Toujours Pur. That’s what running through her head right now. Like a mantra.
“Remember Andromeda, you are a pureblood. One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. You are practically royalty,” said her father, Cygnus.
“I know, Father. Toujours Pur,” mumbled six-year-old Andromeda.
“Do well to remember it.”
Does she remember it now? When she’s planning her escape with Ted? A mudblood? When she puts on a ruse to be torn between two pompous assholes, when Andromeda knows it’s all for show? When she knows she will only break their – and her family’s – hearts?
But – it’s Ted. Kind-hearted, gentle, loving Ted. Ted, who makes her heart ache with a smile, who talks of their future together, who knows how to make her laugh, even when she tries with all her might not to.
Ted Tonks, what have you done to me?
What would they say? Her father would scorn her, maybe even kick her out of the house. Her mother would sob. Bella would scream at her, try to make her see “sense”. Cissy... what would Cissy do? Cry? Yell? Ignore? Yes, that’s right. Sweet, innocent, perfect little Cissy would ignore Andromeda. Pretend that she never existed. Is it worth it?
Andromeda looked up into Ted’s emerald-green eyes. The eyes that made her melt. The eyes she hopes her children will one day have. He gazes at her with a look akin to amazement, the way he always does. He raises an eyebrow. Of course, he knows she’s having second thoughts. He knows her better than she knows herself. Ted’s face slowly crumbles, desperation etched onto his beautiful features.
“’Dromeda? Are you... You don’t re-regret this? Do you?” his throat closing up, his eyes becoming misty.
“Ted…”
“We’re in this together, I promise. I won’t let them hurt you.”
Silence.
He sighed. “’Dromeda, we don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready. I’ll wait for you. I’d wait all of eternity for you. Just please don’t look so sad.”
Here he was. Willing to put his entire life on hold for her. For her. And here she was, reminiscing on people who made it ridiculously clear that a mudblood had no place amongst them. Her eyes drifted from Ted’s onto the piece of paper he was holding. A sketch of their dream home. A playroom for the baby (“only one, Ted, I don’t want an army” “whatever you say, my love”), a library with a sliding ladder for her dozens of books, a garden filled with all her favourite flowers, but mainly carnations as per her request. He’d done all of this for her, no, they’d done all of this for them. How could she possibly regret this?
Andromeda took a deep breath, steeled herself, and said the one thing she has never been surer of in her entire life – “I could never regret this, Ted. This is our world. You are my world. There’s nothing I want more than us and this life.”
Ted grinned. His face lit up; all worry gone, replaced by utter devotion. Merlin, what a sight.
“Good. Now, I don’t have to fight Lestrange or Malfoy for taking my girl”
Andromeda slapped his shoulder, trying to hide her smile. This was who she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Her destiny, her lover. A muggle-born. A brown-haired, sports-loving, stress-baker, Ravenclaw muggle-born.
Looks like Andromeda did not do well to remember the Black family motto.
Toujours… something?