starfishstar

SAYING YES chapter 15

Summary: At 17, Andromeda Black thought being in love was everything. At 57, Andromeda Tonks knew better. Yet the first time Kingsley Shacklebolt asked her out, she surprised herself by saying yes.

Characters: Andromeda Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Teddy Lupin and ensemble (Harry! Ginny! Molly! Kingsley's kids! All the Potters and Weasleys!)

Warnings: None

Chapters: 15

Story:

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The morning of her second marriage, Andromeda stopped first at the cemetery. She'd told no one else where she was going, only Kingsley, who'd given her a kiss on the forehead and an understanding smile.

For a while she just stood and gazed silently Ted's gravestone. She didn't come here often. Ted lived on in her memory and in the home they'd shared, not here. She'd always felt silly talking out loud to a chunk of stone, but today she felt she had to try.

"My love," she started, then stilled the tremor in her voice and began again. "My love, I owe you so much. You made me the person I am. And I'm grateful to you every day for Dora, and for Teddy.

"It seems strange to stand here and tell you I'm ready to move on, especially since if I’m honest, I know I already have. It took me a long time to understand that that's exactly how you would have wanted it.

"I still wish you were here, if only so you could see that I'm happy again. I didn't think I would ever be able to say that, but I truly am.

"You've never really left me, Ted. I carry you with me every day."

She gazed a while longer at the simple grey stone: Edward Tonks, beloved husband and father, dear friend.

"I love you," she said. "You know I always will."

When Andromeda arrived back at the Burrow, Teddy dashed out the front door to meet her. He looked unbearably sweet in his dress robes and Andromeda had to swallow against a sudden lump in her throat.

"There you are, Gran!" he exclaimed, as if she'd been gone for days and not half an hour. "We've been waiting for you!"

"I'm here, Teddy," Andromeda said with a smile. He grabbed her hand, fairly dragging her inside the house and to the living room, where Molly shooed him back out again and began fussing over Andromeda's hair. Ginny and Hermione popped in almost immediately, presumably alerted by Teddy, to help Andromeda into her dress.

"Thank you, girls," Andromeda said, though of course they were far from girls now. Ginny smiled and gave Andromeda a hug, then Hermione shyly did the same.

Molly swooped in again to give Andromeda's hairpins a last check, then she stepped back, cast a critical gaze over Andromeda from head to toe and gave a decisive nod.

"You're ready," Molly pronounced.

"Nervous?" Ginny asked.

Andromeda shook her head. "Should I be?"

Ginny grinned. "Not at all. In fact, I think half the women out there are jealous of you."

"Has everyone arrived?" Andromeda asked. "I'd like to take a look outside, if that’s possible."

"Pop into the kitchen and look from the window there," Molly suggested. "But don't let anyone see you! I'll send Teddy to fetch you when everything's ready outside."

Andromeda smiled and squeezed her friend's hand, then went to the kitchen, moving carefully in the unfamiliar dress, to peer out the window to the garden.

It was a sunny day, perfect for a garden wedding, and large though the lawn behind the Burrow was, it looked full to bursting.

Andromeda had aimed for a small wedding, but of course that hadn't worked out at all. Eloping was indeed much easier in that regard, it turned out.

Many of their Wizengamot colleagues were there, as well as anyone who had worked closely with Kingsley during his ten years as Minister, along with every living member of the Order of the Phoenix. Then there was the not inconsiderable Weasley clan, and of course Harry and his family, and a number of Teddy's friends, and Alastor and Emmeline's friends.

Even Narcissa had come – Andromeda spotted her pale hair in one of the rows of chairs near the back. It seemed Andromeda was the only one who hadn't been surprised in the least when Narcissa wrote accepting the invitation. How could Narcissa pass up the opportunity to be seen at the wedding of a former Minister for Magic?

No, perhaps Andromeda was being uncharitable. Perhaps, too, there was space alongside Narcissa's self-centredness and pride for the realisation that they were the only two left of their family and that counted for something after all.

The irony of it all, of course, was that here, decades late, Andromeda was entering into just the sort of respectable, pure-blood marriage her parents had wanted for her. Smiling to herself, she thought, Well, I suppose I'll just have to live with that.

At a noise behind her, Andromeda turned to see Teddy in the kitchen doorway.

"Gran," he said. "Ready? Everything's all set."

"I'm ready," she said and slipped her arm through Teddy's. "Everyone's seated? Molly and the girls?"

"All outside already," Teddy nodded. He looked excited, and so young.

Andromeda leaned in and kissed his cheek. "It means so much that you're here for me today, Teddy."

Teddy visibly suppressed an eye roll. "Right, Gran, because where else would I be today?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah," he said, suddenly bashful. "I'm – I'm really happy for you, Gran. Kingsley's cool, you know?"

"I know," she said and couldn't help smiling. "Ready?"

Teddy nodded and reached out to open the door to the garden. Andromeda cast another look over her friends, family and colleagues, then turned her attention to the man standing under a bower of leaves Arthur had constructed at the bottom of the garden. Kingsley looked uncharacteristically nervous, but quite characteristically handsome.

Teddy shifted his arm against Andromeda's, poised for the walk down into the garden. "Are you ready, Gran?" he asked.

Andromeda turned to look at Teddy, then faced again toward the garden and Kingsley. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I am."

– – – – –

THE END

– – – – –

A last note:

If you've enjoyed reading about Andromeda here...

First of all, I'll shamelessly mention her appearances in my own stories! Andromeda is a main character in:

• "A New World Bursting into Bloom" (the story of Andromeda and Ted's early romance)
• "Never Too Late to Say Thank You" (Dean Thomas visits her after the war)
• "Forget this Tapestry" (Andromeda visits Sirius in the old House of Black)
• "If You've Got a Lantern Hold It High" (after the war, two strangers show up on Andromeda's doorstep)
• "Already There" (Remus and Andromeda have a conversation)
• "Can't Return, We Can Only Look" (Andromeda and Ted, reflecting on Tonks and Remus)
• "Two Sisters Take Tea" (a visit from Narcissa)

and she also appears in:

• "Festivals of Light"
• "Waiting for the Snow"
• "Ginny, Harry, Teddy, Family"
• "Like a Cat in the Sun"
• "Go On, Try"
• "Chambers"

and I even wrote Andromeda an AU!

• "Shelter at Your Door"

Or, for all my Andromeda stories easily accessible in one place: here.

More importantly, though, I'd also like to recommend other authors who have done wonderful things with this character. Stories about Andromeda:

Rosemaryandrue's "Rising Storm" stories (specifically, the "Winter of Discontent" series) influenced my ideas about a younger Andromeda and Ted, during the first war.

Chapter 32 of "Cartographer's Craft" by Sam Starbuck features a wonderful portrayal of Andromeda and Ted, when Tonks brings Remus home to dinner for the first time. Because Sam is masterful at everything he does, this too is fantastic. Includes one of my favorite lines: "The fact that Tonks was not only cheerful but also well-adjusted and non-conformist while at the same time working in law-enforcement was really much less shocking, after you met her parents."

"The Hardest Part" by such-heights – a young Andromeda on the cusp of making a decision between her family and Ted.

"Dangerous Jobs for Girls" by lazy_neutrino – Andromeda, Luna and Astoria Malfoy end up running the Quibbler together. Sounds bizarre, is lovely!

And some stories about Teddy:

"September when it comes" by sundancekid – a lovely portrait of Teddy over the years.

"Teddy Lupin and the Forest Guard" (and sequels) by Fernwithy – delightful world-building for the next generation and Teddy's adventures at Hogwarts.