Estranged | Narcissa, Andromeda & Bellatrix Black

02 | dromeda

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d r o m e d a

IT WAS DIFFICULT to tell whether night had fallen. For the sky was sludge-coloured and congested with thick clouds that blocked any source of light. Not that it matters, Andromeda thought, Nymphadora will be Apparating home. Taking one last glance at the murky sky, she closed the curtains with a flick of her wand, simultaneously lighting the lamps in the kitchen. Ted Tonks stood watching her from the doorway.

"You use it for everything, don't you?" her husband raised an eyebrow. "Even for simple tasks like that, you just have to get your wand out."

"Just a habit," Andromeda replied airily, "you know how I was raised." She pursed her lips; it wasn't often she mentioned her childhood, and the subject still put her on edge.

"That was years ago — you're just lazy, 'Dromeda," he quipped, grinning at her. She knew he had sensed her discomfort, and she was grateful for his light-hearted tone.

"It means I have time to cook dinner for you and our daughter," Andromeda retorted playfully, pretending to swat him with a spatula. She had married a maverick, what else could she have expected? But before her husband could think of another comment, she found herself voicing the worry that had been plaguing her mind for the past hour: "She should have been back by now," she whispered fearfully.

Then she felt a comforting hand rest on her back. "Something probably came up at Hogwarts. Dora's with the rest of the Order, she's fine," her husband murmured consolingly. And it was his voice that calmed her, the voice that could pacify any storm. The voice she knew that could burst into a chuckle at any moment. But now, it was gentle, neutralising the corrosive thoughts eroding her conscience. Yes, she had married a maverick, but ironically, it was him who kept her grounded.

"I hope you're right." She gave him a wan smile before turning to tie a worn apron around her waist. Andromeda wordlessly waved her wand again, causing several cooking utensils to zoom out of the cupboards and vegetables to jump onto the countertop. Ted laughed. An inevitable smile tugged at her lips — she always loved it when he laughed. Leaving a soft kiss on her temple, Ted left her alone to work her magic in the kitchen.

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Crack.

The sound of Apparition made her turn around. Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin appeared in the middle of the kitchen. Seeing the patches of dried blood splattered on their cloaks, Andromeda gasped and rushed to her daughter's side.

But as Andromeda Tonks inspected her daughter, she noticed that despite her ragged appearance, Nymphadora was beaming. She looked happier than she had looked in months. Andromeda remembered just last week when she had hopelessly observed her daughter's overgrown waves hanging limply around her face; the lacklustre look in her eyes; the defeated slump of her shoulders.

Now, Nymphadora's dark eyes were twinkling and her head was held high. Her hair, after being a dull mousy brown for so long, had returned to its customary shade of bubble gum pink. Spiky and untamed, Nymphadora's cropped hairstyle framed her heart-shaped face, which was rosy-cheeked to match.

"Wotcha, mum."

Andromeda stood, stunned; her stare fixed on her daughter. "Nymphadora, I — what — "

She winked. "Tonks, honestly mum, you know I how much I hate 'Nymphadora,'" she drawled mockingly, rolling her eyes.

"Are you both all right?" Andromeda asked in a fretful voice, addressing them both. She pointed her wand at her daughter. "Scourgify." Abstractedly, she began to siphon the grime off Nymphadora's cloak.