellatrix hissed with a deranged grin as a green flash erupted from her wand. "You fooled poor sister Bella so terribly last time!"
Snape jerked his head aside just in time to avoid the Killing Curse and silently cast Sectumsempra. The curse sliced across Bellatrix's face, leaving a shallow crimson mark.
"Snape!" Bellatrix screamed, not in pain but in rage.
During the chaos, Moody and Frank together managed to knock out another Death Eater.
Realizing the tide had turned, Bellatrix shrieked and swung her wand wildly as she backed toward the door.
"Leaving so soon, Bella?" Snape shouted after her mockingly. "Not staying to play a little longer with your old friends?"
With another fit of hysterical laughter, Bellatrix abandoned her two fallen comrades and vanished into the night beyond the door.
Moody stopped Ted, who was about to open the trapdoor, and cautiously stepped outside with Frank to confirm that the area was secure before returning.
"It's safe now," Moody said, pulling open the trapdoor and calling down, "We've driven them off."
Andromeda, wand raised and her daughter clutched protectively behind her, emerged carefully from the basement.
Seeing everyone still standing, she let out a long sigh of relief. "Where's Bellatrix?" she asked.
"Escaped," Moody said, pointing his wand at his bleeding arm. "Episkey." The wound sealed over, leaving only a faint stain of red. "But her two companions are down. Frank's contacting the Auror Office."
Tonks wriggled out of her mother's arms and turned toward the Order members, her hair changing to a bright gold. "Thank you for beating the bad guys!"
Ted went over and affectionately ruffled his daughter's hair, which was already shifting back from gold to pink.
While they spoke, Snape wordlessly summoned the two fallen Death Eaters' wands. Holding one in each hand, he pressed the ends together and snapped them sharply downward.
A loud crack echoed through the room, drawing every eye to him.
"I just wanted to see how sturdy they were," Snape said casually. "Accident."
"Well, Aurors can't do that," Moody muttered, thumping his staff against the damaged floorboards. "But as for you, I've gotten used to it. At least this time you didn't do anything worse."
He surveyed the wrecked room. "We need to clean up and repair the damage. The Ministry will be here soon."
Then he turned to Snape and Lily. "You two, as far as I know, you've both passed your Apparition exams. You've seen enough for one night. Go back to where we started, Dumbledore's waiting for you there."