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Title: With Distinction
Author:
the_portkey (Portkey)
Rating: G
Warnings:
Prompt: 62. The natural superiority of women is a biological fact, and a socially acknowledged reality.--Ashley Montagu
Summary: Tonks takes the final test to become an Auror.
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With Distinction
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When she’d started at Hogwarts as a wee girl of eleven years, Tonks had given no thought to what she wanted to be when she grew up. Up to that point her life had been a happy if somewhat isolated experience, loved to the point of spoiling by her watchful mum and doting father. It had been as carefree a childhood as anyone ever had, especially considering that it coincided with You-Know-Who’s first rise and a war had been going on through most of it.
But after arriving at school, Tonks’ perception of the world had changed significantly. Until she’d been thrust into the company of hundreds of other children, she had not fully realised the uniqueness of her abilities -- or just how much those abilities would unnerve her new classmates.
It wasn’t that she’d been unpopular, exactly. In fact for a while she had been all the rage. Not because the girls wanted her friendship or the boys fancied her; it was because the ability to change her hair to any shade and features to any shape was a parlor trick to beat the band. Tonks had been cast as the unwitting school clown, invited to house parties and included in study groups mainly because of her ‘talent’ for providing an odd kind of entertainment.
It had taken an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that it would always be easier for others to laugh at her than to feel at ease with what she really was. Eventually Tonks drifted away from those sorts of ‘friends’ and for a while tried to make up for the loss of attention by being a troublemaker. Such behaviour only earned her detentions and bad marks, consequences she ultimately came to see as folly.
The desire to become an Auror overtook her toward the end of her fourth year. The elite Dark Wizard catchers were in the news more and more and Tonks had become fascinated by their mystique, not to mention the awe they inspired and the respect they commanded. The thought of being one of them -- being mysterious, saving the day, wearing one of those wicked black cloaks -- became an obsession.
Her parents had always told her that being a Metamorphmagus was a rare gift to be used wisely and as she slowly came to terms with her place in the world, Tonks chose to transform herself from clownish rebel into a determined young woman. It was up to her to make something of herself; no one was going to do it for her.
She’d spent most of the summer after fourth year in her room, relentlessly practicing what she’d learned in Charms and Transfiguration. Then after working hard all through fifth year, her O.W.L.s came back with nothing but ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Exceeds Expectations’ marks. As for the N.E.W.T.s, Auror candidate school required Es in a minimum of five subjects; Tonks had walked in the door with four plus three Os.
Since that day she had worked her way through the rigorous aptitude tests and screening process of candidate school, although Tonks still believed she had been subjected to more psychological evaluations than the other hopefuls.
The caution wasn’t just because she was young or the only woman in the program at the time. A routine background check naturally revealed a notorious family that included several Death Eaters, a deranged Muggle-killer in Azkaban, and countless supporters of You-Know-Who. It didn’t surprise her nor did it discourage her; she’d maintained excellent marks for attitude as well as for the results on all three year-end exams.
Now there was only one left -- the final practical application test. Today was it. All her hard work had been leading to this moment. This was the day she hoped to step into her future, the day she would formally distinguish herself through effort, accomplishment, and commitment -- and not simply by the rare gift with which she had been born.
Tonks sat on the bench in the locker room of the Auror training center, waiting for the final test to begin and willing away the jitters threatening the margin of control she had over her clumsiness. It was important to stay calm, loose, and as comfortable as possible.
The black body stocking she’d pulled on a few minutes ago helped; it fit so perfectly it was like wearing nothing at all, except that it firmed up and flattened down in all the necessary places. The sleek, compact feel of her body allowed Tonks the illusion of grace. But it would be the truth if she believed it.
For the hundredth time she ran her hands through her short dark hair, reminding herself to breathe. I can do this.
A bell clanged loudly above the exam entrance, sending a jolt through her. It was time. Blood suddenly thinned by adrenaline, Tonks rose from the bench and moved to the door as it opened. With her wand drawn and a mental reminder not to trip on her own feet, she stepped inside the first chamber.
The room was small and dark, completely bare save for a mannequin in the center. A single light shone down from the ceiling, illuminating the suit of flexible body armour that she was to wear for the rest of the test. Tonks tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. The sight of the armour made the danger real; if she failed this first hurdle -- properly casting the spell to seal the suit upon her body -- it would not only mean failure, it could mean serious injury or death.
Piece by piece, she removed the slinky-soft armour from the mannequin and slipped it on. Now covered from the neck down, she closed her eyes in concentration and with a sweep of her wand spoke the incantation. A curtain of sparkling blue mist appeared before her and as Tonks stepped through it she felt the mesh fabric collapse vacuum-tight, sealing itself against her flesh like a second skin. Certain she’d done it properly, her confidence grew and she proceeded through the next door.
What Tonks encountered after that was a string of rapid-fire scenarios. There was no script, no way to guess what might come next. The entire test was designed to cause fear, uncertainty, disorientation, and fatigue. Danger appeared in many strengths and forms, forcing the candidate to draw quickly upon their instinct.
That was the single most important quality of an Auror -- the ability to respond with the right instinct at the right moment -- and Tonks split her mental energy between trying to divine what she was being tested on and then following through with the appropriate action. Sometimes she had that much time to think, sometimes not.
As she moved through the test, the rooms were magically enhanced to create situations in which the danger was readily apparent, while in others it took time to develop. She encountered a boggart, engaged and repelled three Dementors at once, and was presented with the challenge of tracking and subduing a transformed werewolf. She had to recognise the symptoms of belladonna alkaloid poisoning and recite the precise antidote.
The most difficult and frightening part had come when she, along with her nameless conjured companions, walked into an ambush in a forest. Jinxes and curses flew from every direction and the battle was intense. The air was thick with smoke from burn marks on the trees and the simulated darkness was filled with flashes of wandlight and screams of pain. Tonks was hit squarely in the chest by a hex and although it had knocked the wind out of her, she dove into a ditch and continued to fire at her opponents until the forest was finally silent.
After that the lights came on and the bell clanged again. It was over. The forest vanished and a door appeared at the end of the room. She picked herself up and stumbled tiredly through it, finding herself back in the locker room once more.
Tonks released the spell on the armour and removed it, then peeled the sweat-soaked body stocking from her skin. Checking her watch with a trembling hand, she was stunned to realise that more than eight hours had passed.
Making her way to the showers, she stood beneath the soothing hot water and mentally evaluated her performance. She’d made a few mistakes -- there was no doubt about it. She’d tripped spectacularly while trying to steal up on that suspicious witch in Knockturn Alley and struggled too long when asked to identify the polyjuiced suspect in the lineup. Plus she’d been caught by that hex at the end, an error that was sure to cost her points.
However, she was confident she’d done a load of things right too. She’d easily nailed the concealment and disguise requirements and most if not all of the Dark Arts components. While stealth wasn’t her strong suit, she’d managed the tracking bits just fine. In fact, she couldn’t have been luckier, really -- Tonks didn’t find werewolves particularly unnerving so she’d been able to concentrate more on her technique than controlling her fear. Every little bit helped.
She turned off the water and grabbed a towel, working to get herself dry before her muscles could seize up. Tonks wandered back to the bench and sank down upon it, closing her eyes and absently massaging the dampness from her hair. All she wanted now was to get home, get in her pyjamas, have a drink, and pray for good news.
Lost in thought, it took a few moments before the fluttering sound registered. When she finally opened her eyes again her gaze fell upon an oversized envelope that hovered in the air before her. It bore the official Ministry of Magic seal and her name was printed upon it in dramatic letters of gold ink.
The results were back already? Tonks set the towel aside and reached for the envelope, her blood suddenly thinned by adrenaline again. This was either a very good thing or a very bad thing.
She hesitated just long enough to run the tip of her finger over the embossed seal before quickly turning the letter over and tearing it open. She pulled out the card and her eyes flew across the enclosure.
The Ministry of Magic
Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Unit
We are pleased to announce that
Nymphadora Tonks
has on this day, 20 June 1994, been granted the title of
Junior Auror
having met all requirements for the position with distinction.
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