Thank you so much to my reviewers! I hope this one pleased you and that I followed through with my targetted suspense and drama.
Nymphadora sat on the couch, her hands pressed against her eyes. Her mother, Andromeda, had her arm around her daughter and had a tissue in her hand, wiping away her tears. She had felt extremely pitiful for her daughter. The fact that Remus had gone away to fight for the greater good had made her feel proud that she raised a daughter who married a magnificent and chivalrous man, but he could very well die there. Andromeda herself was still very upset over the death of her husband, Ted. Sometimes looking at her grandson, Ted's namesake, made her frown and get teary-eyed.
However much Dora felt comfort in her mother's arms, she would much rather be with Remus. Actually, no! She would rather Remus be with her, so they could be a real family! It didn't seem fair to Dora that she would be losing her husband now at all times, right after she had given birth to her first son. Deep in Dora's mind, she felt that she simply had to get to Hogwarts. She remembered most of what the messenger patronus had explained to Remus. Apparate to the Hog's Head where there was a secret passageway to Hogwarts. Simple enough, but there was one obstacle: her mother.
Andromeda sighed and hugged her daughter.
"Honey, I know you're upset. I am too. But we need to stay here and pray for the best of Remus, and hope that he comes home unscathed. This is what he would want you to do," Andromeda stated.
Dora only kept wailing in agony, and she slapped the arm of the couch in the process. Why, oh why, had Tom Marvolo Riddle had to be born into this world? Why did she have to be related to the Blacks, a bunch of dark-loving prats who never ceased to attempt murder to any 'mudbloods' or blood traitors?
"Come on honey, brighten up. You'll wake Teddy up. Why don't I go and make us a cup of tea?"
Dora skipped a beat of her steady sobs, due to an idea that just struck her mind.
'I'll escape while she's in the kitchen!' Dora exclaimed in her mind. She straightened up only slightly, and gave a weak nod to her mother.
Seeing her daughter's soaked red face, Andromeda got up from the couch, tossed a few tissues into the trash bin, and walked over to the kitchen to put the kettle over the fire.
Among the hustle and bustle of her mother's actions in the kitchen, Nyphadora stood up slowly and silently, straight-backed and determined. With one final sniffle and a brush over her face to clear the tears, she pulled on her cloak and grabbed her wand, before sneaking over to her son's crib, and saying a goodbye, which would sadly be her last. The tears came back. This child was now practically her life, and now she was dropping him just like that. Dora pressed her lips against his cheek, and then straightened out his curly turquoise hair. She looked back to the kitchen where her mother was, and then to her son's crib, and muttered a silent "I love you," to her family.
She slowly turned the doorknob, opened it, stepped out onto the porch and breathed in the warm air, before shutting the door as quietly as possible behind her. She walked forward to a blank area in the clearing. She looked back at the house and saw the shadow of her mother behind the curtain, and the lit rooms within. This was the place where she spent her entire childhood. This was the place where she had climbed onto a tree and fell face down onto a rock; the place where she snuck away to the river with a self-made raft, only to have it sink to the rushing depths below; the place where she had listened to her parents tell fantastic stories about their own pasts; the place where she had gotten her Hogwarts letter; the place where she returned for the holidays for a nice and quiet Christmas feast or a summer homecoming; the place where could return to after Auror duty; the place where she had seen her father for the last time; the place where she delivered her own son; and the place where she had seen her mother for the last time.
With one single pivot and a loud CRACK, Nyphadora Tonks Lupin vanished. As soon as she disappeared, Nymphadora could swear that she could hear a shout exclaiming "NO!" from her mother, as well as the confused cries of her son. As she warped through space at the speed of light and arrived in the Hog's Head just a split second later, new tears flowed down her cheeks. The first person she had run into was an old woman, who she could distinguish as Augusta Longbottom.
"Ah! Hello dear! A metamorphmagus, are you? Very interesting!" the old woman said, pointing to Tonks' blue hair.
Dora smiled and wiped away her tears, and replied, "Good evening. Yes, I'm a metamorphmagus. Interesting indeed and it comes in handy in situations like this."
Augusta clearly knew that something was wrong, due to the young woman's red and teary face, not to mention the depressing tone in her voice. "Now what's wrong, dear?" she asked.
Dora shook her head, but responded anyway. "My husband is fighting in Hogwarts and I don't know where he is. I just lost my father recently, and I just left my mother and son."
Augusta gasped. "Are you Nyphadora Tonks? I've seen your name in the Daily Prophet a couple of years back. An Auror I believe? I was very sad to hear about the death of Ted Tonks. He was a mighty fine man, he was. Such a disgrace to wipe him from the face of the earth like that, but I assure you, his death will be avenged."
Dora smiled at the woman, and nodded to verify that she was indeed Nyphadora Tonks. "Dora Lupin is my preferred name…" she stated, fighting to hold back even more tears.
"Ah, alright then Mrs. Lupin! Well enough of this talk! Let's get to Hogwarts eh?" she asked.
Dora nodded and followed Mrs. Longbottom into the secret passageway, which was under the guidance of a sweet blonde-haired young girl in a portrait. It wasn't long before they had reached the end of the passage, and Dora at first glance recognized the flaming red hair of Ginny Weasley.