"Mrs. Tonks," the voice on the other side of the phone started. "I have found a slight…. problem with Amera's work." Andromeda frowned. Amera always got her work done on time and did it almost perfectly.
"What's wrong with Amera's work?" Andromeda asked. There was a long pause before: "I think you should see for yourself."
oOo
"Mrs. Grim, I'm here for my appointment." Andromeda was standing outside Mrs. Grim, Amera and Teddy's teacher's office.
"Yes, Mrs. Tonks, I'm so happy to see you." Mrs. Grim greeted the witch. She cast one last glance at Amera and Teddy who were sitting in the waiting chairs before leading Andromeda into her office.
"What is it you wanted to see me for?" Andromeda asked, sitting down in a chair in front of the desk. Mrs. Grim sat down in her chair and grabbed a handful of papers, she shoved the first one under Andromeda's nose.
"Amera is always writing her name as Amera Lupin." She said bluntly. Andromeda's heart sank. She plastered a convincing smile on her face.
"Well, that's her name." she stated.
"Her name is Amera Tonks." Mrs. Grim said.
"Last time I check I was her grandmother, so I don't think you should be questioning what my granddaughter's name is." Andromeda replied with a stiff smile. Mrs. Grim looked away, embarrassed.
"Also, I have this paper, I asked the children to write down one word to describe their life, this is what Amera wrote, and this is what Teddy wrote." Mrs. Grim shoved two papers into Andromeda's hands. Andromeda looked down at the first one. Teddy's paper. He'd written the word in big red letters.
Please write one word to describe your life:
Hapines
Andromeda smiled. Teddy was always so happy and positive. As soon as Andromeda looked at Amera's paper, her face fell. In big blue letters was written one word, a word no four-year-old should even know, let alone use to describe her life, but as much as Andromeda hated it, it was true, it was the horrible, blunt truth.
Andromeda handed the papers back to Mrs. Grim, frowning.
"I see." She paused. "Well, if that's all, I'll be going now." Andromeda stood up.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Tonks, but I don't think Amera…fits in very well at this school, I suggest taking her to see someone." Mrs. Grim put emphasis on the word, someone, referring to a counsellor or therapist.
Andromeda stormed out of the office. She grabbed Teddy and Amera's hands and pulled them out to the car.
oOo
Amera grabbed her jacket and flew down to the kitchen.
"Grandma, can I go to the park with Lily?" she asked. Andromeda stood sat at the kitchen table, reading the Daily Prophet. She looked up as her granddaughter walked in.
"Only if Harry and Ginny are okay with it." She said. "And if you do, see if any of the other children want to go with you and Lily."
"Okay!" Amera yelled, already standing by the fireplace.
"And take your brother!" Amera groaned.
"TEDDY!" she yelled.
"WHAT?" came the reply.
"GRANDMA SAYS YOU'VE GOT TO COME WITH ME TO THE BURROW!" Amera yelled. A few minutes later Amera and Teddy were standing in the middle of the Burrow living room, being suffocated by Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh, its' been so long since I last saw you!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "You were about this high!" she put a hand by her waist. "You've grown so much!"
"Thank you." Amera said. "Are Ginny and Harry here? We wanted to take Lily to the park."
"Oh, yes, they're in the back." Amera thanked Mrs. Weasley and hurried into the backyard, Teddy trailing behind her.
"Meri, Teddy!" Lily yelled, running up to them and hugging them both.
"Hi Lil." Amera greeted her 'cousin,' smiling.
"I've missed you!" Lily cried.
"I've missed you too Lil." Amera grinned.
"Ameri, Teddy, you're finally visiting me." Harry grinned.
"Us!" Ginny interrupted.
"Right, us." Harry grinned sheepishly.
"Harry, Ginny, do you mind if Teddy and I take Lily to the park?" The four-year-old girl jumped up and down in excitement, looking to her parents for consent.
"Can you take Albus too?" Ginny asked.
"Sure." Amera said.
"I would also ask Ron if Hugo and Rose want to come." Harry added.
"Alright."
oOo
Lily jumped off the monkey bars, landing on her brother and breaking out in giggles. Amera laughed as Albus begged his sister to get off him.
"Ameri!" Albus cried, struggling to get free.
"Lily, get off your brother!" Amera called, grinning. Lily looked up at her 'cousin,' a look of pure terror coating her face.
"Amera!" Amera looked at her brother, confused. He pelted across the park to reach her. A large bang sounded in the air.
A sharp pang of pain struck Amera in the leg. She fell to the ground, clutching her leg, tears streaming down her face. Teddy drew his wand, pointing it behind Amera, firing a spell at the intruder.
Teddy ran over to his sister, Lily and Albus (Ron was spending quality time with his kids so only Lily and Albus went to the park with them) following close behind.
"Teddy!" Amera screamed.
"Amera, it's going to be okay." Teddy soothed, resting Amera's head in his lap. He conjured a patronus, telling it to go to Harry immediately. Amera closed her eyes, praying that Harry would arrive soon.
"Amera! Teddy!" Harry shouted as he drew nearer to the group. "What happened?" he asked as he reached them.
"A man appeared behind Amera and hurt her." Lily informed her father, her voice shaking.
"IT HURTS!" Amera screamed.
"It's okay Ameri, close your eyes." Teddy soothed. Amera obeyed her brother's instructions, and closed her eyes, letting darkness overtake her.
oOo
Amera's eyes fluttered open, she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. Amera tried to swing her legs over the side of her bed, but a sharp pain shot though right leg. Amera cried out in pain, letting her body fall back onto the bed.
"Amera, lie down." Harry said, pushing his goddaughter back down onto the mattress.
"Harry?" Harry nodded. "What happened?"
"You were at the park, someone shot you." Harry filled her in.
"Oh." Amera's eyes narrowed. "Why does my leg hurt every time I move it?" Harry gulped nervously.
"For some reason, the doctors at St. Mungo's think whoever shot you was a wizard, but your…wound, is not healing, no matter how much magic and potions we use." Harry explained.
"What else?" Amera demanded. Harry sighed.
"You know me to well." He paused, swallowing. "And…. you'll never….be able to...to…. walk-again."
"WHAT?!" Amera sat up quickly.
Too quickly.
"What do you mean I'll never be able to walk again?" she demanded. "I'll still be able to fly, right?" Harry didn't say anything.
"RIGHT?" Harry slowly shook his head. Amera lay back down.
"I'll never be able to walk again. I'll never be able to fly again. Gryffindor will have to find a new chaser. I'll never become Quidditch captain. I'll never be able to be a professional Quidditch player." Amera groaned, buring her face in her hands. "My life is over!"
"Hey, it's not that bad!" Harry protested. Amera shot him a pointed look.
"Harry!" Teddy complained, hurrying into the room. "You said you'd tell me when she woke up!"
"Sorry." Harry sent his godson a sheepish grin.
"Meri, how are you feeling?" Teddy asked, sitting on the edge of Amera's bed.
"Fine, I guess, considering I'll never be able to walk, or fly again, therefore crushing all my dreams." Amera stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Is Grandma here?" she asked.
"Yeah, she's in the cafeteria, getting you food for when you wake up."
"Is Amera awake?" Andromeda asked, coming into the room, holding a tray of food.
"Grandma!" Amera threw her arms around her grandmother's neck, hugging her.
"How are you feeling Amera?"
"Fine, I guess, considering I'll never be able to walk, or fly again, therefore crushing all my dreams." Amera replied.
"Hey, you gave that exact same answer to me!" Teddy said. Amera raised an eyebrow. "Just trying to lighten the mood!" Teddy put his hands up in surrender.
Ginny entered the room after Andromeda, James, Albus, and Lily trailing behind her.
"Amera, how are you feeling?" Ginny asked.
"Fine, I gues-" Teddy interrupted his sister.
"Fine, she guess's, considering she'll never be able to walk, or fly again, therefore crushing all of her dreams."
Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"What? That would have been the third time she said it!" Teddy defended himself.
"I think we're getting off track here!" Amera said. "I'll never be able to walk or fly again!" she turned to James. "Jamie, when you get into Gryffindor you better get on the Quidditch team and kick butt for me!" James nodded, grinning.
"I'll dedicate all my wins to you Meri." Amera nodded in approval.
"Good."
oOo
"Finally! I get to go home!" Amera said, grinning. She had a pair of crutches to help her get around, but she hated them.
Actually, hate was an understatement.
"You haven't been here that long." Harry pointed out. Amera glared at him.
"It feels like a billion years!" she exaggerated.
"Come on, Grandma's waiting for us." Teddy said, pushing his sister into the fireplace.
"Andromeda's house!" she yelled into the fireplace.
"Amera, you're home!" Andromeda hugged her granddaughter.
"The house has been so empty without you!"
"I've been so lonely without you! I never want to go to hospital again!" Amera complained. Andromeda smiled.
"You'll be back in there before you know it." She reassured Amera. Amera glared at her.
oOo
"Teddy, can you take me up on a broom?" Amera asked. They'd returned to Hogwarts for their seventh year, and she was getting desperate to be flying again.
"No." was the reply.
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Pretty please with cherries on top?" Amera begged, giving her brother her best puppy-dog eyes. Teddy sighed.
"Amera, that's too dangerous for you!"
"Pppppllllleeeeeaaaaassssseeeee!"
"Okay, fine!" Teddy relented.
"Yes!" Amera cheered, hugging her brother. "Let's go!" Amera pulled her brother to down to the Quidditch Pitch. She climbed onto the broom behind her brother, grinning as they rose up into the air.
"I've missed this so much!" Amera yelled.
"I get why!" Teddy yelled back.
"You're so lucky you weren't the one shot!" Teddy grinned. Teddy tilted to the right, letting the broom take him forwards.
"THIS IS AWESOME!" Amera shrieked, holding onto the broom as tightly as possible.
"HARRY TOUGHT ME THIS NEW TRICK! YOU WANT TO SEE?" Teddy yelled. Amera nodded. Teddy grinned and tilted the broom to the left, only he didn't stop, and soon enough they were upside-down.
"THIS IS SO COOL!"
"I KNOW RIGH-" Teddy was cut off as his slipped off the broom. Amera screamed, trying to control the broom, but after not having been on a broom in so long, she'd forgotten how.
"TEDDY!" she shrieked, trying to follow her brother.
"AMERA!" Amera watching in horror as her brother's brother collided with the ground. No! her mind screamed. She quickly landed, and hobbled over to Teddy.
"Teddy! Come on, come back to me!" Teddy didn't move. No! Please no!
"No, Teddy!" Amera broke down next to her brother. "No, please, no, no!" she buried her face in her brother's shirt.
"Please don't die Teddy, please!" she sobbed. "Please don't be dead!"
oOo
"Amera." Amera turned around. Andromeda stood in the doorway of her room, holding a cardboard box.
"Yes?"
"I found this, it's your old school work, I thought you might like to look at it." Andromeda handed the box to Amera. Amera smiled. Teddy's death had been a huge shock and had taken quite the toll on all of them. Amera pulled the first paper out of the box. Her heart stopped for a second as she looked at the paper, she remembered this. In big blue letters was written one word:
Please write one word to describe your life:
Death
It was the horrible, blunt truth.