Challenge Prompt: Write about Nymphadora Tonks

Setting: Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, Spring of 1987, Tonks' fouth year.

"So we doing to Hogsmeade together again Nymph?" Melanie asked. A somewhat short and attractive brunette with short cropped hair, Melanie was lounging on a sofa in the Hufflepuff common room.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Nymphie's got herself a date tonight!" Jessica chimed in. Jessica was a blonde and known by everyone to be a gossip. Tonks knew she could actually keep a secret, and didn't spread any bad rumors. She was still always the first to find out anything new happening in the school.

Melanie turned to look at Tonks in shock. "Is that true? Who is it? I can't believe you didn't tell us!" She was practically bouncing on the sofa.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "He only asked me out last night, I was going to tell you, I was just… getting ready. And it's Adam. Adam Selwyn."

Melanie stopped bouncing and looked back at Jessica, who nodded. "Are you sure about that? I mean, Slytherins aren't all evil, but ever since…"

Tonks gave her a harsh look. "I'm not going blame an entire house for the actions of a few crazies. Aren't we supposed to be the fair ones? Besides… he's very…"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "We get it, you like the bad boys, and he is kinda cute. He's also a seventh year. Be careful."

Tonks grinned. "Always am, aren't I?"

'Why didn't I listen to Melanie?' Tonks lamented. The day had started off great, talking about what bands they liked, going to the Three Broomsticks for lunch (not Madame Puddifoot's; Adam had offered, but she hadn't missed the look of relief on his face when she said she'd rather go anywhere else).

And through it all, he'd been so nice. Never a pet name, never some cutesy term of endearment, always "Nymphadora". It was awkward at first, but nobody ever used her full name. Nobody her age anyways. It made her feel older, more sophisticated.

Then somehow lunch in the Three Broomsticks had turned into lunch at a private room in the Three Broomsticks, which had turned into Adam's questions about her abilities. She'd always been proud of her abilities, and hadn't hesitated at first, but he'd quickly turned from silly requests ("can you do dog ears?") to the uncomfortable ("can you look like other people? How about the captain of the Harpies?") to the outright offensive ("can you make your boobs bigger?"). When he'd asked the last question, she got up to walk out… only to find herself paralyzed by a quick 'petrificus totalus'.

So now she was petrified, lying on a bed, while a seventh year leered down at her.

"Now now, Nymphadora, that wasn't very nice… things were going so well. Why did you want to leave?" Adam shook his head. "Why did you have to make this difficult? Not that we can't still have fun, of course, and you do still look like that Harpy chick at least. I think we need to get those clothes off first, though."

He reached down and off her shirt. Tonks couldn't stop the tears as she struggled to move a foot, a hand, something. He quickly tore off the rest of her clothes, and Tonks struggled desperately to do something. When she felt his hands on her breasts, she instinctively tried to make them smaller; to her surprise, it worked, and the stifling feeling of his magic around her loosened just a touch.

'My shifting! It weakens the spell!' Tonks immediately shifted back to her normal form, then finding she could move, she quickly punched Adam in the face. Taken by surprise, he was far too slow to dodge, and in a flash Tonks had jumped off the bed, grabbed her wand and her shirt, and fled the room.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S NOT GOING TO BE PUNISHED?" Tonks was screaming, but she didn't care. She was seated in the Headmaster's office, with her head of house standing behind her. She had expected to learn what was being down to Adam, but instead…

"Now now, Nymphadora", Dumbledore started, and Tonks shuddered, the scene flashing through her mind again. "It was only the two of you. All accounts are that you willingly followed him up to a private room. I can understand that you changed your mind, and in fact commend you for that, but there's no proof that this was anything other than a simple misunderstanding. Without evidence, I'm afraid his father would not permit anything to happen to him… and according to him, it was you who initiated everything."

Tonks glared at the Headmaster. "I'll agree to veritaserum. I'll let you use legilimency on me. Whatever it takes. I want him out of the school. He was going to rape me." No longer shouting, her voice had gone cold.

Headmaster Dumbledore stared at her, a sad look in his eyes. "I understand how frustrating this must be, but there are limits to what I can do. This did not occur on school grounds, there were no witnesses… as things stand, there's simply nothing I can do. I am sorry, Nymphadora."

"Tonks." She ground out.

Dumbledore blinked. "Excuse me?"

"My name is Tonks. Don't call me Nymphadora. And if this is the limit of what you can do, I'm not impressed."

Dumbledore sighed. "You're upset. Pomona, if you would escort her back to her common room?"

Sprout nodded, and led Tonks out of the Headmaster's office.

One year later

"Miss Tonks, you know that this is your career counseling… there are a lot of paths open to you, and your grades are sufficient for any path you might wish to pursue. Do you have some idea of what you want to do with your life?" Professor Sprout looked kindly at Tonks.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do," Tonks said cheerfully, "I'm going to become an auror. It's the only reason I'm willing to put up with 2 more years with Professor Snape." She grinned as she looked up at her Head of House.

Professor Sprout hesitated. "Are you certain? That's not an easy path to take, and I wish to make certain that you're serious about this."

Tonks's grin turned decidedly feral. "Oh, I'm certain, and I'd hate to you think you'd already forgotten that I might have a very good reason for thinking our country's law enforcement could use some improvement."

Professor Sprout's face reddened. "How dare you imply that I'd forgotten about that! We look after our own!"

Tonks didn't react. "Of course we do. Until outside forces prevent us. When that happens, there should be someone you can go to for help. Hence, auror. Not complicated."

Professor Sprout's anger faded as abruptly as it had come. "You shouldn't let one incident define your entire life, Nymph…"

"Don't. Don't call me that." Tonks was scowling now. "I'm choosing what to do with my life, and instead of supporting me, you're trying to make me question myself? Everyone assumes that I should be traumatized, that because I don't like hearing something I associate with one of the worst days of my life I must not be thinking clearly. If you have a real reason I shouldn't do this, I'll be happy to listen."

"Why do you still associate that name with that day?" Sprout asked. "It's your name, after all, it can't be just associated with one day."

"But it is." Tonks replied. "My friends, my teachers, even my dad… nobody ever used my full first name when speaking to me. My last name, nicknames, pet names, everything else. Only three people ever have used my full first name: My mother when she was mad, Headmaster Dumbledore… and Adam. Well, and now every adult that thinks I'm traumatized, every person who thinks that reminding me of that day is nothing to worry about. My mother won't call me anything else, until I admit that it doesn't bother me anymore. I love her, but she doesn't get it. I swore to leave that name behind, along with everything else from that day. I'm not traumatized, but I'm not the same person I was either, so why should I use the same name?"

Professor Sprout sighed. "I'm not certain that I agree with you, but it is your right…. Miss Tonks. Let's get you set up with your auror classes then, shall we?"

Tonks nodded. Finally someone that was listening to her. Her friends had never quite figured out how to react, and too many of the guys seemed to have the same ideas that Adam did… so stuff them all. She'd do what she wanted with her life and enjoy it, and if she wanted to go by her last name, that was her right. She'd become an auror, and she'd make sure the next time someone had a problem, there'd be at least one auror who would listen to them and help them.

As long as they didn't call her Nymphadora.