Nymphadora Tonks: Unseen Hero

Once upon a time there lived Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, who were proud to say that they were perfectly normal thank you very much.

We all know how the rest of the story goes. We learn of the Dursley's nephew, Harry Potter, who has the impossible task of defeating the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Voldemort. With him, we learn of friendship, of courage, of nobility, of love, and a million other things. And in the end, we cry tears of joy at the victory of the boy who had grown to be our best friend.

But what we often forget is that Harry Potter was one of millions impacted by the Second Wizarding War. Each of them has their own different view of what happened. And in their stories, Harry Potter isn't the main character. They are.

Take, for instance, the young, lovely, Nymphadora Tonks, who faced trials unimaginable. We see her as Harry sees her, a fun and spunky metamorphagus who marries Remus Lupin and has a noble and heroic ending to her story.

But that's not how she sees herself.

Nymphadora sees a young woman who faced childhood heartbreak. Someone who was loyal and hardworking beyond imagination. Who chose the hard course of joining the Order of the Phoenix. Who went on countless heroic yet little known missions to fight against Voldemort. Who suffered through incredible sadness and simultaneously unrequited and incredible love. Who, in the end, found her own happy ending, even though so many would cry upon hearing her story.

This is the story of Nymphadora Tonks.