March 10, 1942
"What do you think you're doing?" An Auror gestured jerkily at the dead Death Eater lying brokenly on the ground and glared at Alastor. He stared dispassionately back.
At his lack of answer, the other man continued. "We were given orders to capture the enemy, Moody. Capture."
"Don't blame this on me. You should thank me for saving your life! That trash was aiming at you," He said cockily, his youthful mind not considering the consequences of speaking his thoughts out loud. "Besides, they don't show us any mercy, so why should I?"
The Auror stilled dangerously. "Why, you ask? Because it makes us no better than them, that's why!"
Alastor scoffed, and turned his back.
"Don't you walk away from me Moody! You think killing people is going to make others like you, but it doesn't… it just makes people dead!"
His words echoed uselessly off a fading back.
June 28, 2958
People were whispering about him. Some good, some bad, but most were just nasty rumours.
"I heard he goes into a frenzy whenever he sees a Death Eater."
"They say he's never brought one back alive…"
"How could they let a man like that in the Auror Department?! My children are unsafe!"
He ignored them, clenching his fists together.
October 16, 1979
This was it.
This was the end of his short life. He would never be seen again… never missed, or mourned, or grieved over. His parents were already gone, and he had made no friends in the wake of his successful career. Life would continue without him. Vaguely, he wondered if anyone would come to his funeral.
All of this flashed through his mind as he stared, frozen, at the end of a glowing green wand tip.
The Death Eater standing above him was masked. Probably a youth in his early twenties, judging by the thin structure and height.
Alastor tensed. Waited. Watched. His limbs were frozen from an unnoticed Stupefy spell, and he could do nothing but greet his death.
It seemed like an eternity to him before the Death Eater seemed to sigh. With a movement too quick for his eyes, he quickly disappeared into the foliage.
For a moment, he just stared, waiting for some other trick or surprise attack. None came. Shakily, he stood up and dusted himself off. Holding his wand out cautiously, he began walking back to the rendezvous point.
Alastor never told anyone about that meeting.
December 21, 1994
Alastor watched the new, to-be-trained Auror's with the eye of a hawk. They shivered nervously against his ominous appearance and sharp glare. There was only one girl, a short, pink-haired girl, that dared to smile cheerfully at him.
He hit her on the head with a spare newspaper that was lying around. The other Aurors flinched away.
She gaped at him, then turned her lips into a pout. "What did you do that for?"
He raised an eyebrow at her for daring to speak out against him. "Because your smile was annoying me. How do you expect to become an Auror like that?"
She opened her mouth indignantly before he cut her off again.
"You. What's your name?"
"Tonks."
He waited.
She sulked. "Nyphadora Tonks."
He nodded promptly. "Report to Training Station 7 at 6:00 tomorrow." He turned and started to walk away.
"W-wait!" She called, "Does that mean…"
"From now on, I will be your mentor."
The other instructors exchanged surprised looks. It was well known that Alastor had never taken on a student before.
December 22, 1994
"The first lesson," Alastor said, "is to never kill unless necessary. The human life has more value than you'll ever know."
Tonks titled her head, slightly confused, but let him continue.
"Do you understand? Unless you get this concept, I will not allow you to be my student."
She nodded eagerly.
July 27, 1997
Watching the green light come towards him, he wondered if this was predestined. But then the light reached him and all he knew was pure black, then pure white.
August 27, 1997
He was gone. Gone, gone, gone, forever. She would never hear that gruff voice again, or get that light smack on the top of her head. Gone.
She would avenge him. She would kill as many Death Eaters as she could so he would feel at peace in the afterlife.
Revenge.
May 2, 1998
It was absolute chaos. Hogwarts, the school that she loved so much, was being attacked by Death Eaters.
Tonks ran through the crowd, shooting spells at any mask she could spot, desperately trying to find her loved ones. In the panic, she could hardly see anything further than a few feet in front of her.
Suddenly, a Death Eater fell in front of her. Lucius. Eyes flashing angrily, she raised he wand, voice ready to voice an Unforgivable.
'The human life has more value than you'll ever know.'
His words echoing in her ears, she stopped short. With tremendous inner strength she didn't know she had, she threw a stunning spell and pivoted away.
She was his student after all.
A/N: So, how was it? I realize that Tonks is a bit OOC. Anyways, this was written for the first round of the Harry Potter Fanfiction - Writing World Cup 2013. I'm representing Canada.