Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, first appearing in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003).

Related Topics:
Fictional character - J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 2003

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She is an Auror who is especially gifted in the art of disguise as she is a Metamorphmagus. She prefers to be addressed as Tonks and despises her first name.

Related Topics:
Auror - Metamorphmagus

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She is especially friendly with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley. Many fans have concluded that her role in the series is partially to act as Ginny's bigger sister, given the fact that Ginny is the only girl in a family of seven children. She enjoys conjuring up unusual disguises in the Muggle world though her other skills as an Auror aren't as exceptional. Tonks is also quite clumsy. She's usually accompanied by Alastor Moody.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter - Hermione Granger - Ginny Weasley - Muggle - Alastor Moody

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Nymphadora Tonks is the daughter of Ted Tonks and Andromeda Black, the first cousin once removed of Sirius Black, and the niece of Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), and Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black). She is also cousin to Draco Malfoy, the son of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.

Related Topics:
Ted Tonks - Andromeda Black - First cousin once removed - Sirius Black - Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) - Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) - Draco Malfoy - Lucius Malfoy

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During the final scenes of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Tonks accompanies Alastor Moody, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Kingsley Shacklebolt in fighting the Death Eaters though she is injured in the process and falls unconscious. Moody tries to revive her but she remains unconscious and is taken to St. Mungo's Hospital after the fight with Lord Voldemort. She then returns in the final pages of the book along with Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin and some of the Weasleys to confront Vernon Dursley about Harry's treatment at Number Four Privet Drive.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Alastor Moody - Sirius Black - Remus Lupin - Kingsley Shacklebolt - Death Eater - St. Mungo's Hospital - Lord Voldemort - Vernon Dursley - Number Four Privet Drive

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During Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Tonks was stationed at Hogsmeade and assigned to guard Hogwarts. Harry observes her behaving uncharacteristically: she seems constantly depressed, rarely smiling or friendly. It is implied that this is due to her cousin, Sirius Black's death, and Harry even speculates that she might feel guilt for his death, or perhaps even have been in love with him. However, after Albus Dumbledore's death, we learn the reason behind her strange behaviour throughout: Remus Lupin refuses her love for him. The reason for this is because Lupin believes she deserves a man who is younger and "whole". (Most likely he means someone who isn't a werewolf.) However, they are seen together holding hands at Dumbledore's funeral in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; her hair is also once again pink, indicating that she is no longer depressed. Her Patronus has also recently changed in Half Blood Prince. We do not know what it was before, but it is now large, hairy, and four legged, which could be a werewolf, signifying her deep feelings for Remus Lupin, who is a werewolf. Alternately, it could be a large dog, which was Sirius Black's form as an animagus.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Hogsmeade - Sirius Black - Albus Dumbledore - Remus Lupin - Animagus

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Nymphadora literally means, "Gift of the Nymphs." Nymphs are guardian spirits in Greek mythology who rule trees, sacred groves, streams and the ocean. During the Renaissance, northern Europeans equated the classical nymphs with their own legends of elves. Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream sees traditional English elves like Robin Goodfellow alongside Greek nymphs as servants of Diana (Titania). If we therefore read "gift of the nymphs" as "gift of the elves," this echoes the ancient myth of babies stolen by elves and replaced by hideous monsters called changelings. The metamorphic Tonks could be described as a "Changeling." It would also explain why you must be born a metamorph.

Related Topics:
Nymphs - Grove - Renaissance - Elves - Shakespeare - A Midsummer Nights Dream - Robin Goodfellow - Greek - Diana - Titania - Changeling

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