A/N: Oh, I just love Andromeda, but I never realised how much fun writing Nymphadora might be (but don't tell her I called her that!)

Title: bring me down, bring me up

Summary: Nymphadora is a very special child. Born of both worlds and a metamorphmagus on top of that. But being different is always very difficult. Andromeda tries to cheer up her daughter by explaining her heritage.

Word count: 1233

Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Family

Characters: Andromeda T, N. Tonks

Warnings: mentions bullying

Andromeda is cooking dinner. She's making soup, cutting all the vegetables by hand. There is something oddly soothing about making something with one's own hands rather than relying on magic. Either way, her mother would have heartily disapproved of her cooking. Andromeda is fairly sure the woman has never stepped into a kitchen.

Well, it's a good thing she hasn't seen her mother in 8 years.

So, Andromeda is cooking dinner and Ted is still at work when Nymphadora perches herself of the dinner table. Andromeda is about to tell her off for sitting on the dinner table when she sees her sullen face and dark blue hair.

"Nymphadora, is everything all right?" she asks quietly.

Nymphadora looks up at her with her huge eyes and she sees them filled with misery. Something no six-year-old should ever know. She immediately decides to cut the gas under the stove and set the vegetables to be cut on their own. Screw dinner, she has a daughter to take care of her. Concern for her little bundle of joy (and trouble) fills her.

No response from Dora.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen," Andromeda assures her.

"Mummy, am I… am I weird?" Nymphadora asks.

"What do you mean, are you weird?"

"It's just that the other children at school, they call me weird."

Andromeda frowns. "Why would they say that?"

Her little sweetheart looks on the brink of tears. "They say my name is weird, and that when I always have different colour hair is strange."

Andromeda sighs. Sending her to a Muggle school had been Ted's idea, something she thinks is a good idea, of course. Multi-culturalism is always a huge advantage, especially for magical children. But then again, Dora isn't the usual magical child. Being a metamorphmagus would have made her strange in any child's eyes, magical or muggle. Come to think of it, probably even more so magical, but still. Andromeda knows how cruel they can be. And naming her Nymphadora was a bit of a whim that she slightly regrets now, not that she'll ever admit it.

"What's wrong with me, mummy?" Dora asks in a small voice as she brushes away a tear.

Andromeda steels herself. Fear and anger coursed through her, but she knows children react acutely to their parent's emotions. She has to make her feel in a safe environment.

"Darling, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"But, no one else can do what I can," says Dora. "Look." And she turns her eyes grey and makes her nose a little longer. Andromeda's heart pinches slightly, as usual, when her child changes her appearance more than hair colour. It always seems like she is turning into someone she doesn't know.

"Listen, I'm going to tell you very important."

Nymphadora looks up at her with big grey eyes, one of the tell-tale signs she's feeling especially sad.

Andromeda took a deep breath. "You know you have grandparents."

She nods. "Yes Pa Eddie and Ma Kat."

"Well, those are daddy's parents. But you've never met my parents."

Dora looks slightly confused. The fact that her mother might have parents is still a relatively foreign notion. Of course, they never speak of them.

"I come from a very old magical family, the Blacks."

"The Blacks?" she echoes.

"Yes, I used to be Andromeda Black before I married Daddy. I had two sisters and two cousins. Cousin Sirius is one of them. You remember Cousin Sirius."

"Yes!" her face lights up.

Here comes the difficult part. "But, my mummy and daddy weren't very nice people. They really didn't like Daddy, so when I married him, they never spoke to me again."

"Your own mummy and daddy?"

"Yes. But you see, like Cousin Sirius, not everyone was mean in my family."

"Like who?"

Andromeda sighs. "I had a rather lovely Uncle. And see, he was a metamorphmagus, like you."

"A metamogaphus, like me!"

"Metamorphmagus," Andromeda corrects gently. "But yes. See, in my family, there have a lot of metamorphmagi. That's when there is more than one metamorphmagus. So, you are like this because it's in your blood. It's part of being the Black family. It just shows that you're magical. It's part of your inheritance."

Nymphadora doesn't look quite convinced yet. "But not all the other magic children are like me."

Andromeda sighs. "No, it just shows that you're a part of the Blacks, and it's really special. You have a talent that no one else has."

"I'm not normal."

"Darling, when are you going to learn that being normal is not necessarily a virtue," Andromeda says, "You're not normal, you're not of the ordinary. You're extraordinary. Your name and your ability are what make you, you. What make you special and unique"

"You think I'm special?"

"Dora, I'm looking at you and I see the most special and wonderful little girl to have ever walked this planet."

Nymphadora gives a little smile, and the tips of her hair turn pink again. Reading her girl is so easy, it almost feels like cheating at times. But still relief fills her, she's almost managed to convince her baby that everything is fine.

"But who am I going to sit with at lunch, everybody still hates me."

"Oh, who cares about those windsuckers?" Andromeda laughs.

"Windsuckers?" Dora asks.

"It means someone who's jealous."

Nymphadora giggles. "Is it a bad word?"

"No, but don't say it while your teacher's around." Dora giggles some more. Trust her mischievous little girl to get excited at the mere mention of a bad word. No doubt she'll be showing off to her father tonight with the new word she's learnt.

"So, will someone sit me?"

"You can take my hand and never let go. If you want you can come and have lunch with me," Andromeda offers. She knows it's not the perfect solution, giving up in front of the bullies, but loneliness is hard to deal with. She knows the feeling very well.

"You would do that?" Dora looks hopeful, hair all bubble-gum pink, but her eyes are still grey.

"You know I love you, right? I would do anything for you, my special little girl."

"I love you too, mummy." Those five little words are so gratifying to Andromeda. Her daughter is an absolute blessing and she knows she's absolutely devoted to her. Taking care of her might include kissing the scraped-up knee but eating lunch at home every day too is something she'll do gladly if it can avoid her any pain.

"Come on, gotta let a little colour back into your eyes. Let's go get ice-cream."

"Ice-cream?" Andromeda inwardly chuckles at the girl's disbelief. Ice-cream just before dinner is unheard of, like her wildest dream coming true. And finally, her grey eyes turn blue and Andromeda can breathe.

"Yes, some delicious ice-cream?"

"But- "

"Now, now Nymphadora, don't contradict me. We are getting ice-cream for dinner."

The girl squeals and purple streaks appear in her hair. Andromeda smiles, not caring that their appetites are going to get ruined, and Dora will never finish her soup later. As she's busy scooping out some vanilla and chocolate into bowls, Dora experiments with her hair turning it all the different colours she can think of. Andromeda is glad her daughter is accepting her metamorphmagus abilities, the thing that makes her so special and unique.

FOR HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

House: Ravenclaw

For assignment #5: Forensic Science – Task #1 – Fingerprints – write about something making someone unique.

For writing club; character appreciation: 10) write about someone struggling with abandonment

For writing club; record collection: 24k magic – 2) "I'm looking at you."

For writing club; eras: 10) windsuckers

For writing club; book club: Sonia – fear – concern – Hopelessly Devoted to You

For writing club; showtime: 15) "What's wrong with me?"

For writing club; liza's loves: 12) inheritance

For writing club; scamander's case: 21) lonely

For writing club; film festival: 22) "When are you going to understand that being normal is not necessarily a virtue."

For writing club; lyric alley: 19) "Gotta let a little colour back into your eyes."

For writing club; forecast: 21st) "If you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen."

For writing club; entitled: 22) the one with the screamer – write about a bully

For gobstones club: Yellow stone – heritage – 9) ice cream – 6) delicious – 12) contradict

For build a better breakfast: 9) Marauders

For pick a wick: 26) cooking dinner

For founder says: Helga says 6) "Take my hand and never let go."

For raking leaves: 8) "You know I love you, right?"

FOR ILVERMORNY SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

House: Wampus

For September assignment: Charms – Task #4 – medical charms – write about taking care of someone.

Bonus prompts: 2) [action] cooking