"They're just shoes, Andy."

Andromeda could clearly remember hearing Ted laugh at how she reacted to receiving a pair of Converse from him as an early birthday gift during their seventh year. She never received anything as beautiful as muggle shoes before. This pair was special to her and she still had them hidden away in a box in her closet. They brought a promise for a future of adventure, positive emotions, and hopefully a lifetime spent with the man who gave them to her. Happiness was the only thing associated with the memory. It was the last purely good thing to happen before being disowned by her family.

"Expecto patronum," The brunette belted, wand pointed at the black creature in front of her. A white light burst from the tip of her wand, but it wasn't enough to get the dementor to give up on feeding from her. The poignant aura was still in the room and the screams of Aunt Walburga and the rest of the family were slowly creeping into her mind.

It was the first time the memory of her Hogwarts days failed to produce a corporeal patronus. She needed something better and fast. Otherwise she would be a loss if she ever came face to face with more than one dementor. The amount of them around the Ministry was proving the stress of the war didn't affect witches and wizards alone.


"It's a baby girl," The healer announced. Andromeda lay panting in the hospital bed. Ted leaned over to kiss her forehead and a different healer presented the newborn baby to her parents.

"Pink?" Andromeda was astonished. "The baby's hair is bubblegum pink."

"Ah, yes Miss Tonks, we believe your daughter is a metamorphagus, a rarity in our world." The head healer announced.

"She needs a name to match the unique trait," Ted added.

"Nymphadora; a gift from the nymphs," Andromeda grinned.

The memory was closed with another bellow of expecto patronum. This time the light was brighter than before. The shape of a polar bear cub could be seen among the mist of the spell.

The dementor backed up, ensnared once more in the barrier that protected the group of aurors from a full on dementor attack.

"Well done, Miss Tonks!" The head auror pat her on the back. Relief washed over her features the moment she was praised. The Minister decided every auror needed to prove they could fend off dementors. Andromeda had a feeling things were going to take a dark turn once everyone was retrained. She was not looking forward to it.