Chapter 4- Blossoming

NT,

I would have worked harder in potions if I knew an "E" would have been good enough to get me in the NEWT class, and I might have some small chance at making it. It would have been helpful to know more about the application of magical plant usage in potions. I always hoped that my knowledge in Herbology would help with potions, but working around Snape was impossible. And now that he's taken over Defense, I would say that my grade would suffer, but it's not like we learned anything from Umbridge, so this is actually better. I've been saying that we need to start the DA up again (it's the only possible reason that I somehow managed an "E" in Defense), but there doesn't seem to be interest. I don't know why there wouldn't be interest though, with everyone knowing that He was back. Snape does know a lot about Defense at least, and he wants us to actually practice. If I had known wordless spells last year, I might not have been useless when my nose was broken and I couldn't pronounce the spells. How are you doing? You know I'm here to listen whenever you need.

Neville

Tonks put aside the letter, not willing to face his last questions at the moment. At least there didn't seem to be anything to sinister going on at the school that year, and the wizarding world was finally opening their eyes. Perhaps Scrimgeour would shape the Ministry the way it should be. He had done a decent enough job with the auror's office, she supposed. Neville didn't mention the small internal auror notice that Sirius Black had been killed but was found innocent of all charges, but Tonks thought that somehow Neville knew that piece of information as well, and wondered if it made him write her that day. There should have at least been a front page apology for making his life hell- well, more hellish than it was already going to be when most of his best friends died or turned traitor when he was barely an adult.

The year went on with nothing more exciting for Neville than hearing that one of the Gryffindor seventh years was injured by a cursed necklace, which while being terrible, seemed tame for Hogwarts in the last few years. Somehow, working at the Ministry was even less eventful. Tonks was wondering how far You-Know-Who had already infiltrated the Ministry just because of the apparent incompetence everywhere. Surely no one could legitimately suspect Stan Shunpike of being a threat to society? Tonks wondered how far the infiltration was at Hogwarts was as well. Harry Potter suspected that her little cousin, Draco Malfoy was into something serious, and though Harry never seemed as mature as Neville was at the same age, the kid had undeniably good instincts, with the exception of the previous June…

*****Tonks*****

How could such a quiet year end so terribly? Tonks didn't even know that anything was wrong until Dumbledore was already dead. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts for more than a generation. Albus Dumbledore, the infuriating old man who would use her first name more than occasionally. Albus Dumbledore, the only on You-Know-Who ever feared.

Tonks had battled on with the rest of the Order, once she had finally received word to come. Others didn't know that Dumbledore had died and had to be told. It was all around wretched. And that damned bastard, Snape. She was right to have always hated him. And she was pretty sure it was all her cousin, Draco Malfoy's fault, rubbing salt in the damned wound. Couldn't she have been born in a nice family like the Weasleys? You were supposed to be able to trust family. That was when it all started going to hell. The Order put on a good face, pretending that nothing was too wrong. It seemed like between McGonagall and Old Mad-Eye, they'd piece things together.

Then there was the plan to move Harry from his aunt and uncle's house for the final time. It was an even more hair-brained scheme then the first rescue of Harry Potter that Tonks had been a part of. What of the year in between? Hadn't Dumbledore just arrived and apparated Harry away that summer? Was that really too dangerous to chance? Why hadn't that plan been suggested? But itseemed exciting enough, and Tonks wasn't in the habit of questioning her old mentor, old Mad-Eye. A convoluted plot at least made everyone feel involved and gave them something else to think of than the death of their leader and the loss of their headquarters- not that Tonks minded leaving old house, as she hated the damned place. She should have spoken up, said the plan was insane. Mad-Eye was too old to be making those tactical decisions. She had known he was failing years before when she heard that he had been captured by Wormtail, and she just didn't want to admit not trusting the judgment of the old man.

She didn't know how she could go on without the old grouch. The Ministry was going downhill as well, beyond just incompetence. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, even to Neville. Sometimes she didn't even open the letters, but she appreciated that he still sent them, at least for a while. Some attempt was made to throw a decent wedding together for Bill and Fluer- they certainly deserved it, and she was glad they weren't putting their lives on hold- those who did never really lived. Word from Kingsley that the Ministry had fallen was hardly meaningful- had they ever been worth anything? Tonks did not go to work after that day. She only felt useful when she collected information from former Hufflepuffs brave enough to continue on at their Ministry jobs and slip her information, though each week there were fewer able to go back. Hufflepuff house didn't often have those of "purest blood," and anyone with less high standing felt less able to go to work each day.

*****Neville*****

So much had happened since they had seen each other last. They had barely even been able to write. Neville thought, how could it have been that long? Tonks had stopped responding anyway before it was too hard to send anything at all. He knocked on the door that he'd spent the last few days trying to find. Neville had to stop himself from reacting poorly to the woman that looked so much like the person he hated more than anyone else. "I'm Neville Longbottom," he introduced himself. "Is Tonks here?" he asked. "I don't know if you remember me, Mrs. Tonks. We met at St. Mungos a few years ago. I'm a friend of hers, and of the Order."

The woman smiled just a bit. Neville had to remind himself that she wasn't the one who had destroyed his family. She just looked eerily like her horrid sister. "I think you'd be good for her now," the woman said, ushering him past the entryway and pointing to a room up the stairs, where he could see a slightly open door and a light visible.

"Thank you," Neville replied. "I am very sorry, and hope you are doing well enough," he tried to sound pleasant. He knew that there was nothing meaningful to say sometimes.

*****Neville/Tonks*****

Tonks looked up at the sound of the door creaking. Her eyes widened. "Neville!" The wizard smiled.

"Wait, wait," she said, fumbling for her wand. "How did we first meet?" she asked, knowing that there were tears in her plain brown eyes.

Neville didn't move from where he stood. "I was lost in Hogwarts after curfew, and didn't know the password anyway. And you were sitting in the hall, upset because some blind Ravenclaw idiot made an arse of himself and of the male gender as a whole," Neville said, smiling a bit in recollection.

Neville took a step forward now, "Wait," Tonks protested again. "You should ask me one too. You have to be careful, Neville."

"I know it's you," Neville said, stepping forward again, but indulged her anyway, "What honor did you bestow upon me that night?" Neville asked, eyes shining, though Tonks couldn't tell why.

"I called you an honorary Hufflepuff, if you count that as an honor," Tonks sniffled slightly.

"I was very honored," Neville said. "I still am," he said, climbing onto her bed next to her and wrapping his arms around her. Tonks allowed herself to be pulled into his lap as if she were a small child. Tonks settled back to the mattress, between his legs and his arms, leaning into his chest.

"You look as awful as I must," Tonks said, craning back and lightly touching one of the still fresh looking cuts, turning to scars that lined Neville's cheeks.

"You look beautiful," Neville whispered in her ear, "Just like the day I met you," he said. He hugged her closely with one arm, and absentmindedly running his fingers through her mousy brown mess of her natural hair with his free hand. Tonks couldn't prevent a shiver and buried her face into his neck. She smiled, and she couldn't remember the last time she had.

"I think you must be the blind one. You know that's not true, Neville," she said into his shoulder.

"Yes it is," Neville said, rubbing her shoulders very pleasantly.

"You heard about my dad?" she asked, voice shaking.

"I'm so sorry, Tonks," He said, pulling her closer still. "I only met him the one time, but I know that he loved you very much." Tonks almost forgot sorrow when she noticed how strong Neville's arms seemed to be, and his shoulders. Most wizards enjoyed more food and seemed to think any physical activity was below them. Damn, she was horrible and fickle to even think about anything besides her father or the war.

"No one talks about it, but they took control of St. Mungo's too, didn't they?" Tonks asked, terrified of the answer.

"Yeah, Neville spoke, his nose and forehead nestled into her mess of hair. "We get updates from different portraits sometimes. They are still loyal at least. Clara actually got a message to me before she had to leave. She's okay but in hiding now, like everyone else. There wasn't anyone for her to look after there anymore. The- Death Eaters deemed the entire mental ward a 'drain on our great wizarding society.'"

"I'm so sorry Neville," Tonks cried. "Here I am worrying only about myself and my family, even though I know that everyone else is hurting too.

"It's okay, Tonks. And my parents have been gone for a long time now, I think. I would never have wanted it, but at least now they get some peace, you know? I don't think death is what we should be afraid of the most now. Suffering and evil are a lot worse. And I'm sure they're proud of me now," Neville spoke confidently.

"They are," Tonks spoke, so proud of Neville herself and barely even aware of what she was saying.

"Your father is too," Neville said gently.

"Thanks," Tonks could only reply. "Why did you stay at Hogwarts? Why do you keep fighting? You could get away if you wanted to. You're away from them now."

"Hogwarts is important, and there are younger children stuck there who don't have anywhere else to go. Children of muggleborns whose parents have been scared away, and everyone else. But the castle itself is important too. It's not just stones, you know? It's hurting right now, because its people are fighting. I know it sounds crazy. I don't even try to tell this to the others. You can see it most with the Room of Requirement, but the whole castle is fighting them, but it's difficult on it. I think Hogwarts remembers the Death Eaters as students too, and the castle is hurting because of it," Neville explained. "I know it's weird, but I can feel it. The staircases don't listen to them, the Death Eaters. Except they listen to Snape. I don't know why, exactly. Maybe because he's still the Headmaster, but maybe," he said, sounding hesitant. "Maybe the castle knows something we don't. I know it sounds crazy, like everything else I've said, but he hasn't been as bad to us students as the rest of them. Once when we were caught, in his office even, he only sent us into the forest with Hagrid for a detention. It was actually fun; it made me think of when I was a first year," Neville laughed a bit.

Tonks marveled, Neville Longbottom had been through so much that he wasn't afraid of the Forbidden Forest, the terror of Hogwarts students for generations of school children. Granted, there were much deadlier beings roaming free in the castle as they spoke. Tonks didn't want to think about anything too difficult. "I'm no healer, but I could fix up some of those marks, I think. Mum could probably do better," Tonks offered.

"It's okay," Neville said, moving Tonks's hand from a nasty looking cut to the right of his eye and placed it on his cheek instead. "They'd just give me new ones, and I really don't mind them. None of them hurt anymore, and I'm proud of them, you know? I don't even wonder anymore if my parents would be proud of me, Tonks. I know they would be, that they are. And that makes up for a lot of things, for almost everything. We make sure the younger ones are looked after, the older lot does. We get what information that we can and try to see what we can do with it, act ourselves or pass it to loyal teachers. We teach each other and look for opportunities to do things that are real. We're not beaten, those of us at Hogwarts. And it's not just a castle..." he said. His hands on her back and in her hair felt so relaxing. He had an amazing voice that she could feel in his chest and neck. He could stir a world to war if he needed to with that voice.

Before Tonks even thought about it, she was kissing his neck. Neville froze under her touch, but still held her tightly. She was an idiot. She was going to lose him because she was a reckless idiot. He breathed deeply a few times before bringing his face to look at hers, staring into her eyes. He kissed her, first tentatively, but then with growing force. Tonks parted her lips slightly, and Neville took the invitation to invade her mouth with his delicious tongue. Had he even kissed a girl before? Goodness, it was quite good for a first attempt if he hadn't.

"I love you," he whispered after their kiss finally ended. "I have since I was fifteen, I think. Maybe earlier, but I knew then. When I saw you in that hospital bed, no one and nothing in the world could make me go away." Tonks had never felt a larger lump in her throat. She might even be choking. He went on, "I cared more about you being okay than I did about revenge on the Lestranges, and I have wanted that more than anything else since I was a child incapable to even cast a simple spell."

"Thank you," she whispered, knowing that wasn't a very good answer.

Neville smiled, "Don't worry- it's fine. I love you and I'm worried about you, but I certainly didn't expect you to say it back. I just hope you don't push me away," he conveyed everything to Tonks in just a few words. They understood each other so well somehow that he really hadn't needed to say anything at all, but it was wonderful to hear him talk. "I'm so scared Tonks, but mostly for you, and for the others at Hogwarts. We have to make it through, to beat Him, or it will be really bad. I don't even know what the country, what the world would be like. He's really evil, and actually crazy, I think. He just wants people to hurt, and some of his followers are even more twisted. Hogwarts has become a nightmare. The Death Eaters practice the Cruciatus curse on children, and teach it to other students, which might actually be worse. The others are so scared of all the Slytherins now, and I know that isn't right, but I don't know how to change it, how to reach out to the Slytherins, the younger ones at least. I guess I probably just can't."

"I care about you too, Neville," Tonks finally managed. "I'm not- mature, even though I'm old enough that I should be. I'm a terrified little girl that misses her father and doesn't know what to do. I'm not a Gryffindor, Neville. I wanted to be one when I was younger. Did I ever tell you that? I thought it would be disloyal to Hufflepuff to talk about it, but I always wanted to be a Gryffindor. I thought I was so brave."

"Well, if I'm an honorary Hufflepuff, then I make you an honorary Gryffindor. I finally feel like I can give that now."

"Thanks, Neville," she answered, not at all sure what to say and trying not to cry more. "What are you doing next?"

"I have to go back to Hogwarts. The other students are counting on me. I'm kind of their leader, I guess. Of the students anyway. I get word to McGonagall sometimes," he said. "There are some good teachers still there, just trying to do the best they can for the students. I think some of them understand about the castle as well, but we don't talk about it."

"Where's your grandmother?" Tonks found herself asking, hoping that she would still want to know the answer.

"She's off somewhere, in hiding. I'm not too worried. She's a strong old lady. She'll outlive us all," Neville chuckled a bit before adding quietly. "I hope so anyway. You can't be sure of anything these days. She's proud of me too. She actually tells me that lately."

"Neville, I'm scared," Tonks whispered, feeling very foolish.

"I know. I am too."

*****Tonks*****

She arrived at the castle through the entrance from the Hog's Head that Neville had described at the same time as Augusta, glad to see the strong older woman, drawing confidence and a need to seek out Neville. This was it. It felt like the end of something, with everyone gathered at Hogwarts. Was she going to die that day? Was Neville? What about their other friends, comrades? And then Neville was there, looking slightly less worn than he had a few months before. Her arms were around him in seconds, and he hugged her back.

"Be safe. A hug for good luck," he said.

*****Neville*****

He was surprised when she pulled on his neck, bringing his mouth down to hers, kissing him soundly, her tongue parting his lips. He heard a surprised whoop that he thought was a Weasley, probably one of the twins. She tasted more amazing than he remembered, and she didn't seem to mind the attention they were attracting. He hoped he was kissing her well in return. Sometimes it was pretty great to be Neville Longbottom.

"A kiss, for better luck," Tonks said a bit shakily when she released him, eyes sparkling.

Neville noticed Professor Sprout standing near them when he came back to himself. The older little witch was smiling widely, "Neville dear, will you help me with the castle defense? I have quite a few ideas for places for our plants, and I trust you best with them."

"Of course, Professor. Stay safe," he said to Tonks one more time, though he knew that she would stay out of danger no more than he would, looking back at her as he walked away.

"You too," she had said.

With quick work, the defenses were as varied as Professor Sprout and he could imagine, poison emitting gas plants and devil's snare being the first choice, but other plants with thorns and teeth were good protective filler. Neville only regretted that it would be too difficult to give protective earmuffs to every person defending the castle so they could release mandrakes at opportune moments. It wasn't worth the risk of killing innocents to free adult fully grown mandrakes though, and knocking unsuspecting defenders unconscious with even juvenile mandrakes also would make them as good as dead when Death Eaters were involved. Still, he saw some young mandrakes that could be a last resort.

*****Tonks*****

When the fighting really started, Neville was by her side quickly. Spells flashed with scarcely enough time to react and little time to think. It was fortunate that the bad guys all wore uniforms. Tonks tried not to wonder if some might have been Imperiused slaves. There was nothing they could do for those people now. Then she focused on the one cloaked figure that she hated more than the rest. It was easy to spot the highest ranking female Death Eater, as she didn't even wear her mask. Tonks thought Neville was already fighting the bitch's husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, but she had focus only for Bellatrix. The last time they had dueled, she had fallen on her face, and her aunt had killed her cousin. Who would die this time? Spells passed between them as the two women fought- it was almost picturesque enough to have been choreographed, the family grudge, auror versus psychopath. After just a few exchanges though, she was almost dead, panting, legs twisted, crashing to the ground intentionally this time to avoid a killing curse. Panic diverted her attention as she fell, somehow following the path of the curse before she reached the ground, breathing again, not caring as her head hit the hard ground, as she watched the cloaked black figure next to Neville fell instead of him. Bellatrix's own curse had killed her husband, though Tonks didn't think she cared for him much, it would still be a blow. Neville met her eyes before turning to face Belatrix, just as Tonks whipped around as well, head spinning from the fall. She wasn't sure which spell did the bitch in- Tonks thought they both sent out blasting hexes, but it was over. The woman of her nightmares was just a person and had fallen like any other.

Neville yanked her to her feet, and they went on fighting other parts of the faceless enemy army against their cause. When the most chilling voice she had ever heard announced an hour long cease fire, Tonks and Neville stumbled back to the Great Hall with the other defenders of Hogwarts. They didn't even stop the Death Eaters from staggering in the opposite direction, their weariness was so real.

Tonks tried not to look at the dead, tried to remain unaffected, to carry on because the fighting would resume in an hour, whether Potter was dumb enough to walk to his death or not. Too many were dead, some that she knew and others that she didn't. There was a small Gryffindor boy who couldn't possibly have been seventeen. Remus, the last real connection to Sirius and a very nice man. One of the- Fred, she was sure that it was Fred. She was actually sadder for George than Fred. And his poor parents. Dammit, who was so cruel? It wasn't the order of things. Parents were supposed to die before their kids, not watch them die or waste away. It was why she always admired Augusta's strength. She had already checked that the old woman was not among the dead, but helping to tend to the wounded though she was limping herself.

She and Neville split apart to retrieve their fallen comrades, dead or injured, from where they had fallen. Everyone was still gathering in the hall. Tonks saw Neville talking to Harry Potter and hoped Neville would bash the boy over the head before letting him walk to his death.

Tonks was relatively sure that they had gathered all of the fallen defenders, not a bad percentage of loss thus far if she considered objectively. Of course, there would be many more, total annihilation, if they all stayed rather than flee like sensible cowards. When she was finished with her work, more fit to lug the dead than heal the hurting, she ran outside with many others when they heard the terrible voice again. The boy, Harry Potter was dead, so young and small at Hagrid's feet. The cries were even worse than the ones over the dead in the Great Hall, and so numerous. She had liked him. The kid was endearing, beyond even the savior of the wizarding world thing. Tonks had run out of tears months ago though.

And then Neville ran forward, stupid Neville, both too brave and loyal for his own good. She loved him, didn't she? She knew it in that moment that Neville lay disarmed on the ground, the only one who had stepped forward from the defenders of Hogwarts.

"And who is this?" the evil, slithery voice came, "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

"Neville Longbottom, my Lord, the boy who has given us so much trouble at the school this year," said Alecto Carrow. Tonks saw her jump to answer You- to answer Voldemort, but the witch didn't have quite the same power in her voice as Bellatrix had had. Tonks smiled grimly thinking that no matter what else happened, that bitch was dead. Voldemort was absolutely terrifying to be near, but it did seem silly to be afraid to say the name even in her mind, when Neville was standing up and speaking to the man, defying his offer to join their side even.

Tonks could hardly follow all of the events that unfolded, though they would be cemented in her memory forever. Voldemort was rambling on about how there would be no more sorting, no more houses at Hogwarts, only Slytherin. He actually summoned the old Sorting hat, threw in on Neville's head, and lit in on fire. Her throat hurt from the scream she let out, immobilized but not silenced by whatever hold the Death Eaters had on the crowd. A giant broke onto the scene, met in combat with the giants who had been with the Death Eaters. Arrows from dozens of centaurs rained down on the Death Eaters as well. Finally, Neville broke free, hat falling off his head but hand disappearing inside, swiftly falling out a glittering sword. In one move, Neville lunged, swiping at Voldemort. Tonks thought he had missed the demon, but quickly saw that the evil man was not his target, as the snake fell off of its master's shoulders, head separated from scaly body. She had rarely seen such fury as she did in that deformed face. Coming to herself, she cast the strongest shield charm she could around Neville and started moving towards him. Soon, though, no one was focused on Neville, as the Boy Who Lived went missing, Hagrid screaming his grief.

The battling was back on, now also in the air as the thestrals and a hippogriff joined the fight for their side. Evidently the giant who had broken the standstill was a contact of Hagrid's and fighting for the light, if dangerously clumsily. House elves poured out of the front doors of the castle, led by Kreature, the deranged house elf of the Black Family that Tonks had considered beheading previously as the little creepy thing often asked for. Spells flying quickly from both sides, but even though the Hogwarts crowd had suffered greater losses before, the momentum had definitely shifted. She couldn't put her finger on it as her spells mostly hit their marks but her opponents' always flew just past her shoulders. That was it- no one on their side was getting hit, falling down, not a single one after prolonged heated battle. She wasn't the only one who had noticed either. Gradually more attention was focused on Voldemort and Harry and their banter. Harry mentioned that none of the Death Eaters' spells were killing their targets, saying that he had given all of them the same protection that his mother had given him years ago, the protection from loving sacrifice that Dumbledore had talked about so often.

It was actually poetic to see it all wrap up. She would have appreciated it if there hadn't already been so much death there that day. Harry talked about it all, how Dumbledore's death had been planned and Snape had been Dumbledore's man since the day Voldemort targeted Lily Potter, the woman he had always loved. Tonks never would have believed it of the man, and couldn't help think that it didn't excuse his unpleasantness over the years. But Neville was right about the castle listening to Snape- it seemed like the man was at least in some way protecting the children and the castle. Lord Voldemort, the most feared wizard in fifty years or more fell by a spell cast by his own hand, and Harry Potter only cast the disarming charm, his signature spell since he was a child. It was something she admired about Harry, actually, that his instinct was to disarm rather than to kill, even if it wouldn't always work in war. She joined the crowd around Harry, slipping her hand into Neville's, needing to feel that he wasn't dead after his daring stunt. When the attention around Harry died down, Tonks had to scare away several admirers from Neville as he cleaned off the Sword of Gryffindor.

And then the day was more or less over. Kingsley was named the temporary Minister of Magic, but Tonks was pretty sure he'd prove himself better than any leader they'd had in her lifetime or longer.

Tonks watched her cousin Draco and his family sneak off and didn't bother commenting. They weren't exactly the most dangerous Death Eaters to catch these days, and they were family. She was done hunting down family with Bellatrix and Sirius both dead. Lucius at least would need to be dragged in at some point, but she didn't have the energy for it at the moment, and evidently none of the other defenders did either. There was too much to celebrate and to sorrow over. Tonks found herself sitting at the Ravenclaw table, she thought, though tables were a bit out of place and no one cared what table they sat at. There was no distinction for the moment between the houses, just as Voldemort said actually, though not everyone was Slytherin like he promised. Everyone was just part of Hogwarts and glad to be alive, though Tonks was fairly sure that the houses would be back as soon as the giant hourglasses were fixed, if only because there were four convenient places for students to sleep.

*****Tonks*****

Neville helped with the rebuilding. It was where he belonged, just as he had said those months ago. When everything was done, and Hogwarts looked better than it ever had in some ways (and hauntingly empty in other ways), Neville came and joined the Aurors. Everyone who was part of the "Battle of Hogwarts," on the right side of it at least, was welcomed aboard. Frankly, the department was in so much chaos that they couldn't turn down a willing hand. Kingsley was amazing, but he couldn't be everywhere at once, and he liked relying on old Order and DA members who he knew were at least decently trained and had been through enough that they had proven that they could be trusted. No one who had stood defending Hogwarts could be doubted in their allegiance. Too many had been lost.

Neville was a good auror, but he turned in his notice the day that Rabastan Lestrange was finally given a life sentence in Azkaban. Neville could have ensured that the last of his parent's torturers was given the dementor's kiss, if they could round up a dementor, or outright execution, but he didn't. He privately had told her that he didn't want that responsibility. Three days after Neville "retired" from the force, Professor Pomona Sprout announced that she would also be retiring at the end of the term and that Neville Longbottom would be her successor. Tonks wondered if her old Head of House had kept the professorship longer than she wanted so she could hold it out for Neville. That was where he belonged.

Tonks (As she would always go by publicly despite many protests) found herself quickly being one of the most senior aurors on the force, with more promotions than she deserved and turning down a few more. She stepped down somewhere around the time that her second child was begging insistently for a little brother and her mother was protesting that she was far too old to watch such energetic grandchildren for so many hours at a time. Augusta said she would always take them. But Tonks was tired of it all, and the aurors seemed like they were doing well enough after more than a year of being led by Harry Potter, even if Tonks would still tell him that he was just a kid.

By the time Olivia Longbottom, a strong-willed child with capriciously colored hair was attending Hogwarts, her father had been the Head of Gryffindor House for half of her life. She proclaimed that she would be her own person, in Slytherin or Ravenclaw most certainly, but her mother could see the heart of a lion cub, no matter which house the girl got herself into. Eleven year olds were hardly equipped to be judged for their future anyway- the molding wasn't even a quarter of the way through before they would be the person they would be for the rest of their lives. Then again, Tonks didn't understand her heart until she was twenty-three, and a few decades later she was wise enough to know that she was lucky to have been so young.

A/N: And there it is! Thank you so much for the support. I hope you won't be too disappointed that it wasn't longer. I know strange pairings don't get seen much, so I wasn't hurt that this didn't get much attention, but it meant the world to me that every single review was so nice and sweet, and a few good PM conversations started from it. Thank you!