After receiving the news that her daughter and son-in-law were never going to be coming home Andromeda didn't know what to feel her insides burned with a hundred conflicting emotions, she felt both anger and resentment for her daughter for not doing what she had been begged to do and stay behind but she was also happy and proud of her for doing what she knew she needed to do, but among all these feelings she could cry no matter how blurred her eyes became with the stinging tears they wouldn't fall.
She forced herself to climb the stairs and open the door to the first room in the hall and look inside. The room hadn't been changed in nearly 6 years even over the three days her daughter had come back the room remained the same, lavender walls that were plastered with posters, articles and photos of the versus bands and Quiddich teams her daughter loved. The four poster bed was draped with outdated and fading pearly pink hangings and the deep purple blanket was just as messy as it had been the morning Dora had risen from bed. Beside the bed on the night stand there was an old wooden music box and three framed photos.
Andromeda made her way to the bed and sat down carefully opening the music box watching the little fairy inside spin as the music played. She just sat and listened to it closing her eyes but after a moment she opened her eyes and looked at the photos. The first was of Nymphadora when she was three and sitting on her father's shoulders laughing as fireworks exploded in all colors over their heads. The next was an attempt at a family photo when she was 4, Ted was holding her laughing as she changed her hair color despite her mother's amused but firm look.
The last and perhaps the most painful was of her standing with Remus in the kitchen holding their newborn son between them her hair a vivid pink and the infant in her arms blinked at the camera and his brown hair turned blue before he yawned widely making his parents smile. Andromeda's vision became blurry again but this time the raging emotions inside finally came out as the hot tears ran down her cheeks and her breathing became sobs. She wasn't sure how long she sat on her daughter's bed crying but finally the tears slowed and she wiped her eyes before closing the music box gathering herself. After a moment a cry broke the quite and she remembered she wasn't alone in the house, she hurried down the stairs and to the bassinet that was set up in the sitting room and lifted her grandson into her arms.
"Shhh it's okay Teddy, don't cry."
She tried soothing but the boy kept crying his little face red and his hair was a blinding pink making Andromeda's heart sink knowing he wanted his mother. She gently rubbed his back and began to hum a lullaby that matched the song in the music box and soon Teddy had stopped crying and was back asleep though it was uneasy as his hair remained pink. After placing her grandson back in the bassinet she went to one of the photos on the wall and looked over it with blurry eyes, it was a photo of Nymphadora days after she was born wrapped in a pink blanket sound asleep but with each breath drawn the tuft of hair she had changed color. Andromeda felt the tears well again as she ran her hand over the photo.
"A mother should never have to bury her child it's a pain worse than death Nymphadora."