Chapter Eighteen.

A Pink-Haired Baby is Born

"Merlin's Beard, Dromeda! Are we to be dining with the Minister of Magic tonight?"

Theodore Tonks asked impressed with the unusual array of exquisite foods being arranged on the table for supper by his wife. She giggled in response to his jest.

Andromeda's face was glowing with happiness despite the inner exhaustion she felt from toiling all day in the kitchen. She had made a beautiful feast for them that evening with a combination of both of their favorite foods. However, she would not be joining him in drinking any wine.

It was the first of September, 1972. She sincerely wanted to make this night memorable. Her and her husband whom she affectionately called 'Teddy' had been trying to have children for years.

Her family had already angrily wiped her name off the Black family map in outrage that she betrayed their pure blood family by her marriage to a Muggle.

Unfortunately, as time passed they caught wind of her unsuccessful attempts at starting a family. Then they treated her with even more contempt starting hurtful rumors in the Wizarding community that she brought the curse of infertility upon herself by marrying a 'mud blood' bringing shame upon their whole family.

Therefore, knowing she could not expect anything remotely near a joyful reaction to her news of being pregnant by her own family, she strongly desired to bask in the glory of her husband's reaction to the news of her finally carrying their first baby. Despite the First Wizarding War in full swing with You-Know-Who rising to power, she also felt a new inner joy bringing into the world the light of new baby in dark times.

That very night, much farther north towards the Scottish Highlands, a sleepy but happy twelve year old boy rode in a train car reunited with his three best mates. The four excited boys chattered about their summers and teased each other non-stop as they headed towards their second year at Hogwarts. Unbeknownst to the knackered twelve year old at the time, a little life had begun that would later intersect with his own in the most unbelievably precious and life-changing way. It would be beyond what he could of ever dream or would even think to be possible for his complicated and cursed life.

Remus looked out the window pane of the train car just in time to see a beautuful streak of light flash in the sky from a shooting star. He paused chewing on a licorice wand for a few moments. For some unknown reason, he felt a peaceful warm glow well up inside of him from it, almost as if the shooting star signaled something good in the future that would happen to him.

"Oh Teddy! I just saw the most lovely shooting star out the window," Andromeda announced feeling thankful she had paused from her supper preparations to glance outside at the night sky and saw the very same one. Something unexplainable about the shooting star also filled her with calming peace.

This baby is going to be beautifully different and the heavens above signaled it a blessing. This one will make it out alive.

Ted Tonks smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Andromeda thought about how she was named after the constellation of stars that was connected to a Greek mythology story about a chained woman. She felt like the shooting star was symbolic of her being released or set free of the chains of infertility.

Andromeda had fixed an extraordinary roast dinner serving three different types of meats; tender sliced roast beef, crispy roast chicken pieces, juicy pork with bubbly long cuts of cracklings over the top; plus gravy, roasted potatoes, peas, carrots, cheesy cauliflower and Yorkshire pudding. It was proceeded by a delightful, melt-in-your-mouth raspberry and strawberry trifle served in an elegant, tall glass bowl. Ted was truly amazed at the spread of culinary delights.

When Adromeda brought the trifle bowl to the table she set it before her husband waiting for him to see the word 'B-A-B-Y' she had spelled with raspberries over the whipped cream layer on top.

"Oh, it looks like you spelled a word there on top, love. What is it? B-A-B-Y... baby. Baby, baby?? Are you, um wait, does this mean you're..." Ted asked in disbelief.

They had so many heartbreaks of trying to have children in the previous years that he instinctively withheld his inner emotions back guarding himself from getting too excited. He looked at his wife with questioning brown eyes.

Adromeda nodded enthusiastically and replied,

"Yes. Yes, love! It means I'm pregnant!"

She reached out her hand to him across the table. He slowly took it still not looking sure if it was really true. He squeezed her hand and asked,

"You're really pregnant? We're truly having a baby?"

Adromeda continued to nod with a huge smile from ear to ear. She reassured him, "Yes, Teddy, it's true. I'm really pregnant, love. The baby is due in May next year."

Ted jumped up from the table and ran to embrace his wife. He pulled her up in his arms from the chair where she sat and exclaimed exuberantly,

"Oh love!! It's true, it's really true. A baby!! I'm, I'm so happy to hear it, I can hardly believe it. A baby at last! Thank Merlin, it's finally happening."

She couldn't help but giggle in joy at his reaction. He swung her around in circles and they both happily laughed. He looked down at her with tears welling up and said,

"Oh my. This is just... one of the happiest days of my life. Thank you for all this incredibly wonderful food tonight topped off with such happy news. You've outdone yourself, love. Thank you. This is so wonderful. You are so wonderful. You will no doubt make such a wonderful mother, too."

He kissed her repeatedly and she began to cry happy tears along with him. They were both so giddy they danced together with their full tummies. Then they excitedly talked baby preparations eating bites of the delicious and memorable fruit trifle.

Nine months later, screams of Andromeda's painful labor could be heard from one of their bedrooms where a magical midwife witch was doing her best to help deliver the baby. Ted was nervously at her side wishing he knew a spell to make all the pain disappear. The midwife had somberly explained that healers had determined over time that pain potions were sadly not very effective on witches in labor.

"What is it? Why do you look so troubled?" Ted demanded anxiously of the midwife while Andromeda squeezed his hand harder.

The midwife's face had changed to a mixed expression of both puzzlement and fear. There was hair colors changing from red, to pink, to even quick periods of turquoise blue on the top of the baby's head in the birth canal. She had been a midwife for over a decade and never seen such a sight in a birth.

"I don't know yet. It's, it's the baby's hair color, it's curiously... changing," the midwife explained.

Ted was speechless not sure how to respond to her. The midwife remained calm though very surprised at the usual shifting colored hair. She continued to encourage Andromeda to keep pushing.

Andromeda had tears streaming down her puffy, red, face and cried out in agony, "I don't care about the hair color, I just want our baby to be okay!"

"Almost out... "

Ted gasped. Andromeda gave her final pushes while the midwife skillfully helped their baby make its grand entrance into the world. Then at last, the baby's first cry loudly filled the room. It was the most beautuful sound both Ted and Andromeda had ever heard.

"Mister and Misses Tonks, congratulations. It's a baby girl, and with the most usual pink hair !" the midwife announced a bit flabbergasted.

"A girl! A pink haired girl!?" Ted remarked joyfully.

"She's a...meta...metamorph..." Andromeda tried to splutter out between exhausted panting breaths.

"What sweetheart?" Ted whispered and stroked her sweaty hair. He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned close to her face.

"Metamorphmagus," Andromeda declared at last.

The midwives eyes grew wide in astonishment.

"Really?" the midwife asked with her jaw dropping.

Ted's mind went blank trying to remember what that word meant. Even though both he and Andromeda had attended Hogwarts together, the meaning of that word momentarily escaped him. What did it mean?

The midwife quickly read Ted's nervous and confused expression. She reassured him,

"Not to fear, Mister Tonks, it's a rare gift. It's not bad. I'm only surprised because I had rather put it out of my mind as something I'd never see in my lifetime."

Andromeda wearily squeezed his hand several times. It drew his attention and he looked down at her still feeling puzzled. His wife added patiently hoping to set him at ease,

"Love... it just means she'll be, able to change her appearance at will."

Ted had a huge mischievous grin spread across his faceand he nodded. My precious gifted baby girl... something tells me she will always be full of surprises.

He leaned down close to his wife, caressed her cheek and kissed her. He told her lovingly,

"Oh Dromeda...I'm so proud of you, darling. Thank you for all your hard work, delivering our wonderfully gifted baby girl. You did amazing. Whatever happens with her morphing abilities, I will cherish it. I'm just so happy she's okay."

The midwife had skillfully cleaned, cut the cord and quickly wrapped the baby girl in a magically warmed blanket. She then passed the sweet little bundle to Ted who eagerly took her.

When Ted held his baby girl for the first time, he wept tears of joy and kissed her forehead. Then he kissed the tufts of her uniquely bright, fuchsia-colored hair. He brought her close to his wife.

Andromeda exhaled a huge sigh and pulled herself up in the bed to hold her daughter. When she took the swaddled baby from Ted as he passed her off she said, "Hello Nymphadora, my sweet baby girl."

"Nymphadora?" Ted asked not sure he heard her correctly.

"Yes. Nymphadora Tonks. That's her name," Andromeda said determined.

Ted suppressed a laugh and thought, I have a feeling she is not going to be fond of that name. Oh well.

"I shall like to call her 'Dora' for short," Ted remarked.

"That would be lovely, Teddy, but perhaps just between you and her, though?" Andromeda asked.

Ted shrugged and said, "Whatever you wish, love." He leaned down and kissed both of their foreheads.

They both gazed down at her tiny heart shaped face and twinkling brown eyes staring back at them. Ted told her tenderly, "Welcome my sweet little Dora. You were worth the wait. I'm over the moon happy you are here."

All the years of childless heartbreak leading to this moment, though not erased, were delightfully overshadowed by the joy of her safe arrival. They marveled at her glowing pink hair and giggled together over how they themselves were tickled pink.