A/N: This is for assignment 12 at the Hogwarts forum. Apparition. Write about someone leaving behind a family member or friend.
Extra Prompts: Word; death, object; necklace, genre; tragedy, action; crying
Final word count: 1286
This also timed up perfectly and I guess is also a tribute to the Battle of Hogwarts, since I'm posting on the anniversary. So, yeah.
Warnings: Major characters death.
Turquoise, pink, violet, neon green, brown, and turquoise again. Tonks watched as her son's hair changed, never settling on one color for longer than a minute. She loved watching, mesmerized by it, and changing her hair with his. It had been the most magical three weeks of her life. Except for the full moon pulling her husband away for a couple of days, they had found a small quiet peace despite the state of the world around them. She knew it wouldn't last long, but she fully intended to enjoy what she had while she had it. That included the memory of Remus realizing that his son was not a werewolf, that it wasn't passed down by blood. He had cried with tears of joy.
"You know, I think I'm jealous I can't join this hair party you're having," came the voice of her husband as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Well, I'm sure we can find something for you to do."
"It will have to wait."
She turned to look at his face, seeing the sorrow on it. "What's happening?"
"Harry's appeared. He's at Hogwarts, and you-know-who is going to show up at any moment. I have to go help defend them."
"Let me- "
"No."
Tonks looked at her husband, his face stern.
"You cannot come. Please. Teddy needs at least one of us, and it should be you."
"Remus, this is everyone's fight. You can't expect me to sit on the sidelines."
"I'm begging you, Dora. Please. Stay here with Teddy. Stay safe."
Tears were streaming down Tonks's face as she looked into Remus's green eyes. She didn't want to agree. She wanted to fight him and make him stop her from going, but she knew that it would be pointless. "Please, Remus, please come back to us." Her heart was breaking, because she knew that he would promise it, but might not be able to keep it.
"I promise I will try."
She nodded and wiped her eyes. He kissed her gently and she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to hold on to him for as long as she could.
He pulled away before she was ready.
"I love you, Remus," she whispered softly.
He kissed her forehead and moved to the doorway. "I love you too, Nymphadora," he told her with a sad smirk.
She would have hit him, if circumstances were different.
About an hour passed when Andromeda Black entered her daughter's home and saw the woman sitting on the floor next to her son's crib, crying softly. She sat down and put an arm around her daughter, squeezing lightly.
"What's wrong?" Andromeda asked, though she was fairly sure she knew.
"Remus left. There's a battle happening and he left to join it and made me stay behind. He wants me to stay with Teddy."
"Don't you want to stay with Teddy?"
"Of course, but my heart feels all wrong. It feels wrong to have let him leave and jump into the danger. It feels wrong to be sitting here waiting. That's not my job."
"Then go."
"What?"
"Leave Teddy with me and go fight. You've got to do what you think is right."
"I don't know what's right. I don't know if I should stay here with my son or go fight with my husband."
"I will watch over Teddy if you choose to fight. For now, I'm going to start on dinner. Let me know what you decide."
Tonks sat on the floor for a moment longer before standing at the sound of her son stirring. She picked him up and held him close. She loved him, she loved him more than life itself. But she wanted to fight, needed to fight. It was in her blood.
Teddy looked up at her with big round eyes and she smiled a sad smile.
"Teddy, I love you," she murmured, holding him close to her face. "Daddy loves you. Grandma loves you. Harry loves you."
Her broke with each word. Her eyes burned with the salty tears that threatened to fall again. "I will see you again. This is not goodbye."
She kissed the boy's forehead and sat down in the rocking chair, feeding him one last time. She carried him down the stairs and stopped when she reached the bottom. Her heart shattered, but she knew that she needed to fight. It was part of her job. She wanted to fight and help ensure that her son grew up in a safe world free of Voldemort.
"I love you, Teddy. Daddy Loves you. Grandma will take care of you. I will see you again. This is not goodbye."
She walked in the kitchen and her mother saw the look in her face. In that moment, a silent understanding was met. Teddy was placed in a small bassinette in the living room and the mother and daughter hugged each other goodbye.
"Be safe," Andromeda whispered, her voice cracking.
"I will."
Tonks moved to walk out the door before walking back to her son. She removed the necklace around her neck, the one from Remus that held a picture of the two of them on their wedding day, and charmed it to hang above the boy.
"This is not goodbye," she whispered again, though it felt less and less true.
She found him too late. Dolohov cast the spell and Remus fell. Her heart stopped in its tracks and bile rose in her throat. Without even thinking she sent a curse in his direction, one that Remus had mentioned Harry told him about, the one that cost George an ear. Dolohov's arm began bleeding, her aim affected by her emotion. He took off, not noticing her.
An all too familiar cackle came from behind her. She turned to see her aunt, Bellatrix, through the tears blurring her vision. She still couldn't focus. Her anger and grief mixing and blocking her. She couldn't fight Bellatrix right then, and she knew it.
"Lookie here. If it isn't my niece, the little half-blood."
Tonks backed up, trying to walk closer to her husband. She could hope that he was only unconscious, couldn't she?
"Afraid, dearie?"
The use of the word was such a contrast from her tone. A mocking, sadistic tone.
Tonks gripped her wand, trying to prepare herself for a fight.
"Did you see your wolf's death? Wasn't it beautiful?"
She gritted her teeth, anger building, beating out the grief.
"Where's the baby? Maybe I'll go visit him after all this is over."
"Stay the hell away from my son!" Tonks spat, throwing a hex at her aunt.
It missed, and her aunt cackled again before throwing a hex back. Tonks barely managed to block it before it hit. She looked behind her, and saw she was close enough to Remus. If she broke out into a run, she could make it.
Another hex came her way, and she deflect it, casting another one back at Bellatrix who laughed it off.
Tonks reached a hand behind her, reaching for her husband, though at this point, she knew he was gone. It was hopeless. She cast another hex, this one hitting her aunt.
The witch screamed in rage and began flinging hexes at her niece. Tonks tried to keep up, casting shielding charms as fast as could, still stepping back. A rock caught under her foot, her clumsiness catching up to her. She fell backwards as she heard the spell, unable to so do anything to block it.
"This is not goodbye," she whispered softly,
"Avada Kedavra!"
Tonks's body fell to the ground with a silent thud. Her eyes stared blankly towards the sky. Her hand stretched towards her husband.