Facing Bad Tropes with Little Lady Potter 3 - (Harry Potter AU, SI)

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It was around the beginning of the Summertime of 1987 that the usually 'empty' house that was home to Rose and I started to get a new occupant. Sorta.

While it is true that Nymphadora Tonks was the furthest thing to a permanent or even a semi-permanent housemate, it was quite interesting how the girl decided, within just her first visit, that this was the place she wanted to spent most of her Summer at.

I wish to say that it was primarily her first meeting with Rose that chalked up her eagerness within those visits, but I have to admit that there was also a degree of intrigue the girl had for some 'muggle sports' that she didn't know could be less dangerous and yet just as fun as Quidditch.

One can say that Andromeda had been supportive of this decision, same for Ted, as they saw this as a way for their daughter to not feel coped up at home without much to do. And it definitely helped that Andromeda would tag along to assist in keeping track of Rose's accidental magic situation, so she knew everything was fine and safe for their daughter while she was around at my house.

Still, there is much to say about Nymphadora when it comes to her personality and appearance. In fact, one could go as far as to say that both were correlated, with the latter being a sign for others to know how 'underdeveloped' her personality was at this point. To be more blunt, 'Dora' is a good kid. She was well-mannered, had that air of maturity some teens had when handling kids younger than them, and she was... well, she was a tomboy.

This wasn't the character that was finalized within the main Harry Potter books, but rather the cheeky prankster that was introduced in Hogwarts Mystery.

With short and spiky pink hair and equally vibrant pink eyes, Nymphadora Tonks refused to wear skirts. Something that, much to the chagrin of her mother, had led to some interesting clashes between her and Hogwarts' staff. Her displeasure around the school uniform's mandatory skirt was something that came up when Hogwarts was mentioned, and, as she was handling her last few years at the school, she admitted that it was 'boring' and 'not as magical as she had expected'.

"That's the expectation many students have around brilliant-sounding schools. Nowadays most prestigious schools have fallen off their pretty pedestals," I had mentioned when she argued that. "Hogwarts is definitely grand-sounding, but I can tell that a lack of changes has led to its slow decline. It's not bad but-"

"It isn't good," Nymphadora admitted with a bitter smile. "It's still a nice school, I suppose."

And, after that remark, the pinkette got Rose off to play around the house and the courtyard. She would take some of those times being the 'babysitter' actually bringing some homework over and ask me questions about more 'muggle-prone' subjects such as Arithmancy and... Potions. The last of the two was actually something Nymphadora and I would turn into a 'fun Chemistry exercise'.

I could tell that the 'Snape is a good Potioneer, but a shite teacher' trope was in play when she lamented how much of a 'soul-crusher' the Professor was particularly keen to not praise those outside of Slytherin.

So, by giving Nymphadora a small safe spot and some guidance whenever needed, the girl found it easy to get the assignments done as easily and quickly as possible. And I got to read a few books for further experimentations. I had plans to ask mom for help buying all that was needed to practice low-grade potions once dad and her were through with their trip to Asia for the holidays.

Still, I held back from getting my hands on anything dangerous for the time being. Better safe than sorry. And I was quite surprised when, as June turned to July, I was subjected to a particularly early visit from Nymphadora.

"Wotcher, Mr. Stevens!" The girl exclaimed as I went to greet her at the door.

"Dora? It's seven. What are you doing here at this hour?"

She forced a smile at my question, appearing a bit frustrated by something and- "I kind of decided to go for an early start. You know, get my legs moving for once since..."

"Troubles at home?"

Her face fell at this- almost literally as her Metamorphmagus ability showed up due to her emotional annoyance. Even more as her pink hair flashed blue for a few seconds.

"You- You can say that. Can I come in?"

I welcomed her in the house, and she stormed inside with a scowl plastered on her face. I found her sitting in the living room, hugging herself and pouting at the short table in front of her.

"So... what's going on?"

"Mom's going on," The girl growled, showing utter teenage anger at the topic. "I asked a few questions yesterday and she got upset with me since I wanted more details."

"...About what? If it's private-"

"Dumbledore."

I paused, then blinked. "Oh."

Dora turned at me with surprised eyes. "Y-You don't like Dumbledore? Why?"

"Let's just say it isn't a simple question."

"I just want an answer."

I sighed, then gave her the flattest look. "For a starter, he is a bit of a liar."

Sitting down with Dora, I saw her frown at my words.

"What? I don't get it."

"That's because you can't get satisfied with just a simple answer. The truth is a bit more... extensive."

"I can listen," She offered and-

I guess I will have to be scolded by Andromeda too.

"Well, if we're doing this... let's start with something quite basic. Who and 'what' is Albus Dumbledore?" I asked with a curious tone. "I mean, what is your view of Dumbledore in the roles you are familiar with."

"...He is my teacher. And the headmaster of Hogwarts."

"That's correct," I confirmed with a smile. "He is an educator, he is a trusted figure because he is meant to teach you and other students about topics tied to magic. And more."

I paused, then looked at her again.

"The issue is not the magic, it's the 'more' in that subject. At first glance, he says all the right thing: inequality is bad, muggleborns are just as normal as any other wizard or witch, and magical creatures should be judged by their traits rather than the misguided view that humans are above them."

Dora nodded. "Yep. That's all Hogwarts is about."

"...is it?"

Surprise flared at my quip. "What do you mean with that?"

"Well, that's not 'all of it'. Rather, this is 'most'. After all, Dumbledore is a liar because he uses three truths, and then adds in two lies," I argued with a serious tone. "The first one is that he is the leading figure of the Light. He is the only one that knows how to make sure that change can happen. And the second lie is... 'if I do something that is questionable, then remember it is all for the Greater Good'."

I leaned back against the couch before continuing.

"The first lie is simple enough. He has set himself as the sole leader, the sole mentor of the group. He is the undisputed 'Light Lord' as far as he is concerned, and he has been that even before Grindelwald was around. His rule is uncontested for he has decades worth of wisdom, and he is confident in whatever steps he takes."

"And the second bit? That thing about the 'Greater Good'... I think I heard it before, but I don't remember where."

"Probably Grindelwald," I answered bluntly, seeing the pinkette tense up at the familiar name. "That was the same words he used to justify his evil doing."

...

"You're lying."

"I am not," I assured and she didn't appear any convinced by it. "Let me just say that, before that war, Dumbledore spent a solid slice of time of his puberty around the 'boy next door'. Who happened to be Gellert Grindelwald."

Tonks opened her mouth, then closed it.

"They were friends."

"And then lovers."

...

"Mr. Stevens, I can accept them being friends, but 'lovers' is a bit too much for me to believe."

"I have proof of that after looking at some details of that war. But we are digressing now- the point is Dumbledore had preserved the very concept of 'changing the world' that he had with Grindelwald when they were young. And his blend of such ideology is... creating his own powerbase through the newer generations," I got back on the main point. "He has been a teacher for half a century, and the one chosing teachers for a little less. He has turned Hogwarts in this place where the main goal is to create two kinds of adults: people that can join his side and... people that can be used as scapegoats."

"So, people like the Weasleys and-"

"People like Voldyshorts."

...

"Y-You can't mean that Dumbledore is-"

"I think I can mean that. Especially since the guy was one of his students and he did nothing to stop his rise."

Her lips twitched. "I mean, how could he have dealt with him?"

"Accidental death?"

"M-Mr. Stevens!"

"Look, all I am saying, Dora, is that if I am a magical teacher and have this student that, despite all the efforts and the care and the support offered through his path in school, continues to follow a very dark path that may lead up to deaths and worse, I would react. And since it's Dumbledore, someone that has already personally seen what happens when that sort of mess is left unchecked, there is a greater reason to be suspicious why he was so soft-handed in dealing with Voldie early on."

The girl went quiet at this, thinking about it for a moment as her hair mixed a degree of green and blue, disgust and displeasure. "I-I guess that makes some sense. It's still horrible-"

"I am not saying it is not. But I think that if I have to chose between a blatant psychopath student and a lot of innocent lives, I would kill the former. And yet that's not exactly the worst thing- after all, he has spared Voldie long enough so he could get his own faction, cause a war and kill a lot of people."

"That he did," Nymphadora admitted quietly and then... frowned. "But why? Why would he spare the Dark Lord if he was in school?"

I smiled. "Do you remember the first question I asked you in this discussion?"

The pinkette blinked, taking a moment to remember and then nod. "Who and... what is Dumbledore."

"Correct. And I have asked you this question. But the truth is, despite all I have said up to this point, that it is not the full truth. Albus Dumbledore is an educator... but also a politician. He is the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot, that is the fancy council that passes laws, and the President of the International Confederation of Wizards. Those are positions he has been holding onto for a long time, and each have monumental weight despite their limitations."

Dora nodded in agreement, yet she appeared perplexed. "But aren't those formal positions? He can't push or pass laws if he wanted to."

"He doesn't need to personally do that. Not when many of the members are former students of his in the Wizengamot, while the ICW has been kept in the dark over what happened with Voldie's little stunt."

The pieces connected, and Dora was silent once more.

"So... Dumbledore allowed the Dark Lord to come about because... he wanted to use him?"

"Correct. But I don't think you have pieced in 'how'."

She shook her head and I continued.

"The Dark Lord is the 'opposite' of Dumbledore. Not on a physical or mental level, but on in regard to politics and ideology. Voldie wants to use racial purity to rally the pureblooded faction into serving him and thus take over Magical Britain, while Dumbledore rallies those that support the 'good cause for reform' against Voldie. Even though there has been hardly any changes with the status quo."

"A scapegoat," Dora blurted out and she appeared stunned by the entire conversation. "So the war happened because- because he could distract everyone?"

"And kill most of the 'tired' generation from finding out. The new generation, the one you are part of, doesn't know the past few decades, so you are all blissfully unaware of how long nothing has been achieved in the past few decades."

...

"Mr. Stevens?" The pinkette's hair turned slightly green. "My head hurts."

"Why do you think your mom didn't give you this big of an explanation?"

"...Because she thinks I am too immature."

"And inexperienced. And unprepared," I added without hesitation, making Tonks finally look at me with a deep frown. "You're a few years off handling adult stuff. This is not me saying you are less than an adult, but there's some unpleasant logic to the adult world that makes it a difficult thing to digest. Such as the fact Dumbledore is not this paragon of virtue he tries to show himself to be."

"Ugh," She grumbled, leaning on my arm and sighing. "Can I get a nap?"

Blinking, I checked my watch. "Rose should be up in a hour so... sure."

Delighted, Dora feel asleep in mere moments, and I couldn't help but find the moment relatively adorable as the girl was quite the softie when in private and with people she trusted. The issue was more about the topics- she was asking the right questions, but she is far from prepared to handle the answers. Still, I couldn't help but find it curious how her hair would just get pinker whenever she was in a situation like this one, cheek on my shoulder and snoring quietly against me.

What I would have noticed if I had looked a bit on the right was the peeking head of my adoptive daughter looking at us as she had finished listening to our conversation, her now-glowing red eyes showing a degree of surprise, hurt, and interest. Lots of interest.

AN

Next time a... special Dark POV!