Tonks wasn't sure why her parents' house was the first place she went the following morning. She loved her parents, but they'd never been the first people she ran to when she had problems. Years spent at Hogwarts had necessitated figuring things out without them. When she leant on others, it had almost always been her friends.

But after a sleepless night and some awkward morning goodbyes to Remus before he left to do some work for the Order, Tonks had found herself at the first home she'd ever known.

Her mother was the only one there. Andromeda had taken one look at her and set to work making tea. They sipped on it in silence for a while.

That was one thing Tonks had always appreciated about her mum. While her dad would immediately launch into questions about what was going on, Andromeda was content to wait for Tonks to speak on her own. Sure enough, Tonks had made it halfway through her cup of tea before she spoke.

"Remus found Harry, Ron, and Hermione the other day."

It wasn't a decent explanation, but it was as far as Tonks got before she needed another sip of tea. Andromeda watched her with one eyebrow raised.

"I hope they're safe," she said carefully.

"Yes, they are. At least I think so. As safe as they can be considering the circumstances. From what Remus said, they're staying in hiding. There's some kind of quest they think they have to go on. I suspect that none of us will see them for a while."

Andromeda nodded, sipping on her own tea in the silence that follow Tonks' words. Once again, she was waiting for Tonks to fill in the blanks and explain how Tonks' story could possibly be connected to the way she'd shown up at the door in such a state.

Tonks took a deep breath, her hands tight around the cup.

"Remus offered to go with them. He said he could help."

Andromeda raised both her eyebrows over the rim of her tea cup, but by the time she'd lowered it, her expression was unreadable. It was the same way she'd always looked when Tonks had questioned her about her family or when Tonks had first mentioned joining the Order.

"You said he offered," Andromeda said carefully. "He hasn't gone?"

"No." Tonks ran her finger along the handle of her cup. She remembered when she'd come home from Hogwarts one summer to find this particular set of cups. She'd been upset to realise that the cups she'd grown up with were gone. Now even these newer ones reminded her of home.

"He came home," she said. "I guess Harry told him off."

The edge of Andromeda's lips turned ever so slightly upward at that. Tonks tried to ignore it.

"He was kind of a mess when he got home last night," Tonks continued, staring into her tea. "He admitted that he's nervous about the baby, about whether it will be a werewolf or not. What discrimination it might face having a werewolf for a father."

The silence that Tonks had been grateful for before suddenly became unbearable. She shifted in her chair, debating just up and leaving, but Andromeda spoke before Tonks reached the point of fleeing.

"That must be a scary thing to face." Tonks' gaze shot up to Andromeda, and her mother raised a hand, stopping her from speaking as she continued. "As your mother, I'm absolutely furious that he tried to leave without so much as a conversation. Don't mistake me on that. I think he made the wrong decision, but I do understand why this has him frightened."

"There's a war going on," Tonks said bitterly. "We're all frightened. We all have targets on our backs."

"Yes, but everyone is target in a bit of a different way. I married a Muggleborn; you have a Muggleborn father. That does increase the danger for us more than others, but it pales in comparison to what Remus goes through. He was already a target before You-Know-Who took over the Ministry. No matter what the outcome of the war, that will continue to be the case."

Tonks' hand covered her stomach. She felt sick, but not in the way that she had since becoming pregnant.

"What are you saying, Mum?"

With a sigh, Andromeda stood and came around the table, settling into a different chair beside Tonks and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm saying that Remus made the wrong move. This child's life will be far better with his father in it. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that some aspects of raising them will be a challenge."

Tonks took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. "I know that, Mum. I'm not completely blind. I get that people will disapprove and probably always will. But Remus should understand by now that I'm not going anywhere and that we can get through things together."

Andromeda patted her on the back before drawing her hand away. "Believe it or not, I think he's getting there. He came back after all, didn't he? Nymphadora, I can't even begin to imagine what he must have dealt with his entire life. I had my own views of the world thrust on me by my parents, and even decades later I find myself slipping into them far too easily sometimes. It's hard to do, and I imagine his must be even harder."

Tonks took a deep breath. Everything her mum said sounded like things she already knew, but she hadn't thought about it in such a calm way in the heat of the moment.

"Yeah, you're right," she said. "I do think he tries. Of course I do. I just wish that I could make him stop thinking that way."

"Well, you can't. Not immediately. It takes time. I know that was never your specialty, Nymphadora." She leaned in teasingly, and Tonks found herself cracking a smile. "But it's the only solution."

Tonks took a deep breath and glanced at the clock. "Right. Thanks for this, Mum. I think I needed to hear that. I should go. I want to be home when he is."

Andromeda stood with her, pulling her into a hug.

"Everything will be okay, Nymphadora. I'm sure of it."