Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Day 42: Stay
Tonks cradled her baby close as she paced back and forth. Her mind was buzzing with fear. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since they got the message. It felt as if she had been pacing this floor for hours, but it could have been as little as fifteen minutes.
Before running off to join the battle, Remus had begged her to stay. "Teddy needs at least one parent," he had told her.
But just standing around waiting for him to come back was slowly driving her mad. What if he never came home? Could she stand to look her son in the face one day and tell him that while his father and countless others risked their lives, she sat at home and did nothing?
Tonks pacing came to a sudden stop. She looked down into her baby's face again. Teddy was fast asleep. He looked so peaceful.
She leaned down and kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry, Teddy. But I have to go. I have to fight. It's the only way to make sure the world you grow up in is one worth living in. I hope you'll understand, some day." There were tears on her cheeks, "I can't promise that I'll come home to you. But I promise I'll try my hardest. You, Teddy, are the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, you and your dad. That's the other reason I've got to go. He needs someone to watch his back, hey?" She smiled through her tears, "Even if it took him way to long to admit that."
She walked over and laid the baby in his bassinet, not noticing her mother entering the room behind her.
When she turned around, Andromeda was watching her. Tonks could tell from the look on her mother's face that she knew exactly what her daughter was about to do.
"Stay," The single word was half a command, half a plea.
Tonks shook her head, feeling another stab of pain in her heart, "I can't, Mum. I'm an Auror. And a member of the Order of the Phoenix. This is what I signed up for. It's my duty."
"You have a child. He needs you."
"He needs to grow up in a world where he'll be safe and free. I'm not the only one who has a child, Mum. Plenty of Aurors have kids. They still go to work every day, and there's always the chance they won't come home. This is no different. You think there aren't other parents fighting in that battle right now? If we all decide to stay home where it's safe, then evil wins. He wins, Mum. And nowhere and no one will be safe anymore."
She walked forward and gripped her mother's arms, "I have to go, Mum. Just – Just promise me you'll take care of Teddy?"
Andromeda watched her daughter for a long moment, and her eyes were sad and they were fearful, but they were also full of pride. "You know I will," she answered simply. Then she pulled her daughter close and held her tight, "But you come back to me, Dora. Come back to me and to your son."
Tonks returned the hug just as tightly for a moment before stepping back and giving her mother a sad smile and the same promise she had given her son, the only promise she could give, "I'll do my best."
Hope you liked it. Leave a review and give me your thoughts.