Saying Yes, chapter 5
Jun. 1st, 2013 05:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starfishstarSAYING YES chapter 5
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 FIVE
Something seemed off with Teddy from the moment he stepped off the train for the summer holidays, but Andromeda didn't find out what it was until late that evening. He'd said he was going up to bed, but kept stalling, finding items he'd forgotten in the kitchen or the sitting room.
Andromeda was tidying the kitchen when Teddy's nervous perambulations finally brought him to a halt in the doorway.
"Gran –" he began, then looked as if he were about to leave again.
"Yes, Teddy?"
The question finally burst out. "Is it true you and Mr Shacklebolt have been secretly dating for years?"
Now he had her attention. "I – yes, Teddy, but it's not that it's a secret –"
"Were you ever planning to tell me?"
"This summer, in fact."
"And does everyone know but me? Stor says he's known for ages."
"I'm not sure how Alastor knew that, but –"
"So it's true? And Stor knew?"
Andromeda threw up her hands in exasperation. "I have no idea how Alastor knew. It isn't something we've shared with anyone until very recently."
Teddy's expression grew darker. "So everyone already knows except me. Great. I feel so much like I'm part of this family, thanks."
"Don't be sarcastic, Teddy," Andromeda responded automatically. "The fact of the matter is that I've told the Weasleys and the Potters only within the last month, and today is the first I've seen you. Would you have preferred an owl?"
"No," Teddy grumbled. "Doesn't matter anyway."
"But you get on well with Kingsley –"
"I said it doesn't matter." Teddy turned to go.
"Teddy," Andromeda said, and her tone was powerful enough that he stopped in his tracks and looked back at her unwillingly.
"Teddy Remus Lupin," she said. "You know you'll always be the heart and soul of my world."
"Aw, I don't care about that," Teddy said, but Andromeda thought his slumped shoulders sat a little lighter as he turned again towards the stairs.
"But still, it's true," she said, and he squirmed, embarrassed. "Good night, Teddy. I'm glad you're home."
"Good night, Gran, I'm-happy-for-you-actually," he mumbled all at once, then bolted for the stairs.
– – – – –
"I should have known!" Molly had sighed when Andromeda told her about Kingsley. "You've seemed so happy lately, and the way he looks at you…" Molly lost no time in adding Kingsley and his children to the ever-growing list for her family gatherings.
But at the same time other parts of Andromeda's life were coming closer together, Teddy seemed to want more space.
"Teddy," she reasoned, when he asked to be allowed to go in to Diagon Alley with just Alastor, not chaperoned by her and Kingsley, "you maybe be fifteen, but Alastor is only thirteen. Do you really think his father wants him out in London without an adult?"
"Mr Shacklebolt lets Stor go places all the time!" Teddy protested. "You're the only one who won't let me do anything alone. There's not a war on anymore, Gran, sometimes I don't know if you know that."
Andromeda opened her mouth, then closed it and made herself count to ten before she answered. "You're not going to Diagon Alley with Alastor," she said. "You're welcome to meet him at his house, or to go out in the village here, but I'm not having you two alone in central London just yet. I'm sorry, but that's my decision."
"Urnng," said Teddy, which wasn't even a word, then he stomped up to his room for a while.
"He's become so irrational," Andromeda complained later to Kingsley.
Kingsley smiled. "He's become a teenager."
"Easy for you to take so lightly," she retorted. "You just wait a couple years."
Teenager Teddy might be, but it still made Andromeda smile to see him shepherding Emmeline onto the Hogwarts Express that September, his new prefect's badge glinting from his chest.
"I have to meet the other prefects in the front carriage, but after that I'll come check on you, okay?" Andromeda heard him say. "Should we go find out where Dominique is sitting?"
Kingsley came up and poked Andromeda inelegantly in the side, muttering, "Now, who raised him to be such a gentleman, I wonder? Was that you?"
"Yes, I suppose it was," Andromeda allowed.
Just before the train was set to depart, Emmeline cried, "Daddy!" and flung herself back off the steps of the train carriage toward her father's arms. Kingsley caught her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Andromeda watched him whispering reassurances into his daughter's hair with a tugging in her chest.
"Hey, Gran," Teddy called from the window of the train, where he was leaning out with a grin on his face. He'd made his hair stripes of blue and bronze today, Ravenclaw's house colours. Neither blue nor bronze was a flattering hair colour, but nothing Andromeda had said that morning had convinced him to change it. "All right?"
It was startling how hard it was to see him leave each September, even now. "Be good, Teddy," she said. "Study hard and do justice to that badge you're wearing, and don't forget to write. And look out for Emmeline, won't you? And Dominique, and Victoire…"
Teddy rolled his eyes. "Hey, Gran, it's me you're talking to, Teddy Lupin. I do all those things anyway."
"I know you do."
"Take care, Gran," he called over the growing noise of the locomotive. "And I'm expecting some really ace stuff from you in that newspaper column, okay?"
"Anything for you, Teddy," Andromeda called up to him.
Emmeline clambered back on board just before the train began to move, and the three of them, Teddy and Alastor and Emmeline, leaned out the window together, waving.
"See you in December!" Teddy yelled, and Andromeda blew him a last kiss.
She waved until the train was well out of the station, then turned to Kingsley.
He was still staring after the train. "That's it, then," he said. "My baby's gone. What do I do now?"
Luckily, Andromeda had experience with this particular situation. "What you do now," she said, "is let me take you out for ice-cream."
– – – – –
(continue to CHAPTER 6)
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 FIVE
Something seemed off with Teddy from the moment he stepped off the train for the summer holidays, but Andromeda didn't find out what it was until late that evening. He'd said he was going up to bed, but kept stalling, finding items he'd forgotten in the kitchen or the sitting room.
Andromeda was tidying the kitchen when Teddy's nervous perambulations finally brought him to a halt in the doorway.
"Gran –" he began, then looked as if he were about to leave again.
"Yes, Teddy?"
The question finally burst out. "Is it true you and Mr Shacklebolt have been secretly dating for years?"
Now he had her attention. "I – yes, Teddy, but it's not that it's a secret –"
"Were you ever planning to tell me?"
"This summer, in fact."
"And does everyone know but me? Stor says he's known for ages."
"I'm not sure how Alastor knew that, but –"
"So it's true? And Stor knew?"
Andromeda threw up her hands in exasperation. "I have no idea how Alastor knew. It isn't something we've shared with anyone until very recently."
Teddy's expression grew darker. "So everyone already knows except me. Great. I feel so much like I'm part of this family, thanks."
"Don't be sarcastic, Teddy," Andromeda responded automatically. "The fact of the matter is that I've told the Weasleys and the Potters only within the last month, and today is the first I've seen you. Would you have preferred an owl?"
"No," Teddy grumbled. "Doesn't matter anyway."
"But you get on well with Kingsley –"
"I said it doesn't matter." Teddy turned to go.
"Teddy," Andromeda said, and her tone was powerful enough that he stopped in his tracks and looked back at her unwillingly.
"Teddy Remus Lupin," she said. "You know you'll always be the heart and soul of my world."
"Aw, I don't care about that," Teddy said, but Andromeda thought his slumped shoulders sat a little lighter as he turned again towards the stairs.
"But still, it's true," she said, and he squirmed, embarrassed. "Good night, Teddy. I'm glad you're home."
"Good night, Gran, I'm-happy-for-you-actually," he mumbled all at once, then bolted for the stairs.
– – – – –
"I should have known!" Molly had sighed when Andromeda told her about Kingsley. "You've seemed so happy lately, and the way he looks at you…" Molly lost no time in adding Kingsley and his children to the ever-growing list for her family gatherings.
But at the same time other parts of Andromeda's life were coming closer together, Teddy seemed to want more space.
"Teddy," she reasoned, when he asked to be allowed to go in to Diagon Alley with just Alastor, not chaperoned by her and Kingsley, "you maybe be fifteen, but Alastor is only thirteen. Do you really think his father wants him out in London without an adult?"
"Mr Shacklebolt lets Stor go places all the time!" Teddy protested. "You're the only one who won't let me do anything alone. There's not a war on anymore, Gran, sometimes I don't know if you know that."
Andromeda opened her mouth, then closed it and made herself count to ten before she answered. "You're not going to Diagon Alley with Alastor," she said. "You're welcome to meet him at his house, or to go out in the village here, but I'm not having you two alone in central London just yet. I'm sorry, but that's my decision."
"Urnng," said Teddy, which wasn't even a word, then he stomped up to his room for a while.
"He's become so irrational," Andromeda complained later to Kingsley.
Kingsley smiled. "He's become a teenager."
"Easy for you to take so lightly," she retorted. "You just wait a couple years."
Teenager Teddy might be, but it still made Andromeda smile to see him shepherding Emmeline onto the Hogwarts Express that September, his new prefect's badge glinting from his chest.
"I have to meet the other prefects in the front carriage, but after that I'll come check on you, okay?" Andromeda heard him say. "Should we go find out where Dominique is sitting?"
Kingsley came up and poked Andromeda inelegantly in the side, muttering, "Now, who raised him to be such a gentleman, I wonder? Was that you?"
"Yes, I suppose it was," Andromeda allowed.
Just before the train was set to depart, Emmeline cried, "Daddy!" and flung herself back off the steps of the train carriage toward her father's arms. Kingsley caught her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Andromeda watched him whispering reassurances into his daughter's hair with a tugging in her chest.
"Hey, Gran," Teddy called from the window of the train, where he was leaning out with a grin on his face. He'd made his hair stripes of blue and bronze today, Ravenclaw's house colours. Neither blue nor bronze was a flattering hair colour, but nothing Andromeda had said that morning had convinced him to change it. "All right?"
It was startling how hard it was to see him leave each September, even now. "Be good, Teddy," she said. "Study hard and do justice to that badge you're wearing, and don't forget to write. And look out for Emmeline, won't you? And Dominique, and Victoire…"
Teddy rolled his eyes. "Hey, Gran, it's me you're talking to, Teddy Lupin. I do all those things anyway."
"I know you do."
"Take care, Gran," he called over the growing noise of the locomotive. "And I'm expecting some really ace stuff from you in that newspaper column, okay?"
"Anything for you, Teddy," Andromeda called up to him.
Emmeline clambered back on board just before the train began to move, and the three of them, Teddy and Alastor and Emmeline, leaned out the window together, waving.
"See you in December!" Teddy yelled, and Andromeda blew him a last kiss.
She waved until the train was well out of the station, then turned to Kingsley.
He was still staring after the train. "That's it, then," he said. "My baby's gone. What do I do now?"
Luckily, Andromeda had experience with this particular situation. "What you do now," she said, "is let me take you out for ice-cream."
– – – – –
(continue to CHAPTER 6)
