IF YOU LIVE TO BE A HUNDRED

A/N: Written for the "Masterchef" competition on HPFC, round 1 (surprise basket). I was given the character of Andromeda and the prompts:

- "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I would never have to live without you." – A.A. Milne

- garden

- "Time goes by a lot slower when you miss the one you love."

You are still so tiny, you don't even actually exist. You are about the size of a pea now and I have only just found out about you today. You amaze me, are you really there? Will you really be here in a couple of months? Your dad is exited too.

-o0o-

You are quite active. You like to kick me, especially when I just want to lie down. That is not very nice of you, you know? But it is proof you are there so I don't really mind. I love you and I cannot wait to meet you. I wonder what you will be like. Will you look like your dad? Or like me?

-o0o-

You are making things hard for me, causing me all this pain. I just want you to go away. But not really. I just want to meet you, you see? And there you are, at last. You are perfect and I love you instantly. You have got ten fingers and ten toes and a cute little nose. You are just the most amazing thing I have ever seen. If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I would never have to live without you. You have brownish hair, like me, but you look also like your dad. After an hour, your hair is purple. I have never seen this before and I am afraid something is wrong with you. But they tell me you are a Metamorphmagus and that there are very few like you. It makes you even more special and I love you even more because of it.

-o0o-

You never cease to amaze me. You play and laugh and run around and everybody who sees you likes you. Of course they like you, you are very cute and loveable. Your favourite hair colour is pink. I hope that will change eventually. They call you clumsy sometimes, but I do not mind. You are just like your dad. You play hide and seek with your friends in the garden, but they think you cheat because they can never find you. I know you probably just made yourself blend in with the environment. You want to go out of the garden, but I will not let you, because I am afraid someone will hurt you. I am afraid someone will take you away, because there is a war out there. I believe that inside the garden, you are safe.

-o0o-

You are growing up so fast! You have got your letter from Hogwarts and I am so proud of you. You are all excited and I know you will do well. I do not want to let you go. I love it when you are around but I know you must do this. You must grow up but I wish you could always be small. Your favourite hair colour is still pink. I have grown to like it and I do not want you to change it anymore. You are in Hufflepuff and I know you will make great friends there. I miss you.

-o0o-

You are changing quickly. You are turning into a young woman. I do not understand. Little girls are not supposed to just change into women overnight. You do not like the name I gave you anymore, so you tell everyone to call you just by your dad's name. It makes me sad that you don't like it. Your favourite subject is Transfiguration, probably because it matches who you are. It was once my favourite subject too. You do not abide by the rules. You are so like your father. You have a boyfriend and your hair is now either red, like his – which I like – or purple and black, because he likes that – but I don't. I know you will not marry him. You are both free beings and no matter how hard you try, you will never be a dragon.

-o0o-

You are graduating and I cannot tell how proud I am of you. You want to become an Auror, which scares me. I wish I could still keep you safe in the garden, because the world is once again a dangerous place. But the time that I could do that has long since gone. You work at the Ministry and I should be proud of you, but every time you go out on a mission, I am afraid I will not see you again. Your hair is pink again, flashing at the world that you don't care and that they just have to take you for who you are.

-o0o-

You are in love but he does not love you. Secretly I am glad, because I think him too old. Your hair colour is brown, so for once you look like me. It does not suit you though, because of the sad face that comes with it.

-o0o-

Your hair colour is pink again, so I know you must be happy. I lost because I loved, and I do not want that to happen to you too, so I accept. You were right, of course you were right. You always follow your own instincts and they never fail.

-o0o-

You are getting married and I have to cry. How you wished it could be a big fancy wedding, but the world is not a nice place for the likes of you two at the moment, so it will have to be small. You wear the dress I wore at my wedding, it fits you perfectly. You refuse to have your hair any colour other than pink. You walk the aisle with your father and you look so much like him that my heart swells with love for the both of you.

-o0o-

You are so happy! You tell me you are going to be a mum too. I know that you will come to me with questions and I wonder what kind of mum you will be. I am sure you will do fine, even if you have doubts. It's okay, I had doubts too. Your hair is bubbly pink and people joke you must be having a girl, but I am not so sure.

-o0o-

Your dad is gone and you are comforting me. He may not come back but you tell me to have faith. I have faith, but faith won't have it. Your dad dies and I cry until I there are no tears left to cry. They say time goes by slower without the one you love. I feel it has stopped altogether. I scream and I rage, but you know how to soothe me. Is it because you are going to be mum too that you know how to act like one? I feel like the roles have been reversed. I look at you and you look so much like your father that it hurts.

-o0o-

You give birth to a beautiful baby boy and he looks so much like you. Within the hour, his hair changes into blue, contrasting your own vibrant pink, and I know he will be just as special as you. I feel alone. You don't need me anymore the way you used to. You have your own family now. I wish your dad could be here.

-o0o-

You should stay at home, but you won't. There is a battle and you feel you have to go. You are so much like your dad it hurts. I know I cannot stop you, but it is with fear that I let you go. I hold on tight to your baby boy, who looks so much like you, and I pray with all my heart that you will come home safely.

-o0o-

You are dead. They told me you fought brave but that my sister killed you. Your hair will forever be pink. I cannot believe it. How can you be dead when you are live? If people were asked to pick a lively being, they would always pick you. So how can you be dead, my rainbow warrior? They say time goes by slower without the one you love, but I feel it has stopped altogether once again. I cry because you are gone and I will never see you again, but this time, there is no one here to soothe me. I do not understand why you are killed.

You are so much like your father that it hurts.

A/N: So okay, this is actually more about Tonks than it is about Andromeda, but it's all from Andromeda's POV and the prompts just fitted in so nicely that I've used all three of them. Let me know what you think!