Tonks didn't show up all night and by the time I got back from Hogwarts in the morning there was no sign of her in the house either. Early in the morning, an envoy from the ministry arrived and told me that I should report to the ministry at 11 in the morning to receive Merlin's order.
I decided to take things easy, have a coffee for breakfast and with my new guitar try to test my new talent. After trying to play the same song for a while, I realized what an extraordinary ability I had.
I never knew how to play an instrument in the slightest in my life, but now, after a few times, I'm playing a song proficiently. Due to my [Learning] skill even without my [Essence of Bard], after several hours I could learn to play a song just like I do now, but it would still take time to learn another one separately. Now with my new talent, not only was I able to achieve it in less than half an hour, but I am also able to play several different ones without so many complications, not only did I learn to play that song, but I also learned to play my instrument...
A couple of hours after playing non-stop while moving around my house, with very 'artsy' movements, I made satisfactory progress. I'm not a professional, but it works for hanging out with friends. Seeing the time, I went to take a bath and change, I wore a light gray and dark gray formal tunic, it's not the one I like the most, but I don't have many either.
It was more than an hour before the agreed time, but I felt bored without my partner, so I decided to take the course.
When I came out of the Ministry fireplace I was surprised to find Tonks standing there dressed formally, although she was clearly uncomfortable with it. She was accompanied by two people, an older man and an older woman, they should be her parents.
"Tonks!" Get her attention.
When the trio heard me, she stopped and turned to me. The older couple was a little curious, while Tonks came running towards me and then grabbed my arm and dragged me towards her parents.
"Tenebrius, these are my parents, Edward and Andromeda Tonks" she introduces me with great emotion, it seems that she still hasn't calmed down since yesterday.
"Hello Tenebrius, nice to meet you, Nymphadora told us everything, your feat is admirable and how you fought for your right to be recognized", said Edward.
He was a blond man who seemed to be losing a bit of his hair, mostly on top; he was paunchy, but he doesn't get very fat, he had a face with a friendly expression and a big smile. When he shook my hand I could feel that he really admired what I did, although I don't think it's much, and Tonks may not have told them everything about how I made all this happen... because she doesn't even know .
"Yes, Nymphadora has told me a lot about you" Andromeda said, but her words were not one of respect to an admirable young man, but rather one that she used particularly to annoy her daughter, which from Tonks's expression worked.
She was a witch with a lovely body, she had nothing to spare or lacked, she also had a beautiful face with a calm expression. What really confused me was the color of her hair... as far as I knew, she would have medium-long brown hair, but in front of me she had hair short enough that it couldn't be called long. In addition, it was dark in color and had a large violet lock of hair that I couldn't stop looking at.
"I'm not a Metamorphmagus like my daughter, if that's what you think" she said while holding her colorful lock of hair after noticing my look "When Nymphadora was little and just learned to change, although she felt happy for being different from the others she also felt She felt a little lonely, so I decided to accompany her and change the color of this lock of my hair so that she would know that she was not alone and that she would always have me to accompany her"
"Tonks... you have a good mother" I told him getting a little emotional with the story.
"I know" she whispered to me, she didn't seem to want to admit it in front of her parents. Resuming her normal volume she said "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I wasn't coming back, I completely forgot about it" she apologized.
"Okay, I just missed you a little by not having you on my cam...augh" she moaned slightly after receiving an elbow in the ribs from Tonks realizing she was going to make a crude or risque joke.
"Not in the presence of my parents," Tonks chided me quietly as hhe gave me a stern look. It seems that as playful and joking as she is, there are some things she wouldn't say in front of her parents.
Our interaction did not go unnoticed, and while her mother gave us an amused look, her father seemed to lose all his earlier friendliness and put on a serious or displeased expression from that point on.
"So Tenebrius, Nymphadora told us that you would be given a first-class order of Merlin, a great honor for someone so young, your parents should be proud" Her father asked with the intention of getting some information about me, but the move went wrong.
"I don't know, they're dead" I commented naturally.
When he heard that he knew that he messed up, even more so when his wife kicked his leg quickly, still without taking off his original kind and smiling expression.
"I'm very sorry, if you want you can consider us as your parents, we have no problem accompanying you in this great moment... you could already say that you are like a son to me, for everything you do for my daughter" Andromeda said. She gave Tonks a thumbs up and winked at her, causing her to widen her eyes, not understanding why her mother was acting like this.
"Dromeda!" Edward exclaimed, but he received a stern look for a moment from his wife and quickly ducked his head. He felt regret for throwing out a question like that that triggered all of this now.
"Mom, Dad, how about we show them our offices?" Tonks said trying to get out of this situation that seemed very funny to me.
They accompanied us to where we work, Tonks took the time to tell her everything that happened here as if she were the guide of some tourist trip, although it was only a few days since we arrived.
At one point, Edward stopped to look at me with his serious look and said to his wife and daughter.
"You said there's a break room with snacks? Why don't you go and get some?"
"But wouldn't it be better…" Tonks tried to question, but her mother put her hand on her shoulder and dragged her towards the door.
"Come on, let them have a men's chat, while we have a women's chat" she said matter-of-factly as she led her away leaving us alone.
-In the cafeteria-
"Mom, why are you acting like that? You can't say that out of the blue" Tonks complained to his mother.
"Why not? I'd rather try to get a good first impression of my son-in-law," she shot his daughter a sly look.
"He's not your son-in-law! He's just a friend, you don't know him" she quickly denied it.
"Look... from what you told me, he... cooks your food, helps you at work, takes you out to dinner, made you get one of the highest honors, and you said you have a lot of fun, besides not having parents who judge you by your lineage... daughter for you, he is a treasure, if you lose him you will regret it. He is the one, and he is right in front of you"
"Mamaaa... how can you say that? Besides, it's not as good as you think, he has many secrets that you don't know..." I try to protest
"Does he already has a wife?" Asked while she was preparing a tea for her and a coffee for her husband.
"What does that matter?"
"Just answers" she said in an authoritative tone.
"Not that I know"
"An abuser, gambler, or position addict?"
"No"
"He likes men?"
"Of course not"
"How do you know that?"
"His look doesn't lie and when he transfigured a penis on me, he got very scared"
"And yet he didn't walk away from you...! If it were up to me, the wedding would already be planned to hold him, you don't want someone to steal him from you. Where would you find someone who puts up with stupid things like that and stays by your side? "
"Mom don't treat me like a problem"
"Look... I already feel like I want to be a grandmother and I want to carry a child in my arms, so I hope to be considerate of your old mother and not purposely spoil this just because of rebellion" she threatened "now try to show him a little good will and prepare something for him, at least you know what you can do for him"
-In the office-
We both looked at each other for a moment in silence, we decided that it would be better to have something to drink for whatever was going to happen, so I took two coffee glasses out of my inventory and offered him one. He looked at me for a moment and then agreed, we started to drink a little before he started the talk.
"My daughter is the most important thing to me" he began.
"I suppose"
"And I don't plan on letting any guy come along wanting to take advantage of her." He took a sip without breaking eye contact.
"Take advantage of her?" I asked skeptically.
"That's what you heard. She's my fragile little princess and I won't let someone like you come and hurt her"
"Princess? Fragile? Damaged? Are you sure we're talking about the same Tonks?" I said somewhat confused by the image they were presenting to me.
"Of course yes" affirm without hesitation.
"That 'fragile little princess', when drunk, appeared half-naked with a horse's dick between her legs. Big enough that even though she didn't do anything to me, I was scared to death"
"...oh...yeah..." he said slowly before rubbing the bridge of his nose as if having a bad memory.
"Wait, from the look on your face... has this happened before?" I asked very surprised
"Once when she was little we went to visit my parents, and she came running around naked screaming 'Look Dad, I'm a boy' with a misshapen penis on her legs and because she had no idea of the proportions, she probably dragged it all over the place floor. That visit to my parents was...shocking" he seemed to tell a very depressing and embarrassing anecdote.
"That's tough, Bro"
"Don't tell me bro! Even with her... quirks, I won't let him fall for your tricks"
"You're screwing up there again. Even if all I did was a trick, she's harder to crack than an iron rod. I do the cleaning, I help her with her work, I put up with her 'incidents,' she eats my food. ...and yet I haven't gained anything, she just takes advantage of everything I do and doesn't show the slightest sign of progress."
"Really?" he asked with a stupid smile on his face, pleased by his daughter's attitude.
At that moment, the two girls arrived, both ambassadors holding two cups each. When Edward and I saw them, we quickly dropped the coffee cups they used. Smiling Andromeda stood next to her husband and handed him one of her cups, Tonks, on the other hand, seemed completely listless with an uncomfortable expression on her face.
"Here" she offered me a cup, although she didn't seem to want to.
When I took a sip, I couldn't help but choke and cough non-stop, surprising those present who thought they had poisoned my drink.
"What's wrong with you? I thought you liked the coffee?" Tonks asked (daughter)
"Is this coffee?" I asked after looking at the cup that psychologically seemed to have a floating vapor skull.
Hearing that, her father smiled happily taking his cup, while her mother patted her forehead at the uselessness of her daughter to perform such a simple task. She didn't think she would be able to ruin a cup of coffee, had she known she would have made it for her. She would have to give him some classes later.
"It can't be that bad" Nymphadora affirmed, lighting a sip at her own rate and then spitting it all out like a spray on my clothes.
At this point Edward couldn't stop laughing and gave her daughter a thumbs up, while Andromeda seemed to want her head. Tonks's mom had to cast cleaning spells on me to clean up her daughter's mess.
"It's about time, why don't we go?" Andromeda said to then pull Tonks by the ear and drag her further while he angrily scolded her in whispers "What did I tell you about ruining it on purpose?"
"But I didn't want to…" she tried to explain.
...
While we were on our way, a ministry worker met us and guided us to the eighth floor, where there were already many people. In front of the large fountain, in the middle of the hall, a large stage had been placed without our noticing along with rows and rows of chairs.
There we parted ways with Tonks's parents, they have to wait here, but at least they have seats in the front row since they were the parents of one of the honorees at this ceremony. Tonks and I were taken further back from the stage, where there was a kind of room with curtains on the sides that functioned as walls.
Inside, we were received by ministry staff or others in charge of the ceremony. Muller was also there, with whom he spoke a little before they had to go on stage to say a few words after the ceremony began.
Headmaster Dumbledore also appeared here and stopped to say a few words to us before taking the stage.
"It seems that everyone is a little excited about this," said the headmaster when we heard applause from outside "Your parents are very proud of you Nymphadora and so am I, you are the clear representation of a Hufflepuff, hard work and loyalty, your greatest qualities" he smiled kindly and then focused on me "I think your parents would be too, too bad they can't know" he said, but what he really meant was 'All your achievements as Tenebrius are fake, why don't you leave these nonsense and try to find your own achievements without much trouble?' Which I strangely understood.
"The glory is not so important, the important thing is the lives I was able to save, it doesn't matter if nobody finds out, hehehe" I laughed falsely
"hehehe" he did the same.
Dumbledore was actually upset, I felt like I got away too easily. He couldn't take me back to Hogwarts, as Tenebrius' disappearance at this point could have several repercussions, so I wasn't too happy that he didn't suffer any consequences for my actions.
The director soon had to go on stage and after a couple of minutes it was our turn...