Us Against The World (Ted/Nymphadora)

[Guest]

Nymph skated down the stone hallways her long pink hair shortening to a silvery white pixie cut as she sped down the stone steps the sound of her wheels spinning filled her ears. On her back was a pair of twin katana blades, she wore her huffelpuff house t-shirt and shorts. Her trainers hung over her shoulder along with her gloves.

A grin plastered the young girl's face as her roller skates skidded as she jumped raising her legs she grinded down the stair railing and landed gracefully for once. Her dad, at the request of the Minister would be stationed at Hogwarts during the tournament and he was due to arrive any minute and her heart pounded with excite ment. She knew that meant more training which sometimes bored her but it also meant more time with her best friend.

She tore through the entrance hall and out to the entrance courtyard and through the gate she could see the familier frame of her young but handsome father walking towards the courtyard his head bowed as he spoke to his co-worker whom she recognized as Corvinus Valkyrie, her father's friend and fellow protector and auror.

Disregarding the grounds keeper who stood waiting to let them in she tore across the stones with a shout "DAD!" and smashed into the man at full speed.

[Guest]

Heading up the walk to his Alma Mater, Ted, dressed in this favored black jeans, black v-neck shirt, and black leather boots, was both happy and sad. Corvinus had given him the bad news shortly after he was given his orders to help head up security at Hogwarts, and while he was happy to be able to spend time with his daughter, and littlest friend, it was still hard to know that he was going to be in the place where he had fallen in love with her mother. Pausing at the gate, his ruck-sac over his shoulder, Ted was greeted by Corvinus and for several moments his fellow in both the Protector order and the Auror department did his best to cheer him up. It worked, for the most part...

Shaking his fellow's hand, he was just about to head inside the gate to check in with the others when a familiar voice and figure came speeding towards him. Dropping his bag and bracing himself just in time, his strong arms wrapped around his daughter and lifted her up in a giant bear hug. "Nymph! I was hoping to surprise you," he said, his voice happy for the sake of her. She didn't know her mother, and he didn't know how she would take the news. Kissing her temple, he lowered her to the ground. "Corvin, thank you," he said with a nod. Offering Nymph his arm, he picked up his ruck sac and slung it over his shoulder. "You seem to be getting the hang of those," he mused as he lead the way back to the castle.

[Guest]

Skating in circles around the men with excitement she finally slowed and looped her arm through her father's "Well ya know my friend Mariya? she sorta hears everything and by everything i mean EVERYTHING!" she used her free hand to emphasis gesturing wildly. "She was snooping around after talking to Lestrange and heard your name get mentioned and told me. I've been watching from the astronomy tower all day to see you get here!" she hugged his arm close. "Hiya corvin" she grinned "I bet professor yaxley will be happy to see ya" Corvinus laughed loudly shaking his head "you don't miss much now do you little Tonks"

"Excuse you! Not little!" she said standing up straight she stuck out her tongue at him who shook his head at them both "if you'll excuse me i'll head in and inform Lupin were here, he said we'll receive our orders later on so you two can spend some time together"

[Guest]

Chuckling at his daughter's antics, Ted didn't feel the need to say anything. She knew the line and what would happen should she cross it. Especially with Corvin... "Sounds great. Thank you, again," he said to his friend. Since they now had some time before he needed to report for orders, Ted looked down at his daughter who had the same Metamorphagus gene as her mother and smiled. "No surprising you. At least, not thing time. Well, then, where shall we go to, Miss Tonks? Since you've been waiting all day, I'm sure you have something brewing in that Tonks mind of yous," he teased giving her a playful nudge.

[Guest]

Spinning so she skated backwards facing him she screwed up her face in thought "welllll We could go down near the edge of the forest. Professor Carrow and Mister Salander leave me alone so long as i dont go to far but your here!"

[Guest]

"Professor Carrow is still teaching, eh? I remember his classes. One of my personal favorites," he mused as he watched Nymph closely, ready to catch her should she have a clumsy moment on her wheels. He knew a bit about the Salander that worked there: imprisoned for war crimes but later found innocent. It was an odd case, but the man was let go. Who was he to judge? "That actually sounds like a wonderful idea! Lead the way!" Ted chimed as she flashed his Ted crooked smile. Glancing around as the went, he noticed that he felt a sense of being welcomed home. Almost like he used to feel when he would return to school after the summer holiday. It was good to know that after all this time, Hogwarts was still home.

[Guest]

Speeding up she led the way keeping her balance though her wheel caught a crack and she fell but catching herself she pushed herself up as if doing a high speed push up. "Did Aunt Alchemy ever tell you these skates work on grass?" she giggled ot her father before she jumped down the hill leading to the woods like a skier. She flew down the steep incline with a joy filled shought that ended when she lurched forward and was sent sailing into a bush. Landing in the shrubbery, only her but stuck out of the bush as she wigggled to freedom.

[Guest]

"No she did-" stopping mid thought, Ted watched as Nymph took off down the grassy slopes. He would have to thank his sister one day for gifting those skates to his daughter. As she neared the bottom, she could nearly predict what would happen and hastened down the slope after her. Sure enough, Nymph took a header into the bushes. Putting his bag down as he reached her, Ted couldn't resist and gave her exposed rear a playful swat. "Free shots!" he exclaimed before laughing brightly and grabbing her by the waist, pulling her to freedom in a much more effective way then her simply wiggling free. "Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern as he chuckled at the entire scene he had witnessed.

[Guest]

She squealed at the swat and as he tugged her free she wrapped her ankles around one of his own legs and tugged forcing her dad to fall backwards and she landed ontop of him rolling to pin down his two arms. "I'm fine but your not!" she giggled madly.

[Guest]

Landing in the soft grass with a thud, Ted laughed loudly. As she 'pinned' his arms, he sighed, "Dang... You got me..." Raising an eyebrow, he grinned before smoothly shifting and bringing his strong arms up to grab hold of her without hurting her at all, a simple move from early in his Protector training. Pulling his daughter into his lap, he held her close, securely to him. "Who has who now?" he whispered to her, both out of play and to keep the sorrow he felt in check. Thankfully, she wouldn't pick up on that, not in the whisper he gave her.

[Guest]

"dad!" she complained squirming but laughing at her father wiggling so she faced him she butted his head gently but got up so she could sit cross legged. "Daddy whats wrong" Nymph asked "you have shadows in your eyes and that only happens when something is wrong"

[Guest]

Loosening his grip so Nymphadora could get free, he let his head move naturally from the small bump from her head as it connected with his. Chuckling as she seated herself in front of him, his smile faltered slightly at her question. Seeing as they had only had each other all her life, she had learned sooner then most to read even the slightest change in him. Her Protector training didn't help in her observations either. Still, she caught the subtle hint that something was wrong: the shadows, as she called them, in his eyes. He was about to brush what she was talking about away as nothing but being tired, but he knew better then to try and bullshit her with something like this. She would't let it go with something as simple as 'it's nothing' and he knew it. Sighing heavily, Ted's face hardened as he thought of just how to tell her what was on his mind. "Nymph, before I came, I got some bad news," he said, taking her small hand in his. "Your mother was killed," he said, keeping his icy eyes locked on his daughter. He didn't know how she was going to take the news of her mother's death considering she never knew her, so the Protector and father in him merged to watch for any signal of any kind of reaction that would come from her.

[Guest]

With a gentle tap on the side of her skates they fell off her bare feet as her father spoke. Her eye's hardened as she moved a bit straightening her usually haphazard clothing her hair turned to a short pixie cut her expression severe one not commonly seen on her face. "I'm sorry to hear that" she said her tone like an artic breeze "I know you cared for her deeply"

[Guest]

Ted's face took on the picture of calm that came with years of being what he was: Protector, Auror, and Order of the Phoenix. Even his eyes lost whatever emotion had filled them, bringing the shadows of something being wrong to them. He was not surprised by her icy words about the loss of her mother. Nymphadora didn't really know he mother at all, and really, neither had he... "I did care for her. She was your mother, Nymph," he said bringing his hand up to caress her cheek. "I know she was never there, but, without her, I wouldn't have you," he added simply.

[Corvinus Valkyrie]

"She's been as good as dead all these years" her voice was low not playfull as it had been "why should i mourn the loss of my surrogate?"

[Guest]

"That's enough..." Ted said firmly, letting his hand fall. He knew and understood her anger, but he would not permit her to speak like that in front of him about the woman who was her mother, whether she was there or not. "I'm not asking you to mourn for her. I'm simply telling you what happened," he said keeping his focus on his daughter's face. Deep down, Ted had been waiting for the day to come when he got word of Dromeda's passing, and he had hoped that it wouldn't have effected him as it was. But, that was the price of love.

[Guest]

With a huff she got to her feet and sat down on the rock directly behind her father, grasping his shoulders she pulled him into her and held him so his head rested on her stomach. "Stop" she said softly as she stroked the side of his head "your protector act doesn't work with me, i can see your hurting" her fingers curled around a loose strand of hair and she hugged him tightly "its okay daddy..." she whispered kissing the top of his head. "its okay..."

[Guest]

Feeling her small arms around his shoulders, he rested his head against her stomach. Her words reminded him just how observant she was. True he was a high standing Protector, but his daughter was among their ranks. More than that, she was his daughter and could see through things that others might not be able to see through. As she spoke gently to him, Ted let out a sigh, letting his Protector walls fall slightly. "Aren't I supposed to be the strong one between us? You're doing my job, Nymph," he said, fighting the quiver in his voice. She was right... He was hurting... But, he would be damned if he would allow her to fully see that pain...

[Guest]

"Sometimes the parents need to be consoled like the child" she said with wisdom beyond her years, everyone looked at her like she was stupid and pathetic, a clutzy hufflepuff but she was smarter then she looked. She knew more.

[Guest]

Taking her hands in his, Ted kissed them before placing them back where they were and patting them gently. "Right you are. How did you get so smart?" he said, a small chuckle on his words. Nymphadora was so much more then her appearance showed. She was smart and wise, like him. Sighing heavily, Ted focused on the ground in front of him. Shaking his head, he fought the tears that threatened to come at the thought of losing the one who had birthed him his wonderful daughter. Absent or not, Andromeda meant something to him, and her loss hurt.

[Guest]

She felt him tense and her hold on him only grew tighter she nuzzled the side of his face she rocked slightly and soothingly singing softly

[Guest]

His daughter's soothing voice singing the song that he sang to her all the time when she was a baby finally broke through his last defenses. Resting, his head against her arm as she held him tight, Ted's shoulders began to shake as he silently cried, allowing the pain he felt to finally escape. Tightening his hold on her hands, he was thankful to have her in his life.

[Guest]

She held him tighter with each passing second "i'm here daddy" she whispered "i'll always be here no matter what"

[Guest]

Nodding as he heard her tell him that she was always going to be there, he wondered when she got to be so strong. Ted wiped the tears that were running down his cheeks and said in a husky, broken tone, "I'm sorry she was never around for you, Nymph. I'm sorry she wasn't the mother you deserve to have..." He knew that Anita would make a great mother for Nymphadora, but it still bothered him that she hadn't had a mother through so much of her life. He tried to do his best to be both mother and father to her, but there were times, he was sure, that she would have rather had a mother.

[Guest]

"Shit happens" she said bluntly pulling her dad's face so he looked up at her "Shit happens daddy and thats okay. Andromeda didn't want me, she didnt want you and it hurts to acknowledge the truth but its there" she rubbed at his tears with her sleeve "i made my peace with her absence a long time ago, she never even showed up on my birthday never a letter at christmas. she plopped me out and handed me over thats that. Only good thing she ever did was give me to you. but you've been the best father a girl could ask for and thats all i need. All i need is you."

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