Summary: Narcissa's eighteenth birthday
Characters: Narcissa Malfoy, Andromeda Tonks
Word Count: 500
AN: So, according to the HP Wiki, Tonks was 25 when she died so therefore she has to have been born sometime between Jan 1 and May 2 1973, thus allowing the timeline of her birth to line up perfectly with Narcissa's final year at Hogwarts.
Written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Astronomy: Write about a problem that frequently haunts someone
House Pride: Character— Narcissa Malfoy, Word— (4) Confrontation
Glaring at the letter clutched in her hand, Narcissa's hand began to shake. She had received it that morning, amidst a rush of gifts and trinkets. Narcissa was finishing up reading the lovely poem Lucius had written to accompany the bouquet of bright yellow daffodils he had sent when an indistinguishable owl swooped in, let out a hoot, dropped a letter right on top of Lucius', and flew off before Narcissa could so much as react. She blanched when she read the neat, looping scrawl spelling out her name on the envelope. Although she hadn't seen it in almost two years, Narcissa had memorized Andromeda's handwriting from all the letters they had exchanged before Narcissa had started hogwarts.
Refusing to so much as look at the wretched letter for the rest of the day, Narcissa found herself seeking privacy atop the astronomy tower hours after curfew. A deep inhale followed by an even longer exhale forced Narcissa to lessen the tension in her body slightly as she continued her confrontation with the letter. She reread the address for the hundredth time, trying to figure out why she didn't just Incendio the damned thing right when she got it.
"To Miss Narcissa Malfoy
Seventh Year Slytherin Girls Dormitory
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
It wasn't fair. Why did one measly letter written by a traitorous sister have to destroy her entire day? This was her birthday, dammit!
Plucking up enough courage, she silently thought to herself how uncharacteristically Gryffindor she was being. If it had been any other time of the year, a letter from Andromeda would not have even left the Great Hall. Perhaps her birthday brought about a foolish generosity to humour those who were undeserving of it? Whatever the reason, Narcissa slid her index finger across the lip of the envelope with unwavering precision. For even though she was alone, Narcissa refused to be anything less than dignified. In two months time she would become a Malfoy and eliciting signs of vulnerability was out of the question.
The parchment contained within the envelope was of a sturdy weight and a light pink colour. The paper itself was not very large, perhaps the size of her hand, and possessed not a single crease or fold.
"Mr and Mrs Edward Tonks are pleased to welcome their firstborn daughter into the world. Born at 03:54 in the morning on April 14th, 1973, Nymphadora weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces and is 19.96 inches. The family is glad to announce that their newborn daughter is happy and healthy."
Of all the blasted things for Andromeda to choose to tell Narcissa after two years of no contact, the birth of her halfblood niece was completely unexpected. It must be a cruel joke played by Morganna to share her birthday with the product of her exiled sister's mudblood family. Andromeda must be having quite the laugh at home, knowing that her sister will forever be reminded of Andromeda's betrayal on her birthday.