Andromeda Black, the middle child. The painfully ignored child of the sisters Black. The one who is outspoken.
Andromeda Black was, for lack of better term, the rebel of the three sisters. Bellatrix was angry, as she should be allowed to be. But anger tainted the heart. Narcissa, her baby sister, was compliant, yet yearned for something more. Andromeda was the rebel. She would argue with their parents at any chance she was given. Druella hated this fact. She hated her middle daughter for such antics. That was what Andromeda wanted and Andromeda always got what she wanted.
It was fourth year potions that she met a boy by the name of Ted Tonks. She never understood why he went by Ted when Edward was such a wonderfully handsome name. It also wasn't a common nickname for Edward. But nothing was normal about Ted, not to Andromeda. He was different to the men she had grown up knowing. Andromeda liked that he was different. She yearned for it.
It was during Christmas during sixth year that Andromeda realized she was in love with Ted. It was also then that she realized that was her ticket out of her family. Not that Ted was simply a ticket, of course he wasn't. He was wonderful Ted. He was the love of her life. But with that also came the safety that the Black family didn't truly give her. The Black family were death eaters and it was only a matter of time before she was married off to a man that would become one as well. It was a horrible life she would lead if it wasn't for the fact that Ted loved her right back.
It was the night before her 17th birthday when her parents had found out about Ted. Cissy had told them. Her darling baby sister told on her to their parents. Bellatrix was lecturing her the entire night. Druella and Cygnus disowned their middle daughter. Though, if you asked her, she would tell you they had disowned her years ago. This was just making it official. She showed up at Ted's home in the pouring rain. All she had with her was a knapsack of some clothes, her hair brush, and some trinkets. His parents welcomed her with open arms.
They were married that summer at his parents' house.
The night they had their daughter, Andromeda, for the first time in her life, wished for her mother to be there. Ted's mother was a wonderfully supportive woman. But she wasn't her mother. She wasn't Druella. However, Andromeda knew that Druella would have left her to bleed out if she had the chance. So really, Katherine Tonks was the better choice to be there.
Andromeda took one look at their daughter, Nymphadora, and was in love. She wondered how could any mother hate their daughter when she loved hers so completely. They say there is nothing like a mother's love and in that moment she knew her own never truly loved her. Maybe she loved Cissy and Bella. But not her. Not Andromeda Carina Black. Definitely not Andromeda Carina Tonks. Andromeda made a promise that night. She promised to never make Nymphadora feel the way Druella made her feel.
Andromeda gave her daughter many nicknames. Love, darling, Nymphy, ducky. It got worse when she found out that she was a metamorphmagus. Her daughter had favorite things to turn into. The duck was the one she loved most. But one day, she had seen a picture of her mother with her sisters. She didn't know any better when she turned her face to match the oldest of the three. She didn't understand why mother was crying. She didn't mean to make her mother upset and she wouldn't understand until she was older. Not until Andromeda told her about her aunts. Nymphadora mourned the relationship she would never get with her aunts.
It was when Nymphadora was 10 that Andromeda saw Narcissa for the first time since she had been disowned. It was the first time Nymphadora saw the woman from the photo. Narcissa didn't even acknowledge her older sister. That night, she locked herself in the bedroom and cried while Ted looked after their daughter. Once Nymphadora was in bed, Ted held Andromeda and let her cry until she fell asleep. The next morning, he made her breakfast and tea in bed. She never loved him more than she did in that moment.
Nymphadora was just like her mother. Headstrong with a clear code of ethics. Andromeda and Ted were happy to support their daughter in being part of the Order of the Phoenix. They even let the Order use their home as a safe-house when they needed to. And that is where she fell in love with Remus Lupin. He was a good man, Andromeda knew. He was friends with her favorite cousin, Sirius, and had a good head on his shoulders. She was happy to see them married. They were happy. That is all she wanted for her daughter. Happiness.
It was the Second Wizarding War that her daughter and husband were killed. Her husband killed by Snatchers, and her daughter killed by her older sister. A mother should not have to bury their child. Her grandson was a newborn, just a few months old when his mother died. She had to be strong for him, even with the help of his godfather, Harry Potter.
As Teddy grew up, he was more and more like his parents. It pained Andromeda to see it sometimes. But oh, she loved her grandson more than anything. If you were lucky enough to know the Tonks-Lupin house, you would know that it was a house filled with love. Andromeda spoiled her grandson rotten. It was the only thing she truly could do. He was so beloved.
It was the night of her death that she wrote this letter addressed to her grandson. She told him one last story of his mother and father, a night that reminded her so much of when she fell in love with Ted. Oh, she missed him. She missed them. But she knew that this was her last night on Earth and that she was going to see them all again. She was finally going to be reunited with the love of her life, her daughter, and her favorite cousin. Though, she was also going to see her older sister. She had some choice words for her. She passed away in her sleep.
Andromeda Carina Tonks, nee. Black. The middle child. The rebel. The wife. The mother. Andromeda was many things in her life. To some, she was the most wretched girl you could meet. To others? Andromeda was their favorite person. The person who welcomed everyone who needed a home into hers. The person who took care of her family, no matter how much she hurt. Andromeda was a wonderful person and finally, at her death, she knew that.