Andromeda Unchained

Andromeda Black Tonks | 25 | Healer at St. Mungo's Wife and Mother

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

notgideon:

The music festival was precisely what Fabian needed after several weeks spent resting at home in the flat. He didn’t care about which bands were there, just needing an excuse to get out of the house. It was one of his first public appearances outside of caring for his nephews and he was quite nervous about it. Feeling someone’s eyes on him caused his hand to rub at the back of his neck, the redhead biting his lip before turning to meet the source.

“You can stop staring,” He grimaced. “It would be one thing if my twin was here, but he’s not.”

“Sorry, Fabian,” Andromeda said quickly. She had been staring, there was no other word for it, and she didn’t even have a good excuse for it either. “I shouldn’t have been staring. I would have scolded Dora for doing the same thing. Gideon’s not here?” She wasn’t particularly close to the twins, but she hadn’t seen Gideon for quite some time, it seemed, and she wondered if something was wrong. 

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

b-s-amelia:

“Books are a wonderful gift,” Amelia agreed. “They can be used time and again and the books we love truly stay with us forever.” Even today, Amelia could pick up a favourite book and feel calm, happy, and loved. “How about some of the biographies for children? Or history books for children? I love that they’re making those now actually.” 

“I’m hoping to find that perfect one for her, you know, to spark her interest that way. I know it’s out there.” Andromeda smiled; her copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard had done that for her, but so far it hadn’t had much luck with Dora. “I hadn’t quite thought of that, actually. Do you have any recommendations of books like that?”

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

Of Fathers and Daughters | Cygnus & Andromeda

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

the-swan-star:

Cygnus smiled sadly. Oh yes the Black family stance had been made very clear in public, but behind closed doors it was a very different story but Andromeda didn’t know that. “Yes it was wasn’t it? In public at least.” Sometimes he hated the gossipmongers that littered the street, they were already whispering, whispering about the estranged Black daughter. She didn’t deserve that but he knew this was hardly the first time it had happened. Cygnus sighed deep in his chest, they needed somewhere private to discuss this. Definitely not the open street, that was a disaster waiting to happen. And while he could sway the press, he couldn’t stop the gossip completely and it didn’t need to backfire on Andi like the fires of hell come to claim her. 

“I suppose I should have sought you out from the start to explain. An error in my part and my judgement. I’m sorry Andi. Would you let me explain? Everything and anything you’d like. Preferably not in the street however. Some things should not be known to the common gossipmonger.”

Scoffing, she looked away from him and glowered at a shop window nearby. In public - as if she hadn’t grown up in that house. As if she didn’t know the sorts of things they believed. Things she had believed until she was old enough to think for herself and learn better than that. “Don’t - don’t act like this is - you can’t just - just wave your wand and make it all better.” Her words came out in a low hiss, because after seven years, she had a lot of anger that had never received an outlet. And she might have gone on longer, because she was that angry, but she heard Dora’s voice again. 

It was rare for Andromeda to lose her temper, and when it happened, it shook Dora. Her eyes were big, and her fingers were white around the pocket watch that Cygnus had given her to play with, and Andromeda hated the fact that she had scared her daughter. Taking a deep breath, she offered a shaky smile in her daughter’s direction. “Fine,” she muttered, shooting a glare at Cygnus. “I’m only doing this for my daughter’s sake. If she weren’t here, I’d have no qualms about a shouting match in the streets and fuck whatever the gossipmongers had to say about it.” Holding a hand out to Dora, she raised an eyebrow. “Where are we going then?”

[wariswonhq]

Stressed is Desserts Spelled Backwards // Tedromeda

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

nevercallmeteddy:

Ted leaned against the counter, his breathing unsteady now that Dora left the room. He had needed the distraction to keep from panicking about the day’s events. He couldn’t even bring himself to looking his wife in the eye.

“I wanted frosting,” He grumbled. “And might’ve let Dora pick out whatever she wanted from the dessert aisle.” Any louder and he would have risked his voice breaking. His mistake was finally letting his gaze fall on Andromeda. Any sort of control of his emotions was lost to the second they locked eyes. His shoulders shook from trying to keep his composure, a loud gasp escaping before the tears started falling.

Ted Tonks rarely cried. The last time he could recall was having held his daughter for the first time. He didn’t deal with emotions that were beyond his usual cheerful disposition. The mask falling left his form shaking, breathing heavily until he managed to look at Andromeda once more. “They fired me, Andie.”

Something was wrong. Andromeda hated to see that look on Ted’s face, and she didn’t know how she was supposed to be the strong one but she would do it for him. He had held things together for her so many times, and she could do the same for him. She’d figure it out somehow. 

“Well, this is a bit more than frosting, it seems.” She shook her head, not even sure how to respond to the news about letting Dora have free rein in the dessert aisle - the last thing their daughter needed was more energy. But any retort was lost under the sudden wave of fear when he started crying. Her husband simply didn’t cry and that only made it more clear that whatever was going on was something very serious. Andromeda bit her lip, twisting her fingers together until he explained what had happened.

“Oh merlin - Ted, are you all right?” Crossing the room, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. There were so many things that would have been worse; his parents or siblings being attacked, any of their friends hurt . . . this wasn’t good news by any means, but they could make it work somehow. “Ted, we’ll be fine. I’ve still got my job and - and we can . . . we’ll be fine.” She curled a hand around his neck, stretching up to kiss his cheek. “We’ll make it.”

[thefabone-deactivated20230103]

It's his birthday, he'll sleep if he wants to || Amos & Open

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

amoosediggory:

“The day wouldn’t be complete without your family here,” Amos chuckled. “I would have thought getting him to bed at a reasonable hour would have delayed his nap time.” He was wrong, of course, but he didn’t expect Cedric to sleep very long. “You can let Dora do the honor of waking him if he isn’t up before you go to leave.”

The party was going great so far despite his son’s absence. It was nice to catch up with people, and he was glad about a number of responses he got for it. “I hope he doesn’t hit that phase. I remember begging my parents for a little brother or sister then spending a week moping around my room when they said it wasn’t happening. He’d probably do worse than that.”

“Children can be very tempermental like that,” she said, a fond smile on her face. Now that Dora was - mostly - out of that sort of stage, it was easy to be amused by it. It had been far less amusing when Dora was the one refusing to sleep. “Are you sure? I’d hate to interrupt his sleep, and Dora is sure to get him far too wound up if you let her.” It would be done with the best of intentions, but Dora’s energy seemed to rub off on the children around her without any true effort on her part. “It would be the highlight of her day, I’m sure, and if you want to secure a place as one of her favorite adults, that would do the trick.”

Surprisingly, Dora hadn’t actually asked for a sibling yet - Andromeda was grateful for that. So far, Dora was happy enough to play with other people’s babies. “Oh good lord, that will be an interesting phase for you. Dora’s not quite there yet, but I’m afraid it’s not too far behind.”

[cillian-selwyn]

slow down | open

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

cillian-selwyn:

Cillian sighed a quiet huff of irritation. He needed a particular book to add to his research, and his ever-growing library’s collection, but the book seemed impossible to find in any and every store he searched, or even in the Ministry’s own archives, and the Unspeakable’s patience was wearing thin. It didn’t help, of course, that this bloody shopkeeper stared at him in utter incompetence as he asked for help in his search. 

“For Merlin’s bloody sake, nevermind,” he muttered bitterly under his breath, scolding himself for even bothering to rely on anyone else, already more on edge these days and finding himself growing more and more agitated as the day wore on. Grinding his molars, Cillian turned on his heel sharply and nearly collided with the person standing behind him.

Andromeda had always liked reading, and she was trying to instill a similar love in her daughter. Which meant any trip to the bookstore invariably ended with several more books than she intended to get. It was worth it, in her mind, even if things were a bit tight around the Tonks home for now. The stack in her arms wasn’t terribly big but there were enough books that when the patron in front of her turned suddenly, Andromeda upset the precarious balance and ended up with several books on the floor by her feet.

It didn’t matter at first, because she barely realized what had happened. She hadn’t been face to face with Cillian Selwyn in more years than she cared to remember. “Merlin  - I’m sorry -” Biting her lip, she averted her gaze quickly, dropping down to start gathering the books that had spilled.

[peacockheir]

June 1st || Open

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

peacockheir:

“She’s safe, surely that’s all that matters,” Lucius sighed. There was no point in getting into marital struggles or losing the baby or the fact that the two of them weren’t living under the same roof. It would do him some good to open up about it but Andromeda was not the right person for it. “Mine… Was an accident,” He muttered. Although accident barely scratched the surface of what happened. “I would prefer you stopped staring though.”

Lucius took a steadying breath and chewed at his lip, unable to keep his gaze on Andromeda’s. “I didn’t think I looked that bad this morning.”

He had a point. Andromeda didn’t honestly care that much about her brother-in-law’s safety as compared to her sister’s, aside from the fact that his safety was tied in with hers. Lucius wasn’t telling her the whole story, but then she couldn’t expect that from him. She had given up the right to that when she left the family - which she didn’t regret in the slightest. It didn’t make it any easier. “An accident?” Her brows quirked up in disbelief; she didn’t see how a black eye like that could be an accident but then, she could be wrong. “Well, unfortunately we don’t always get what we want now, do we?”

It seemed like a point in her favor that he couldn’t hold her gaze. Perhaps a childish thing to pay attention to, but Andromeda didn’t often get to feel like she was winning these days. “Did you actually take a look in the mirror, or were you basing it off memory?”

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

elementarymydearvictoria:

“I don’t know how he’d dare not show up then,” Vicky said, laughing at the very picture of an irate Andromeda and a hopelessly apologetic Ted. Because he would feel badly about it. He was really a considerate man and would never do anything to purposely harm anyone, least of all his wife. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied dryly. Despite her mother’s best efforts, Victoria had no intention of getting married any time soon. She was not interested in getting married just for the sake of it. Besides, she was having fun all on her own. She shook her head. “No, nothing terribly important. Anyway, I can multitask if necessary. You can sit,” Victoria suggested, gesturing with her quill to Ted’s desk. “I’m sure he won’t mind.” 

“It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ll let you know if it ever does.” They had their arguments, of course, as every couple did, but it had never been anything serious. And for her part, at least, Andromeda still was as infatuated with him now as she had been during their Hogwarts years. She laughed at the expression on the younger witch’s face; having spent her life anticipating an arranged marriage, Andromeda had never felt the same need for independence that so many girls did. She admired it, though; if she hadn’t met Ted, perhaps she might have been more like that, although she didn’t think it very likely. “Well, if you’re sure.” Taking a seat at Ted’s desk, she absent-mindedly started moving things around, the same way she tidied up after him at home. “What are you working on then, if I’m allowed to ask?”

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

ill-love-youtodeath:

“It’s perfectly fine. Honestly I was just worried someone tried to murder you in the street and I’d have to get to work on my day off.” Valeria teased her gently. She had heard all about the disownment, as interested in gossip as she was it was no wonder. Even people less interested in gossip had heard about one of the Black daughters running off to marry- well Valeria saw no point name-calling at 24. If the woman thought that marrying a muggleborn was best well that was her decision. Valeria had quite enough experience in St. Mungoes to realize all bloods bled red no matter what anyone else had to say about it. 

“I’d quite like that. Half the time I feel as if I live at St. Mungoes. It’s a miracle none of my plants have died yet honestly.” 

“Honestly, that wouldn’t even be a surprising turn of events, would it?” Andromeda laughed but the statement was far too accurate for it to be very funny. “I’m glad it didn’t though - I’d feel terrible if I were the cause of you going to work on your day off.” As it seemed that she wasn’t about to be subject to yet another lecture on her poor choices - why so many people were interested in her choices was really quite beyond her - Andromeda was able to relax more and enjoy the chance for a conversation with an adult that didn’t revolve around work. 

“I stopped trying with plants - partly because of work, but also because Dora can be a little over-enthusiastic when it comes to caring for them. She drowned the last few I had, so I thought I ought to wait a bit longer before I try again. What sort of plants do you have?”

[adnromeda]

andromeda black ♡ and all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes: thus mellow’d to that tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies.

[wariswonhq]

Stressed is Desserts Spelled Backwards // Tedromeda

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

nevercallmeteddy:

Ted wasn’t used to acting on impulse, but one look at his daughter when he picked her up from summer camp left his mind made up. He was going to treat them to desserts since that was a better idea than getting home and needing to tell Andie work let him go. Dora could tell there was something off with her father but her questions were lost the moment they reached the dessert aisle.

“Pick whatever you want,” He murmured and let Dora take off running. All he’d wanted was cake– not even cake. Just the frosting. It didn’t matter much since the carriage was full within five minutes. Dora looked about ready to combust from happiness. Getting home was easy, the two setting the sweets up all around the kitchen before digging in.

Losing track of time left Ted and Dora chatting excitedly in the dining room when Andromeda got home from work. Any sort of humor about the situation was lost when she stepped in the room.

“Look there’s a –” He couldn’t even call it a logical explanation since work hadn’t given one, so he pushed one of the cakes toward her instead. “Do you want cake?”

Andromeda Tonks had come home to some very strange things over the years since she had married Ted - even more so after Dora was old enough to be involved in their family life. Usually the oddities were their daughter’s ideas originally and Andromeda liked to think that she had learned to simply roll along with whatever awaited her. It was a very different life than what she had experienced growing up, but she didn’t want Dora feeling as squelched as Andromeda herself had felt. 

But this was different. Ted and Dora were surrounded by far more sweets than should ever be in the house at one time, and there was tension written in the lines of Ted’s body, and confusion buried in Dora’s eyes, and all it served to send little rivers of fear through Andromeda’s veins. She didn’t like this. It was too different, too odd. Something was wrong and she didn’t want to start considering possibilities. That was why she simply shook her head, offering Ted a tight smile, as she turned to hang up her cloak by the door. She took a few minutes to tidy - putting away her cloak and shoes, sending Dora’s toys whizzing back in the direction of her room, rearranging the pillows on the couch. It gave her a sense of normalcy again, allowed her to regain control, before she had to face whatever awaited her in the kitchen.

She returned when she felt she could do it calmly, dropping a kiss on Dora’s head. “Dora, dear, I think you need to go tidy up your room and we’ll save some of these sweets for after dinner.” After dinner for the next week. Honestly, what could Ted have been thinking? It had to be something terrible that made him do this. She waited until Dora was out of earshot, picking up several containers and putting them away until the sound of footsteps had receded into the distance. “Ted, what’s going? Why in the hell would you pick up so much - all of this?” She waved around the room, the anger in her voice a thin cover for the fear that lurked beneath the surface.

[jilylicious]

black family

I have researched the names of the Black family to make sense of the story line and to see if their names fit their personalities, I hope it helps you, too. Since I love doing research I thought I would just have some fun with their names. I took the following information mainly from Wikipedia but I have used few other sources, too.

Cygnus

Cygnus is a constellation in the Milky Way, it derives from the Latinized Greek word for swan. Swans are known for being “mate for life” and being extremely protective of their nests. Also the males help with the construction of the nest unlike other species that are considered close to the swans.

Cygnus is a neighbour to the Draco constellation, who is his grandson.

In Greek mythology, swans are in many myths. Zeus had transformed into a swan to seduce Leda, who is the mother of Gemini, Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. 

Druella

Druella doesn’t have a direct translation but I saw somewhere that it was probably German originated. So I did a few translations and a website suggested a word similar to Druella which was duell. As you may have guessed, It means duel in English so obviously I wasn’t satisfied with that.

So I separated the word to Dru and Ella. Dru is an old Greek, Welsh and French name and it means wise, warrior. Ella can be short for Eleanor meaning light or it can mean beautiful fairy woman so I chose the latter because I think beautiful fairy warrior suits Druella well.

Bellatrix

Bellatrix is the third brightest star in the Orion Constellation and it means the female warrior. 

There isn’t much about Bellatrix anywhere but the fact that her star is part of the Orion constellation is making me (and many others) think that maybe Bellatrix wasn’t from Cygnus and that maybe Druella and Orion may have had an affair. Black family is as messed up as Greek mythology so this is completely plausible. 

Andromeda

Andromeda is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way, the galaxy is named after the constellation Andromeda which contains Pisces and is representing goddess of fertility in modern culture.

Andromeda is known as the chained woman in English, the story comes from Greek Mythology. When Andromeda’s mother brags about how her daughter is more beautiful than Nereids (female spirits of se waters) Poseidon punishes them by sending a sea monster. Andromeda is stripped and chained to a rock awaiting her death but is saved by Perseus who is a demi-god (a mortal and Zeus). Perseus and Andromeda get married after this.

Some say that the constellation looks like a woman holding a sword instead of a chained girl which suits the Latinized Greek version of Andromeda which means ruler of men.

Narcissa

Narcissa is female version of Narcissus which is a flower, more specifically a daffodil. Narcissus is one of the most well known and depicted stories in the Greek mythology. 

Narcissus was a hunter who was known for being beautiful, he knew he was beautiful and he never though anybody who loved him was enough, he even despised them. One day Nemesis tricked Narcissus to come by a lake and when he looked at it he saw his own reflection and fell in love with an image. Unable to keep himself from looking at himself Narcissus died by the lake. This story is the root of the word narcissism. 

She is the only daughter of Cygnus and Druella who is not named after a star. Narcissa’s name reflects her personality but her narcissism isn’t just for her herself, it’s for her family. Yes she is narcissistic, yes she cares about herself but she is also a text-book Slytherin who is loyal to the ones she loves.

Orion

Orion is one of the most recognisable constellations in the sky, it is known as The Hunter. Orion is a very big constellation and it contains an asterism called The Belt of Orion which contains three stars who are known as either Three Kings or Three Sisters.

In Greek Mythology, Orion is a giant huntsman places among the stars by Zeus.  In Homer’s Iliad, Orion is described as a constellation and Sirius is his dog. (as if)

Walburga

Walburga also derives from German and means ruler of the fortress it also means strong protector probably for the blood lines rather than her family. I couldn’t find much on Walburga so I decided to search for Walburg and it means protector on the battlefield which is irrelevant to Walburga’s personality. 

Sirius

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius means glowing in Ancient Greek. The star system which Sirius is a part of is called Canis Major which literally translates to great/big dog and the star is also known as the Dog Star.

In mythology, Sirius was usually mentioned as Orion’s dog. The constellation Canis Major also follows constellation Orion with Canis Minor. Canis Major’s family is Orion, which is scary but true.

In Chinese astronomy, Sirius is known as the Celestial Wolf. (and some of y’all still don’t ship Wolfstar) 

Regulus

Regulus is also one of the brightest stars in the night sky, it is a part of the Leo constellation. Regulus is Latin for prince or little king. 

Leo is one of the Zodiac constellations and it means lion in English. 

In Greek mythology, Leo was the Nemean Lion killed by Heracles. The said lion was impervious to the warrior’s swords and weapons so the warrior had to kill the lion with his bare hands so Heracles went into the lion’s cave caught it from behind and broke it’s back. Regulus.. died.. in.. a.. cave.. too. 

I promised you “brain blowing” but I couldn’t because my brain refused to cooperate. If Orion was named Cygnus and Cygnus was named Orion, we could have had a marvellous story consistent with the characters in mythology and their constellations but welp. My excitement was because my brain confused Orion and Cygnus and I thought it was Cygnus who had an affair with someone and had Bellatrix, if that makes sense but still, I think the names explain a lot of things. 

Also it’s worth noting that Walburga, Cygnus and Alphard are siblings and Orion is their first cousin as disgusting as it may be. Druella is a Rosier and is married into the Black family. 

Also I will make additions if I find out anything else.

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

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[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

shadowson-myheart:

Severus had been wandering down the street, his only day off and he couldn’t even buy anything. No sense in wasting a day however, so he continued to look for odd hour jobs to pass the time. He wasn’t at a particularly nice point where he could just laze the day away and still expect food and shelter to fall into his lap. Rent was due next week and Borgin and Burke were refusing to pay until the end of the month, so there went Severus’s dinner for the next few days. Severus had been asking the hospital if they wanted a potionsmaster on the side only to be turned down for both his ‘lack’ of experience, fiery temper and the overwhelming fact they already had enough on their own. It was disappointing but Severus was used to disappointment, it was nothing new. As he walked around the back he ran into a woman sitting on the bench, she seemed rather pale, had she been looking for an appointment or something? Walking closer to be sure, Severus wasn’t quite that heartless. “Well it’s a good thing I don’t know or care about your husband. I’m not injured either, you seemed paler than I am and that’s saying something. Good to know you’re not on your deathbed though.”

Cracking her eyes open, Andromeda slid them in the direction of the boy who had interrupted her break; he seemed around Sirius’s age, perhaps, and she bit back another sigh. If he was anything like her cousin, this wouldn’t be nearly as peaceful a break as she wanted. “I suppose that is good,” she said after a moment’s consideration. “You’d be surprised how many people do.” Though she meant it to come out as a joke, her tone was a little too bitter for that, with the memory of so many people prying into her affairs coloring her words. “Lack of sunlight does that to a person but I can assure you, I’m as healthy as a horse. Just lacking a bit of sleep and fresh air but who isn’t, these days?”

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

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[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

ill-love-youtodeath:

“So they should be addressed to me then?” Valeria laughed lightly, things were currently moving slower than a tree snail inside of Mungoes when she snuck out for a rest and a bit of sunshine. “Though I do hope there aren’t many coming my way, I confess to running on too little sleep and too many pepper-ups to be healthy at this point.” Valeria smiled at her with bitter mirth. She had been on the night shift as well and really would have liked to be home by now but they were currently on short staff since Anderson came down with something contagious Valeria didn’t feel like remembering. So Valeria had buckled down and helped cover the missing shifts, even if her body nearly screamed in protest at the actions. “How are you Andromeda? Or would you prefer I call you Healer Tonks?” Valeria turned to look at her worriedly. 

“If anyone disturbs my break, I’ll certainly direct them to you,” Andromeda said with a laugh of her own. “Although since it appears you’re on break as well, I suppose that’s hardly fair of me. We’ll just shoo them away so neither of us has to be bothered.” She sighed, easily able to relate to too little sleep and too many pepper-ups. It seemed that the hospital never slowed down these days, and all the healers were running ragged. Andromeda thought she had it a bit easier than some of the others - she was sent home close to the right time most days, since she had a daughter to look after. “Aside from tired? I think I’m well enough. Either way, I can’t really complain. And Andromeda is fine. Healer Tonks sounds like I’m on duty and I’m trying to forget about work for a little while. How are you?”

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

Of Fathers and Daughters | Cygnus & Andromeda

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

the-swan-star:

Cygnus blinked a couple of times at the question, too busy in staring at his middle daughter, that he hadn’t seen in quite a long time. She was older now, a mother. She grew up beautifully. And Cygnus was so very proud of her. 

Cygnus chuckled gently. Hurt? Hardly. “Andi-Andromeda” probably best not to call her Andie anymore. She probably wouldn’t appreciate it and Cygnus didn’t want her to leave. Not after he hadn’t seen her in so long. “I have three daughters. I’ve had Narcissa run into me harder when she wanted a new trinket than what your little one did to me. And that’s not even going into Bellatrix. It’s a miracle I didn’t have a patchwork of bruises on my legs from you lot.” Cygnus teased. His smiled softening when he asked, “How have you been daughter mine?” Using his old nickname for her. “And how is your- Ted was it?” Cygnus may still think Ted Tonks had no manners whatsoever but he was Andromeda’s chosen so it would have to do. Now strangling Walburga for the slight she had dealt him, that would not do and would be settled later. Cygnus had no qualms that yes Andromeda was disowned for her choice of husband, but another part of it was she was Cygnus’s daughter and Walburga always was a vengeful bitch. 

It took everything in Andromeda not to simply grab Dora’s hand and pull her down the street again. She had contemplated an encounter like this so many times in the past few years, but none of them proved to be anything close to the truth when it came to how painful this was. The slips of his tongue, the childhood nicknames that threatened to escape - it was more than she thought she could handle at the moment. Despite all that, she couldn’t suppress a pained laugh at the thought of her sisters as children, running around the Black manor. She had joined in, obviously, although her collisions tended to be less spectacular or painful than Bella or Cissy’s, or so Andromeda thought in retrospect. It hadn’t been a perfect childhood, but she had never had reason to complain, until she was older and realized all the things she had lacked. Things that she and Ted were now providing for Dora, like unconditional love and acceptance.

“We’ve been -” Her voice started out relatively strong and steady but cut off abruptly, as her gaze moved from her father to Dora. It was too much, trying to juggle her own emotions and guess what games her father was playing with her and how Dora might react to this encounter. Her nerves were already fraying, after just a few minutes, and she couldn’t even begin to guess what she would be like by the time this was over. “I can’t - I’m not doing this. What do you want? You can’t - you can’t just stand there and pretend that you don’t hate me like the rest of them. The Black family position was made very clear.” Her voice had risen in pitch and volume until Dora looked up, sudden apprehension in her eyes.

“Mummy?”

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

No Comment

There was a bench outside St. Mungo’s where Andromeda liked to sit during her break; it faced the sidewalk that led to the entrance but was back enough that most passers-by didn’t care to stop and make conversation with her. It didn’t entirely work, of course, and she couldn’t count the number of times that she had been approached with a medical question. In general, though, she could count on a little bit of solitude and quiet when she sat here. So when she took her break, she went there and tipped her head back, eyes closed, enjoying the faint sunshine that managed to break through clouds and the gentle hum of noise from the pedestrians. When some of the footstesp seemed to draw closer to her, Andromeda held back a sigh of irritation. She had no desire for conversation and undoubtedly it would revolve around either a work-related question or the latest scandal involving the Tonks surname. She was used to that, from the time after her defection from pureblood society, but it didn’t make it any easier. “I’m not available for conversation about either my husband’s dismissal from the Ministry or your health-related concerns. Those should be addressed to a healer on duty. Comments about my husband should be withheld from a sense of common decency.”

[thefabone-deactivated20230103]

It's his birthday, he'll sleep if he wants to || Amos & Open

[thexunchainedmaiden-blog]

amoosediggory:

June 24, 1978 Location - “The Bachelor Pad”

Warm smiles, good moods all around, and the promise of cake and ice cream kept Amos from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of people in his home. He was using the birthday party as a goodbye to the flat (having placed an offer on a small cottage) and an apology to everyone he had cut out of his life over the last year or so.

He had invitations sent out to members of the Order of the Phoenix and several close friends and family members, knowing that everyone could use a bit of a distraction while the attack on Diagon Alley was still on everyone’s minds.

“Hey, I’m glad you could make it,” Amos beamed. “I figured the little tyke’s birthday was the best time for showing him off. It’s just too bad he decided to take a nap about twenty minutes before it started.”

“We were very happy to receive your invitation but I admit, Dora was quite disappointed when we arrived and Cedric was nowhere to be seen,” Andromeda said, laughing as she glanced around for a glimpse of her daughter. “I think she found the Weasley boys though, so she’s in a better mood now.” The Weasley boys were some of the few children in Dora’s age bracket who could keep up with her and Andromeda was immensely grateful for Arthur and Molly’s friendship.

The party was a welcome distraction as well, but she assumed that was part of Amos’s reason for hosting it. The chance to celebrate something like a child’s birthday might be insignificant to some people in the world but it meant everything to the people who had come that day. “I did assure her that he would likely be up before we left but that was more to make her stop pouting than any other reason. She’s a bit obsessed with babies at the moment.”