Tonks had Teddy cradled in her arms when Andromeda arrived. She took one look at her mother's face and began to cry harder. It had only been a few minutes, but already, her eyes burned. Teddy still slept soundly, somehow blissfully unaware of the horrors happening around him.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda hurried over to her, trying to wrap Tonks in a hug even as she held onto the baby. Tonks let herself be held for a moment before pulling away, shaking her head furiously.

"I have to go," she said. "Remus… I need to know. He can't fight alone."

"He's not alone," Andromeda said. "There will be countless others. I'm sure of that."

But despite her words, there was resignation on her face. She knew she couldn't stop her. Tonks felt momentarily awful. Her mum had already lost her husband to the war, and now Tonks was demanding to go too.

She looked down at Teddy. She wished he would open his eyes and look at her, but she didn't dare disturb his peaceful sleep. She placed a kiss to his forehead, laughing when his hair shifted from a soft blue to a bright pink. She handed him to Andromeda, who choked back a sob.

"Watch over him, Mum."

Andromeda nearly laughed. "Of course!" She fixed Tonks with a hard stare. "Nothing will harm him. I'll protect him with my life."

Tonks nodded, something warm settling deep in her stomach. They both knew that Andromeda wouldn't be the one risking her life that night, but Tonks knew that she was telling the truth. She would do everything she could to come back to her son, but if she didn't, he would be okay. Hopefully in a safer world too.

She hesitated, looking back at her mother. Part of her thought she should run back and hug her or promise she was coming back, but she couldn't bring herself to do either. Especially the latter, which would be a lie.

Taking a deep breath, she reached into the pot of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

It was a quick ride to Hogsmeade.