Blood and Quality
"Mum, do I have to?" Nymphadora Tonks asked, a pleading tone threatening to creep into her voice. "Cousin Draco hates me, Aunt Cissy hates me, Uncle Lucius hates me... the only person in that entire house who doesn't hate me is that little house-elf, Dobby!"
"Yes, you do," Andromeda said firmly. "It's your cousin's birthday, and you are going to be polite to him and his friends."
"Even though they hate me?"
Andromeda sighed. "Nymphadora—"
"Don't call me that. Just Tonks."
The woman rolled her eyes. "Nonsense, Nymphadora is a perfectly nice name… oh!" She shook her head. "You're as bad as your father, always going off on a tangent… what I mean to say is…" Andromeda Tonks sighed the sigh of long suffering. "I know Draco is rude to you—"
"He called me a Mudblood!" young Tonks shot back angrily. "I don't see why you make me call him cousin, we'd all be happier if we just disowned them!"
"Nymphadora," her mother said. "You know we can't do that."
"Why?" the girl asked. "'Cause Great-Aunt Black did it first?"
"No!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Goodness, my girl, would you let me get a word in edgewise?"
"Maybe. If only because you didn't call me Nymphadora that time."
Andromeda chuckled fondly. "What I've been trying to say, even though Cissy, Draco, and Lucius are mean to you, you must rise above it and be civil to them."
"Why?" Tonks asked again. "Seems to me I should teach Cousin Draco a lesson or two with Daddy's wand."
"That's just what they would expect," Andromeda said gently. "They would expect you to be a barbaric Muggle."
"Barbaric?" the girl repeated, incredulous. "Last time we were here, I saw Draco steal Aunt Cissy's wand and curse poor Dobby and Kreacher to be bound together! At their ears!" Her cheeks flushed angrily. "If that isn't barbaric…!"
The mother-woman sighed again. This was quite the difficult talk. Not that she expected to avoid it, or that it would be easy.
"I know the Malfoys are… hypocritical… but that's why you've got to be better than them!" It took an effort not to call her daughter by name. "Show them that the state of your blood has nothing to do with the content of your character… and…" The umpteenth sigh escaped the maternal figure outside of Malfoy Manor. "Prove them wrong."
"All right." Tonks echoed her mother's sigh.
"But I still say I should get to curse Cousin's pretty blonde hair off."
"Mum, do I have to?" Nymphadora Tonks asked, a pleading tone threatening to creep into her voice. "Cousin Draco hates me, Aunt Cissy hates me, Uncle Lucius hates me... the only person in that entire house who doesn't hate me is that little house-elf, Dobby!"
"Yes, you do," Andromeda said firmly. "It's your cousin's birthday, and you are going to be polite to him and his friends."
"Even though they hate me?"
Andromeda sighed. "Nymphadora—"
"Don't call me that. Just Tonks."
The woman rolled her eyes. "Nonsense, Nymphadora is a perfectly nice name… oh!" She shook her head. "You're as bad as your father, always going off on a tangent… what I mean to say is…" Andromeda Tonks sighed the sigh of long suffering. "I know Draco is rude to you—"
"He called me a Mudblood!" young Tonks shot back angrily. "I don't see why you make me call him cousin, we'd all be happier if we just disowned them!"
"Nymphadora," her mother said. "You know we can't do that."
"Why?" the girl asked. "'Cause Great-Aunt Black did it first?"
"No!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Goodness, my girl, would you let me get a word in edgewise?"
"Maybe. If only because you didn't call me Nymphadora that time."
Andromeda chuckled fondly. "What I've been trying to say, even though Cissy, Draco, and Lucius are mean to you, you must rise above it and be civil to them."
"Why?" Tonks asked again. "Seems to me I should teach Cousin Draco a lesson or two with Daddy's wand."
"That's just what they would expect," Andromeda said gently. "They would expect you to be a barbaric Muggle."
"Barbaric?" the girl repeated, incredulous. "Last time we were here, I saw Draco steal Aunt Cissy's wand and curse poor Dobby and Kreacher to be bound together! At their ears!" Her cheeks flushed angrily. "If that isn't barbaric…!"
The mother-woman sighed again. This was quite the difficult talk. Not that she expected to avoid it, or that it would be easy.
"I know the Malfoys are… hypocritical… but that's why you've got to be better than them!" It took an effort not to call her daughter by name. "Show them that the state of your blood has nothing to do with the content of your character… and…" The umpteenth sigh escaped the maternal figure outside of Malfoy Manor. "Prove them wrong."
"All right." Tonks echoed her mother's sigh.
"But I still say I should get to curse Cousin's pretty blonde hair off."