𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 | n. tonks

xl

19 YEARS LATER

King's Cross Station was packed with Muggles when Tonks and Hadley arrived on the 1st of September to see their children off to school. Their son, Teddy, was starting his 3rd year at Hogwarts, and their daughter, Freya, who was every inch Hadley's mini-me, would be starting her first year.

"Race you onto the platform, Reya!" Teddy grinned at his little sister over his shoulder before pushing his trolley forward and running through the barrier, his blue hair disappearing as he vanished to Platform 9 ¾, Tonks following behind him.

Freya stopped a few feet away from the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Hadley walked up behind her and placed a hand on the handle of her trolley.

"Together?" Hadley asked. Freya nodded, and she took a deep breath before running through the barrier with her mum.

Teddy was a few feet in front of them talking to George, most likely discussing pranks and the trouble he could get himself into this year. When he spotted them, he stuck his tongue out playfully at Freya and mouthed 'Loser' with a wink.

"Don't listen to him." Hadley rubbed her daughter's back. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you. My brothers and I used to do that all the time when we were younger." She kneeled down so that she was closer to her height. "If you really want to get under his skin, call him Edward in front of his friends. He'll hate that."

"He'd kill me." Freya giggled, mischief in her ocean eyes as she looked at her older brother, a plan forming in her mind. "But I do like playing with fire."

Hadley chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yeah." Freya nodded. She bit her lip nervously as she looked at the train. She reached out and grabbed Hadley's hand when she stood up to walk over to Teddy. "Mummy?"

"Yeah?" Hadley turned back around.

Freya swallowed. She glanced around the crowded platform before leaning closer to her mum and lowering her voice to a quiet whisper. "What if I am put in Slytherin? Teddy's been teasing me all summer."

Hadley smiled softly and kneeled down again. "Want to know something?" she asked, brushing a strand of red hair out of her daughter's face. "The Sorting Hat almost put me in Slytherin. I've never told anyone that before. Not even your mum."

"Really?" Freya looked at Hadley with disbelief. "But you're so nice!"

"Freya Andromeda Tonks...not all Slytherins are evil," Hadley reassured her. "Your grandma represents all the best qualities of a Slytherin. She risked so much to be with the man that she loved. She didn't care that she was pureblood and he was Muggle-born. She is one of the bravest women I've ever known."

Freya smiled a little at this. "Grammy is pretty awesome. She always lets me have two desserts whenever it's just me and her, and she said that she only lets Teddy have one."

"Remember this, Reya...It doesn't matter which house you make. What matters is how you choose to use your powers. Your house does not define you in any way." Hadley gently rubbed her arm. "But, if you do make Gryffindor...promise me you'll say hi to your Uncle Fred's portrait for me."

"I promise, Mummy." Freya wrapped her pinky around Hadley's as the train whistle blew.

"C'mon, Freya!" Teddy called out to her from the window of one of the carriages. "Hurry up and get on before our cousins can fill up the compartment!"

"See you at Christmas." Hadley gave Freya a hug goodbye.

"Don't let your brother get away with picking on you too much," George said, ruffling his niece's hair. "Hit him back. It's more fun that way."

"George! Don't encourage her to be violent!" Tonks scolded her brother-in-law. She hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead. "Have a good term. Don't do anything your mum would do, like play with fire." Tonks sent Hadley a look, and the redhead smiled innocently. Freya giggled.

The train whistle blew again, and Teddy once again shouted for his sister to hurry up. Freya gave her parents one last hug goodbye before running off to board the train. She sat down in the compartment where Teddy was sitting with a couple of their cousins. Tonks put an arm around Hadley's waist. Hadley leaned her head onto her shoulder, and they watched as the train pulled out of the station.

Hadley reached for Tonks's hand, like she had so many times during the great war, only this time, it wasn't out of fear or worry that they'd never see each other again. It was a promise. A promise that she would always be hers. They fought and survived so that their kids could have a safe, bright future.

There was no fear. There were no threats. The wizarding world was at peace.

"Last one to the car pays for dinner?" Tonks asked, grinning mischievously as she looked at her wife.

A competitive glint flashed in Hadley's eyes. "Oh, you're on, Nymphadora."

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" Tonks gasped, running after Hadley when she took off.

"But it's such a pretty name!" Hadley shouted over her shoulder, squealing when Tonks picked her up and spun her around.

"You're lucky I love you, Hadley Tonks."

"With this face, how could you not?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, chuckling as she pulled her wife in for a kiss.

─── ⋆·✧·⋆ ───

a/n

that's officially the end of the great war !! i had so much fun writing this story, and i want to thank all of you for reading, voting, and commenting. it was super motivating and encouraged me to update more :)

if you haven't already, make sure to follow me so you don't miss out on future stories! i currently have two other ongoing harry potter fics posted, so make sure to check those out! i have a luna story and i just posted a hermione story earlier this morning (the first chapter of that one will be posted sometime tomorrow !!)

any final thoughts?

thank you again for reading!!