Nymphadora Tonks
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| Harry Potter character | |
 Natalia Tena as Tonks in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix set. |
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| Nymphadora Tonks | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Hair colour | Varies (usually bubble-gum pink, natural colour likely mousy brown) |
| Eye colour | Varies (usually a dark brown, natural colour likely the same) |
| Parentage | Half-blood |
| Allegiance | Order of the Phoenix |
| Actor | Natalia Tena |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
Nymphadora Tonks (born c. 1973) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, first appearing in Order of the Phoenix (2003).
Tonks, who despises her given name, prefers to use her surname alone. She is described as a vivacious young woman in her twenties, an Auror and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. As a Metamorphmagus, Tonks can alter her appearance at will. She makes extensive use of this skill, not only to disguise herself in the line of duty, but also for experimenting with her appearance, and even for the entertainment of her friends. But she is notoriously clumsy, and unskilled at household spells, like cooking, cleaning, and setting up place settings - tending to break dishes when trying to "help".
By heritage Tonks is a half-blood, the daughter of pure-blood witch Andromeda Tonks (née Black) and muggle-born Ted Tonks.
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[edit] Early life
A child at the time of the first war against Voldemort, Tonks was not yet a member of the original Order of the Phoenix. She was educated at Hogwarts, where she must have been a very good student to meet the standards required for her later profession as an Auror. She was not made a prefect, apparently due to her behaviour. She was a classmate of Charlie Weasley; they both entered Hogwarts in 1984. Her house affiliation is not stated.
Tonks graduated from Hogwarts in the summer of 1991 and began three years of Auror training. As a Metamorphmagus she easily passed her Concealment and Disguise exam effortlessly, but had difficulty with Stealth and Tracking, due to her clumsiness. Nevertheless, she qualified as an Auror in 1994, one year before her first appearance in the Order of the Phoenix.
Tonks is a born Metamorphmagus, which means that she is a shape-shifter who can change her appearance at will (she seems, however, limited to a human-like form). In Order of the Phoenix, Tonks explains that "Metamorphmagi are really rare, they're born, not made." So far, none of Tonks's relatives are known to be Metamorphmagi. Although her features can change, her natural appearance is that of a pale-skinned young woman with a heart-shaped face, dark eyes (courtesy of her Black family heritage), and possibly mousy brown hair. She first appeared in the fifth book with purple hair, tried several different colours as disguises, and then settled on bubble-gum pink.
[edit] Order of the Phoenix
Tonks is introduced early as a member of the Order in the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. At the time, she, and senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, were acting as covert spies for the Order, at the Ministry, which had turned in strong opposition against Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Officially they were assigned the Ministry task of tracking down and monitoring the activities of the Death Eaters, and searching for Sirius Black, who was a fugitive and refugee in his own house - the hidden Headquarters of the Order at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Indiscreet action at the Ministry would have cost Tonks and Shacklebolt their positions, due to the prevailing anti-Dumbledore policy, but they were able to supply intelligence to the Order as to what was going on.
Tonks took part in escorting Harry, first from the Dursley family house to the Order headquarters, and then on to the Hogwarts Express train at the King's Cross railway station for school.
Tonks later fought the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries together with Alastor Moody, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt. She was injured by her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange (who also kills Sirius Black), and despite Moody's ministrations had to be taken to St. Mungo's hospital. She was fully healed and released, and a short time later got together with Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin and some of the Weasleys to confront Vernon Dursley about Harry's treatment at Number Four Privet Drive.
[edit] Half-Blood Prince
During Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Tonks was stationed at Hogsmeade and assigned to guard Hogwarts. Harry observed her behaving uncharacteristically: she was constantly depressed, rarely smiling or being friendly as she had previously been. Her hair had reverted to a mousy brown, apparently its natural colour -- although it may also have been a mimicry of Remus Lupin's "light brown" hair that she had become unable to change back -- suggesting that her abilities as a Metamorphmagus had been disturbed, and her Patronus changed some time after the battle from its original form to a large, hairy, four-legged creature. Such changes were held to be evidence of extreme shock or strong emotions. Harry and his friends assumed that her evident depression was due to the death of her first cousin once removed Sirius Black; she may have felt responsible for Sirius's death, as she had duelled with Bellatrix Lestrange first, but had been incapacitated by her, thus leaving Bellatrix free to murder Sirius. Harry even speculated that Tonks might have been in love with Sirius, since her Patronus resembled Sirius' Animagus form. Some speculation was also made at this time by the Weasley children (particularly Ginny) that their mother was trying to match Tonks up with their brother Bill, who is engaged to Fleur Delacour, because Molly Weasley kept inviting Tonks around for dinner; rather, Tonks appears to have been consulting Molly for comfort and advice. However, after Albus Dumbledore's death, it was revealed that Tonks was in fact pining for Remus Lupin, and that her Patronus may have been in the shape of a werewolf instead. Lupin insisted that he was "too old . . . too poor . . .[and] too dangerous" for her. Nevertheless, after Dumbledore's funeral, Tonks and Remus were seen holding hands, and her hair was once again pink, meaning that her depression had passed, and that they were entering a relationship at last.
[edit] Name
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 Night's Dream sees traditional English elves like Robin Goodfellow alongside Greek nymphs as servants of Diana (Titania). If the "gift of the nymphs" is read "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".
'Nymph' is also the name of the immature stage of a dragonfly or damselfly before it moults, metamorphosing into a winged adult.
[edit] Family and relationships
Tonks is the daughter of a pure-blood witch, Andromeda Black (who was born into the old Black family) and muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks. The Black Family greatly valued blood purity and therefore disowned Andromeda for marrying Ted. For this reason, Andromeda is considered a blood traitor by the old wizarding families. Neither of Tonks' parents have made direct appearances in the novels or films so far, other than mentionings in passing. Almost nothing is known about their personalities, though they are evidently alive. Tonks describes them in the present tense in Order of the Phoenix. She describes her mother Andromeda as having had a talent for cleanliness, but Ted was "a right old slob." Andromeda is also responsible for naming their child Nymphadora, a name the latter utterly detests.
Andromeda was Sirius Black's cousin, making Tonks and Sirius to be first cousins, once removed. In Order of the Phoenix, Sirius described Andromeda as his favourite cousin. Tonks never had much of a chance to get to know Sirius, as he was imprisoned for most of her life, and died a year or so after she finally got acquainted with him. Andromeda's sisters, Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, are Tonks's aunts. Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange are her uncles by marriage. Draco Malfoy is her first cousin, though neither she nor Draco acknowledge this; in Half-Blood Prince Tonks dispassionately refers to Draco as "the Malfoy boy."
Tonks gets along well with Harry, Hermione and Ginny. Tonks usually acts as an older sister for Ginny, the youngest child and only girl in a family with seven children, and also to Hermione, who is an only child. During Ron and Hermione's party in celebration of their being made prefects, Tonk's hair was turned "tomato-red and waist-length" - looking for the moment like a Weasley herself, "like Ginny's older sister".
In Half-Blood Prince, Tonks revealed that she is in love with Remus Lupin, but has been frustrated and depressed by his refusal to pursue the romance, explaining her personality and appearance change. Lupin seems to have changed his mind by the end of the book, and Tonks' personality and appearance went back to "normal" - that is, her usual style. [HP6]
[edit] Film actor
Tonks will be played by actress Natalia Tena in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is scheduled for release July 13, 2007 in the UK, US, and Canada. [1]
