Constellations of Change

Andromeda Black Tonks was many things. She was a Healer, a Potions Mistress, a wife and a mother. She was once a daughter of the most ancient and noble house of Black. She was a generally kind and caring woman, but what she was not, was someone you wanted to piss off, and Albus Dumbledore had royally pissed her off. If she had the silver bearded fool in front of her at the moment she would be hard pressed not to employ some of the darker hexes from the Black Grimoire on him.

The reason for her anger lay in the back of her enchanted car as she drove well over the muggle speed limit towards London. There, sleeping fitfully in a hastily transfigured booster seat, was the scrawny scarred form of Iris Dorea Potter. The six year old was still clad in the tattered ratty clothes that she’d been wearing when Andromeda discovered her in that horrid cupboard; Andromeda would need to buy the poor child an entirely new wardrobe once the more immediate concerns had been addressed. 

Today had been the culmination of her years-long effort to track down her cousin James’s daughter, who had seemingly vanished after that famous Halloween night. Andromeda had petitioned for custody as soon as news of Sirius’ betrayal and arrest had broken; as far as she knew she was some of the last family Iris had that wasn’t dead or imprisoned. Unfortunately, the oh so esteemed Chief Warlock had whisked the now famous infant away to parts unknown, restricted the records of her placement and sealed her parents’ will. It had taken a series of protracted legal challenges for her to finally get Iris’ record and discover that Iris had been placed with Lily’s muggle relatives. Relatives, Lily had been quite vociferous in her antipathy for.

Reading the documents, it was with mounting horror that the healer realized that not only had the entirety of the placement been done on the fiat of Albus Dumbledore, but the girl had never received any of the customary welfare checks she should have received from the ministry. Apparently Albus’ bloody Dumbledore’s word was enough for Bagnold and Crouch to ignore all proper procedure. The girl didn’t even have a record of having received any of her vaccination potions or customary childhood checkups.

Ironically it was also Dubledore’s negligence that had allowed her to finally succeed in gaining access to Iris; if he had been paying attention to her petitions with wizarding child service he likely would have tried to stymie her. In this case however, the obfuscating levels of Ministry bureaucracy had helped her and the matter seemingly hadn’t risen to the level of the minister or the chief warlock, so she had attained visitation rights.

Andromeda glanced at the rearview mirror as they neared London. Iris’s dark red hair, several shades darker than Lily's, was a tangled knotted mess that hid much of her face. She’d be surprised if it had ever been properly washed since she was left in the Dursley’s ‘care’. Today's visit had revealed the girl to be living in conditions far beyond Andromeda’s worst fears, and she’d absconded with the girl, using her authority as a Healer to remove a child from an abusive situation, and alerted Wizarding Child Services, who’d arrived to investigate. That investigation was ongoing, but there’d been enough immediate evidence, chiefly the cupboard and Iris’ condition, for Andromeda to be granted temporary emergency custody.

They were now on their way to St. Mungos for a full physical and treatment, with Iris having been lulled to sleep with a Draught of Dreamless Sleep. The poor girl had been dreadfully confused by the commotion at the Dursley house, so had been put to sleep temporarily to avoid any bouts of accidental magic on the ride to the hospital. Andromeda had foregone apparition that morning, since she was unfamiliar with her destination, and was instead driving her and Ted’s enchanted station wagon; it wasn’t overly fancy but did have a host of safety and speed charms that allowed it to bypass muggle traffic similarly to the Knight Bus.

Soon Andromeda swung into the lot adjoining St. Mungos, which was glamoured to appear as an abandoned hospital to muggle eyes. The lot had a few other cars in it, primarily driven by muggle borns or those with children too young to apparate, as well as a designated broom landing area.

She gently picked Iris out of the back seat and carried her inside. Due to her malnutrition Iris was still quite small for her age and felt dreadfully bony in Andromeda’s arms. Luckily the hospital wasn’t particularly busy that sleepy Tuesday morning, so Andromeda was able to immediately walk to the Welcome Witch without needing to wait in line.

“Andromeda? I didn’t think we were due for another delivery till the end of the week,”a surprised Emily Clearwater, the healer on duty at admissions, asked. Andromeda was well known at St. Mungos, as she’d worked there as a healer for a time after leaving Hogwarts. She’d eventually returned to her studies to earn her Potions mastery and now only saw patients through a small private practice near her home in Wales. That said, as a potions mistress with a background in healing, she’d become one the hospital’s principal suppliers for Skele-gro, Blood-replenishing and Calming Draught potions. She also consulted when unique regimes and adjusted doses of potions were used so most of the Healing staff were somewhat familiar to her.

Mrs. Tonks grimaced and used her free hand to hand the scrolled up paperwork the DMLE had given her when they removed Iris from the Dursleys. “I’m afraid I’m here for less than pleasant reasons, Emily. Please summon Healer Hatahili as quickly as you can.”

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St. Mungos, Hours Later.

Healer Hatahili, the premiere children’s Healer at St. Mungos, had needed to rope in several colleagues to provide immediate care for Iris. The tall raven haired indigenous man wasn’t a Hogwarts graduate, rather he was an Illvermony alumnus who’d emigrated after marrying an English witch. Andromeda and he had done their residencies together and she considered the man a friend. Hopefully that, along with his lack of a connection to Hogwarts would keep him from tipping off Dumbledore before Andromeda could finalize the custody paperwork. Juvenile’s identities were protected by law when admitted for child abuse, but Albus had already proved his willingess to skirt legality.

Andromeda resisted the urge to yell in frustration as she read over Iris’ medical chart. Multiple fractures that hadn’t healed correctly, chronic malnourishment, untreated childhood maladies, the list was extensive. Worst of the worst had been a mass of foreign magic that had seemingly attached itself to the girl’s famous scar; they’d had to call in a curse-breaking specialist to remove it and the shrieking sound it made as it was exorcized still rang in Andromeda’s ears. Their best guess was it was the residue of the failed killing curse that had never been properly examined after that Halloween night, luckily removing it now should prevent it from further hurting Iris down the line. 

It had been six hours since they first arrived at St. Mungos and Iris had been under fairly intensive care for most of them. In addition to removing the dark magic around the scar, they’d administered a host of potions, including her long overdue Dragon Pox and Spattergroit vaccines. Iris had been kept under for the procedures so far, and now they were waiting for her to wake up so they could administer potions that needed to be taken orally, principally Skele-gro in conjunction with vanishing the poorly healed bones. Andromeda was here, not in her capacity as a Healer, but as Iris’ guardian so she hadn’t overseen any of the care herself and instead was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Healers worked. 

Andromeda gently stroked the girl’s head and internally cursed Dumbledore for the thousandth time that day. She looked so small and fragile, lying in the medical bed. At first blush the girl looked like a little version of Lily Evans, but upon closer examination James’ features were also present. She had the Potter nose and her hair, recently cleaned by the Healers, had the full bodied waviness so characteristic of the Black women. 

As she ran her fingers through Iris’ hair, the girl suddenly fidgeted before suddenly snapping awake. Her body instantly went tense and her pale green orbs darted about wildly. She looked like she was preparing to bolt, if she could figure out where to bolt to.

“Where am I?” Iris demanded, her voice scratchy from disuse. 

“Iris, Iris! It’s okay you’re safe. This is the hospital. It's like a big doctor's office” Andromeda responded, trying to calm the girl down. “I’m Andromeda Tonks; I brought you here so they could help you get better.”

Iris nodded slowly, she'd heard about hospitals once when she listened, from her cupboard, to Dudley watching the telly on blast. Apparently they were places where people yelled and snogged a lot, so she wasn't exactly sure why she was there. Also, the pretty brown haired lady seemed kind, and she wasn’t yelling like Iris thought people in hospitals always did, which was odd. There was also something else she was unsure of.

“Why are you calling me Iris?” 

Andromeda’s voice caught in her throat. Iris didn’t know her own name; had the Dursley’s changed it? It wasn’t an overtly magical name, so it was odd if they did.

“That’s your name, darling,” Andromeda gently informed her.

Iris’ little brow furrowed in confusion, “but I’m just the freak?”

Andromeda Black Tonks’ heart shattered as she finally fully realized the sheer depth of the Dursley’s cruelty. Before she could think it through, she had thrown her arms around the little girl and pulled her to her breast, working to keep her tears from flowing freely. 

“You are not a freak, my darling. You’re Iris Dorea Potter” Andromeda choked out.

Iris immediately tensed when the older woman grabbed her but slowly found herself relaxing. The sensation was quite different from when Aunt Petunia pulled her sharply by her wrist, or when Uncle Vernon chucked her about by the scruff of her neck. This didn’t hurt; in fact it felt really nice to be held like this. 

“Are you sure?” Iris mumbled out. This Iris seemed to be an important person, and the freak certainly wasn’t an important person. According to Uncle Vernon, she was barely a person at all.

“Very sure, darling. I was there when Lily gave birth to you,” Andromeda informed her. She had acted as a midwife for Lily’s delivery at Potter Manor, since they didn’t want to risk going to St. Mungos during the height of Voldemort’s terror campaign.

“Lily?”

“Your mother,” Andromeda was going to see that Petunia Dursley burned in hell for what she’d done to Iris. Whatever her feelings for her sister, the woman had no right to deny Iris her connection to Lily.

“I have a mother?” Iris’ voice was full of wonder and tentative hope. As far as she knew, she didn’t have a mummy and daddy like Dudley, just an aunt and uncle.

Andromeda forced herself to remain calm for Iris and pushed down her anger. Iris deserved to know her past, at least as much as she would understand at this age. “Your mother’s name was Lily Potter. She was your Aunt Petunia’s sister, but they were very different sorts of people. She was married to James Potter, my cousin, and they were very much in love. When a couple loves each other they can have a child, and that’s how you came about.”

Iris was staring with rapt attention as Andromeda explained. Petunia and Vernon never explained anything, and just told her to shut up when she asked why.

Andromeda continued, “Unfortunately a very bad man didn’t like your parents and attacked them. They gave their lives to save you from the man, because they loved you so much.”

Iris was a mix of emotions; joy to find out that she’d had parent’s who’d wanted her at some point, and sadness that they weren’t out there somewhere, waiting for her.

“So that’s why I live with my aunt and uncle?”

“You never should have been sent to live with them,” Andromeda replied somewhat forcefully. “A very foolish man, called Dumbledore, put you there after your parents died. He thought he knew best and put you somewhere Lily and James never would have wanted you to go.”

Iris scrunched up her little brow in thought, “Where was I supposed to go then?”

Andromeda paused for a moment, before deciding explaining what had happened with Sirius would probably be too complicated for the little Potter at the moment. “Well, if Dumbledore had not interfered, you probably would have come to live with me and my husband Ted.”

“That would have been nice,” Iris responded in a small voice. This Andromeda lady had easily been nicer to her in the last ten minutes than her aunt and uncle ever were.

“Would you still like to?” Andromeda tentatively inquired, causing Iris’ head to snap up in alertness.

“Can I? You’d want a fr- someone like me?” Iris asked, her voice dropping off as she finished. She knew from her aunt and uncle that no one would want her if they weren’t forced to take care of her. However nice the lady was, there was no way she’d want to take her if she didn’t have to anymore.

“Ted and I don't want someone like you; We want you Iris.” Andromeda said with a warm teary smile, gently clutching the small girl’s hand. “In fact, if you're willing, I’d like nothing more than for you to come be a part of our family.”

There had been many nights of her short life that Iris Dorea Potter had collapsed into tears and cried herself to sleep. However this day was the first time that the tears were ones of joy.

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Megaron Hall, Early Evening

After their emotional conversation and a small barrage of additional questions from Iris, they’d had to stop so Hatahilli could administer the next set of treatments Iris needed. Luckily Andromeda was a qualified Healer so they’d be able to follow the skel-gro regimen back at home, rather than needing to stay overnight. Still, the battery of tests and potions, along with all the emotions of the day, had tuckered the girl out, and Andromeda left the hospital once again carrying the sleeping redhead.

Iris was brought home to the Tonks’ house, Megaron Hall, in northeastern Wales. Ted and Andromeda were actually rather well off, so the home they’d built together was closer to a Victorian mansion than a townhouse. The building, as was typical of magical construction, was rather eccentric looking and would surely be cause for comment if it hadn’t received the customary muggle repelling enchantments. It was constructed with a strange combination of traditional Welsh architecture and elements of ancient Greek design, including doric columns, decorated friezes and pebbled mosaics, intermingling with crenelations, turrets and Victorian style windows. 

Like many pureblood families, the Blacks could supposedly trace their roots back to both the native celts and the magical members of Caesar’s legions, who arrived in the first century. Indeed it was that fusion of mystic traditions that led to the establishment of the society that would become wizarding Britain. In light of that, the Blacks liked to pay homage to that ancestry by naming their children for the various Greek or Roman constellations. Andromeda had been fascinated by stories of their ancestors as a child and became a lover of Greco-Roman history and the accompanying aesthetic, so when they constructed their house they chose to incorporate it where they could. 

The venerable hall had initially been purchased with the dowry that Andromeda’s grandfather, Cygnus, had quietly given her despite her marriage to a muggleborn. The architecture was initially that of a refurbished Welsh Manor but the couple had made a variety of additions in the ancient style over time. Both of the Tonks made rather good money and had been able to afford Goblin artisans for the additions. Potion’s Masters and Mistresses were always in high demand, especially after Voldemort’s campaign of terror killed many of the old masters. Andromeda did a brisk business supplying potions for St Mungos as well as special orders for a variety of businesses. 

Ted meanwhile worked as a barrister, having carved out a niche for his firm managing issues where the magic and mundane worlds met. Despite some Purebloods insistence to the contrary, the magical world was still rather dependent on the muggle one for a variety of necessities. For instance food, and indeed Ted’s firm oversaw the contracts with muggle farmers that provided the ingredients the Hogwarts House Elves used to create their feasts. His career had taken off quickly after Cyrus Greengrass put him on retainer to help manage the mundane parts of the vast Greengrass shipping empire. (A Greengrass ancestor was responsible for the invention of Floo powder and the establishment of the modern Floo network. The family had been involved in magical transportation ever since.)

The girl was exhausted from her day and was soon placed in the guest room they’d soon be transforming into Iris’s. Nymphadora had been incredibly curious about the new child in the house but thankfully had been quiet after Andromeda and Ted explained that she needed her rest. What followed was a delicate conversation where Andromeda and Ted broached the subject of Iris living with them from now on. Technically that wasn’t confirmed yet, but Andromeda had all of her papers in order for her claim on Iris to go forward and hopefully an owl would be coming from the ministry to confirm custody once the DMLE formally disbarred the Dursleys from being her guardians.

The elder Tonks had expected some pushback or at least confusion from Nymphadora at a stranger suddenly being invited into her home and her family. Nym was an only child and they worried she’d be resentful of their attention being shared with Iris. Surprisingly Nymphadora had the opposite reaction, seemingly ecstatic at the prospect of Iris moving in, and was already referring to the girl as her little sister. When Nym was taken up for her bedtime in a short while, she was still smiling from ear to ear.

—--------------

Nine year old Nymphadora Tonks was having a rather odd but exciting day; when she’d woken up she’d been an only child and suddenly she had a little sister. That wasn’t remarkable in of itself; many of her friends had siblings, but it usually didn’t come as such a surprise as far as she knew, and usually they started off as babies, not six year olds. 

She was surprised that Father Christmas had acted on her request for a little sister so quickly; it was still two weeks till Christmas! There were so many things she couldn’t wait to do, like teach her to play Gobstones or race broomsticks. 

She had snuck into her new sister’s room, previously a guest room, while her folks were talking quietly downstairs. The girl was curled up tightly in a ball while she slept, like she was afraid to stretch out on the bed. Tonks thought that was strange, but didn’t really mind; she was excited to have a sister even if she slept funny. 

Deciding that if they were sisters, they should look like it, Nymphadora shifted her currently blue hair to the same shade of red as Iris and altered her cheekbones a bit to be more similar. Nymphadora then clambered into bed with the smaller girl and snuggled up under the covers with her. Iris relaxed into Tonks’ arms and soon the two were cuddled together in the bed. When Andromeda came up later that evening to check on her new charge, she found the two girls holding each other closely, Nymphadora curling protectively around her new little sister. 

She glanced down at the open envelope in her hand that the ministry owl had delivered. The papers granting her full custody of young Iris Dorea Potter were finally in her hands but she decided to wait and tell the child in the morning. After all, she was finally sleeping peacefully.

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One and a Half Years Later

Much had changed in the year and half since Iris Potter came to live with the Tonks family. Surrounded by a kind, loving family, the once skittish little girl had blossomed into an inquisitive cheerful sprite. She was still a bit reticent with people outside of her family, but she had come leaps and bounds from her days with the Dursleys. She hadn’t seen her aunt and uncle since the day of her rescue, save for her nightmares, but even those were becoming rarer as she made progress in her Mind-Healing sessions.

Andromeda and Ted had gone from kind strangers to Mum and Dad for the young girl; they had tried using the terms aunt and uncle initially, but understandably Iris had bad associations with those titles. They hadn’t wanted to disrespect the memories of Lily and James, but discovered early on that Iris, a girl who’d been denied familial closeness most of her life, genuinely wanted to call them her parents, but was just afraid of overstepping initially. 

In addition to gaining a true home, Iris had also been introduced to the world of magic, and instantly been fascinated by it. While too young for her own wand, she’d been an eager student of her new mother’s potion making, and cheered herself hoarse when Ted took her to her first Holyhead Harpies Quidditch match. Her bouts of accidental magic had gone from an occasion for a beating from Vernon, to funny incidents remembered fondly at the dinner table. 

However, to the outside observer the most dramatic change in the Tonks household over the last two years, would be that Nymphadora Alcmene Tonks suddenly acquired a red headed shadow. Everywhere Nym went, her little sister followed along; everything Nym did, Iris wanted to do to. Indeed, it had caused one of Iris’ rare sulking fits the day she was told she’d never be able to make funny faces and change her hair like Nym. She’d calmed down considerably when Nym promised to make any funny faces she wanted for the rest of their lives. In any event they soon discovered Iris had her own unique magical talent when Ted found her casually chatting with a garden snake on the patio one morning.

Nymphadora and Iris were inseparable. The two could often be found playing in the garden, or curled up reading together in the family library; Tonks would use her Metamorphmagus abilities to imitate the characters while reading The Tales of Beedle The Bard, much to Iris’ delight. Nymphadora took to being a big sister like a duck to water, and absolutely adored her little sister right back. 

That was the reason why Andromeda was now dealing with two crying girls in the frenzied platform 9 ¾, trying to comfort Iris so Tonks could get on the train. The little girl had known she couldn’t accompany her elder sister to Hogwarts this year, but, being confronted with the reality of separating from Nym, she hadn’t been able to hold back the waterworks. Nym herself was trying to be stoic but was getting teary herself at parting from her family, particularly Iris. 

“Wanna go with you” Iris sobbed softly into Nym’s school robes; they’d arrived by floo to avoid passing through the muggle section of Kings Cross. Nymphadora gave her sister a squeeze before responding.

“I know Irey, but you’re too little for Hogwarts still.”

“No! I’m a big girl!” Iris retorted

Nymphadora chuckled softly, “I know you are, squirt, but that’s why I need you to stay behind and look after mum and dad for me. Can you do that?”

Iris sniffled before nodding resolutely. She’d be strong for Nym.

All too soon Nymphadora absolutely had to get on the train, and Iris was left waving with Andromeda and Ted on the platform. The day she’d be allowed to join Nym at Hogwarts couldn’t come soon enough. 

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Hogshead Tavern:

Quirnius Quirell downed his eighth glass of fire whiskey as he scowled around the nearly empty bar. The only other people were a shaggy looking man passed out in the corner and a man at the other end of the bar that was drinking for the exact same reason, his colleague Severus Snape. Though neither man would admit it to the other, both were drowning their sorrows after Dumbledore once again refused to grant either man the coveted Defense Against the Dark Arts Professorship. 

Quirell wasn’t entirely sure why Severus wanted the position, beyond their mutual academic interest in certain … darker magics. For his part he wanted the job to finally shut up the mocking idiots who had constantly belittled him for his timidity and frailty. It had been the job he’d originally applied for but Dumbledore had offered him the Muggle Studies position instead. 

It wasn’t that he hated muggle studies per se; as a child he’d been fascinated at the prospects offered by the combination of magic and advancing muggle technology, which was why he’d bothered to get a secondary Mastery in the subject in the first place. Unfortunately, as far as professorships at Hogwarts went, it was easily the position that demanded the least respect in the wizarding world. However, despite applying to transfer to the Defense position yet again this year, Dumbledore had once again hired outside the castle.

The new defense professor was to be Raj Patel, an Indian dark beast hunter, who was famed for slaying the manticore of Bangladesh. Perhaps that’s what Quirell needed to do, travel the world a bit and get some first hand experience with defense. He mused that such a trip would also give him a cover for investigating a few bits of dark magic he didn’t dare attempt while under Dumbledore’s watchful eye. Why couldn’t the man understand that his interest was purely born from the pursuit of knowledge?

Quirell finished his drink, tossed some sickles to the barman, and began his long stumble back to the castle. He’d have to plan his trip another time; he needed to get some sleep before students arrived tomorrow.

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An Excerpt of “Magical Travel and You” by Hiram Greggorson:

If I had a knut for everytime a muggleborn asked me why Wizardkind bothered with numerous methods of magical travel when apparition was readily available, I’d be a very popular man with the Goblins. However as that is not the case, I shall attempt to enumerate the numerous advantages of alternate transport in the pages here. While Apparition is certainly quite useful, after reading you may find yourself keen to reach for the broomstick or the floo powder the next time you’re making a journey.

Firstly, it’s worth noting that widespread Apparition is a relatively recent phenomenon. While scattered reports attest that great witches and wizards of the past, such as Morganna and Salazar Slytherin, could disappear and reappear across great distances, the method of Apparition wasn’t publicly disseminated until the year 1917, when Mr. Jose Delgado of Tenochtitlan opened his famous Apparition Institute. Since that time Apparition has spread worldwide, being added to the Hogwarts curriculum in 1952. For that reason, it is not at all surprising that alternate travel methods have a long and storied history that predates Apparition.

Now, I hear you ask, that may be why we have brooms and portkeys, but why do we still use them? No one would brew in a pewter pot when a silver cauldron was available, surely. Well, despite the huge impact Mr. Delgado’s discovery had, there are still several drawbacks to Apparition that keep broommakers in business.

To begin, it’s worth noting that not all witches and wizards are capable of Apparition; we each have varied talents in the myriad disciplines of magic and some find great difficulty learning Apparition. Department of Magical Transportation figures indicate at least 10% of wizardkind never master the skill.

Still, that leaves the greater majority of adult wizards capable of Apparition.  However, note I have specified adult wizards. Unlike most wandwork which can begin to be practiced after roughly 10 years of age, apparition requires a matured magical core and is inadvisable to attempt for any young witch under the age of 16. 

Additionally, the specialized skill of Side-Along Apparition that would allow an adult wizard to bring a young magical along is a far rarer skill that only devotees and aurors often learn. So for those reasons Floo, Portkey and Broom travel are still essential for any family that includes a gaggle of youngsters.

Aha, my discerning reader, I can predict your next question. Why then do adult wizards make use of the Floo network for business and leisure travel? There are numerous reasons for this, although two come to the fore. Firstly, in order to Apparate you must be intimately familiar with the location you intend to travel to, making it useless for going to somewhere you’ve never been or been only briefly. Additionally, Apparition relies on the user’s own magic to effect the translocation, whilst the Floo network taps into ambient leylines to allow for traversal. In plain English, while a quick hop is typically fine, Apparating frequently or over long distances can quickly exhaust one’s magical core, leaving you spent until you rest. 

Apparition is also inadvisable for the budding potioneer or rune specialist as the process can denature and ruin magical ingredients and implements carried through it. Any potion maker worth their salt will collect their ingredients via good old fashioned broomstick.

Finally it’s worth noting that Apparition is inherently easier to cause a breach in International Secrecy compared with Flooing through magical fireplaces, or utilizing portkeys keyed to designated areas. Even the humble broomstick allows the traveler to survey their landing from far above, avoiding muggle concentrations on the fly.

Apparition certainly has its uses and there is no faster way to travel. However, to say it closes the book on magical transportation would be a gross oversimplification, indeed it’s only the beginning!