Andromeda Black

## Andromeda Lucina Tonks (née Black)

> When his family had disowned him, only Andromeda had been there for Sirius. He would never forget that.
>
> The relationship between Andromeda and Sirius

**Andromeda Tonks** (née **Black**) (b. 4 April, 1952), also known as **Andy** and **Dromeda**, was an English pure-blood witch and the middle daughter of Cygnus Black III and Druella Rosier, as well as the sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1960s and was sorted into Slytherin House.

After Hogwarts, she married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, and was disowned by her prejudiced pure-blood supremacist family. From that point onward she and her relatives had no further contact, aside from her cousins Sirius and Regulus, and their wives. In 1973 she became the mother of Nymphadora Tonks. Her daughter later became an Auror in 1994 under the watchful eyes of Alastor Moody.

During the Second Wizarding War, Andromeda and her husband were allies of the Order of the Phoenix, as their daughter was a member. Nymphadora married Remus Lupin in 1997 and had a son, Edward Remus Lupin. In 1998 during the height of the war Andromeda's husband was murdered by Snatchers. Nymphadora was almost murdered during the Battle of Hogwarts by Andromeda's older sister, Bellatrix Lestrange.

After the Second Wizarding War, Andromeda helped her daughter and son-in-law raise her grandson. She spent time around the Black, Potter, and Weasley families.

## Biography

### Early life

Andromeda was born on 4 April 1952, at Black Manor, Westbury, Wiltshire, England. She was the second-born daughter of Cygnus Black III and Druella Rosier, and younger sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and older sister of Narcissa Malfoy. Walburga and Orion Black were her aunt and uncle on her father's side, and Sirius and Regulus Black her cousins. Evan Rosier is a cousin on her mother's side. Alphard Black was also Andromeda's uncle.

She was Sirius and Regulus Black's favourite cousin, their families were very close, spending holidays together and raising their children together.

### Hogwarts years

Andromeda attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1663 to 1970 and was sorted into Slytherin House. She was very skilled in Charms class, giving her proficiency with casting various household charms. She was also talented in Defence Against the Dark Arts, because in her adult life she managed to resist torture without revealing any vital information or losing her sanity.

During her years at Hogwarts, Andromeda met and subsequently fell in love with Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks, despite her family's steadfast belief in the importance of blood purity.

### Life after Hogwarts

Andromeda married Ted and was subsequently disowned and burned off the family tapestry in 12 Grimmauld Place by her aunt, parents and sisters. Her older sister, Bellatrix, cut off contact with Andromeda because she considered her a blood traitor for her marriage. Narcissa, although keeping up public appearances, secretly remained in contact with Andromeda.

In 1973, at the age of twenty, Andromeda and Ted had one child, Nymphadora Tonks. Andromeda selected the name, which her daughter strongly disliked, preferring to be known simply as "Tonks" by her friends. Ted, Remus Lupin, and Andromeda called her Dora for short.

Andromeda had a talent for cleanliness that her husband and daughter did not share. Andromeda claims this was imposed on her by her mother Druella.

Her daughter, Nymphadora, began her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1984 and was sorted into Hufflepuff House at the Sorting ceremony. Nymphadora graduated from Hogwarts in 1991 and went on to train and later work as an Auror for the British Ministry of Magic. Nymphadora worked as an Auror between the wars and during the Second Wizarding War. Andromeda frequently worried about her daughter's safety.

### Second Wizarding War (1995-1998)

Although Andromeda and Ted were not official members of the second Order of the Phoenix, they allowed their home to be one of the Order's safe-houses and were supportive of the organisation to which their daughter belonged. Nymphadora married Remus Lupin in the summer of 1997; he suspected that her parents did not approve because he was a werewolf, though that was not true; given the fact that Andromeda was not a pure-blood supremacist.

After the Battle of the Seven Potters, they were instrumental in Harry Potter's moving from Potter Manor to The Burrow: Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid took temporary refuge in Tonks' home, where Andromeda took care of Hagrid's injuries. She seemed somewhat offended when Harry first reacted to her as if she were her sister Bellatrix because of their resemblance. She and Ted were both very worried about their daughter when they learned that the Order was ambushed by Death Eaters when transporting Harry, though Ted tried to reassure his wife by pointing out that their daughter had been through worse in the course of her work as an Auror.

When the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control in August of 1997, the magical protections around the Order safe-houses were broken. Andromeda and Ted were interrogated and tortured by Death Eaters for information pertaining to Harry Potter and the Order. Their son-in-law reported that they were "*shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay*". Soon after this, their daughter discovered that she was pregnant and came to stay with Andromeda and Ted, as her husband temporarily left her out of fear that he would pass on lycanthropy to their child.

The Ministry soon began persecuting Muggle-borns by forming the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, which charged Muggle-borns with having stolen their magic and their wands from "real" witches and wizards. Ted refused to register on principle and was forced to go on the run; Andromeda, as a pure-blood, was safe and stayed with her pregnant daughter. Some time before the birth of her grandson Teddy, Andromeda was left a widow, as her husband was murdered by Snatchers.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Andromeda's older sister, Bellatrix, attempted to murder Andromeda's daughter. The attempt failed, as Onyx De Loughrey was able to stun Bellatrix. Bellatrix was later killed by Andromeda.

### Later life (Post 1998)

Andromeda helped her daughter raise her grandson, Teddy, and thus also spent a lot of time with his godfather, Harry Potter, and the Weasley and Black families.

## Physical appearance

Andromeda had an uncanny physical resemblance to her older sister, Bellatrix, to the extent where Harry almost attacked her during their first meeting. She had the patrician beauty and aristocratic bearing that were the typical characteristics of the House of Black, the only differences being that, while Bellatrix was dark-haired and had heavily-lidded malicious eyes, Andromeda had light brown hair, and her eyes were wider and kinder.

## Personality and traits

Andromeda was very different from both of her sisters: while her sisters married into "respectable" pure-blood families, she married for love despite her family's opposition, leading to her family's hatred of her.

She was a good mother, as seen by her showing her concern about her daughter's whereabouts after the Battle of the Seven Potters and taking care of her during her pregnancy. She was also a good grandmother, as she helped raise her daughter's son.

Apart from her husband and daughter, her cousins Sirius and Regulus Black considered her to be their only true family, demonstrating that Andromeda always treated them with respect and kindness. In addition to being a good wife, mother, and grandmother, she was a good friend because, despite being under torture, she did not reveal anything that could harm Harry Potter or any of her friends. Like Molly Weasley, Andromeda was a woman dedicated to her family and friends. Thus, in many ways, Andromeda's personality contradicted the "evil Slytherin" stereotype held by many students of the other Houses. Instead, she appeared to embody the Slytherin principle of fraternity, as seen by her standing by her friends, family, and allies.

## Magical abilities and skills

* Healing magic: After the Battle of the Seven Potters, Harry and Hagrid took refuge in her house, where she successfully healed Hagrid's injuries. Given Hagrid's half-giant nature and concomitant natural magical resistance, this does imply she was a talented Healer.
* Household magic: Andromeda had a talent for cleanliness and household spells, a talent that her husband and her daughter did not share. According to Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda mastered highly the Pack Charm, getting stuff to fit itself in neatly and even getting socks to fold themselves.

## Relationships

### Family

#### Black Family

Andromeda's relationship with her parents was a bad one. Because she married a Muggle-born against her family's ideals of blood purity she was disowned and not considered a Black after that. Her parents did not consider her as their daughter anymore after her marriage and, like Bellatrix, cut off all contact with her. Andromeda's parents along with Bellatrix never met Andromeda's daughter. Narcissa, however, secretly kept contact with Andromeda.

When they were younger, Bellatrix and Andromeda were very close. Although they never shared the same ideals, the two were very close. And although Bellatrix never admitted it, she felt betrayed when Andromeda married Ted Tonks. Andromeda was never as close with Narcissa as she was with Bellatrix, but the two were nonetheless inseparable, as Andromeda practically raised Narcissa. Despite their different ideals, Narcissa did not stop seeing her sister even after her family's disapproval of Andromeda's marriage. The two secretly remained close through the years.

After she married the Muggle-born Ted, Andromeda was disowned and both her parents and older sister cut off all contact with her. Andromeda's relationship with Bellatrix was particularly hateful, given that Bellatrix attempted to murder Andromeda's own daughter (though, Bellatrix was eventually killed by Andromeda). Bellatrix did not hesitate to try to kill Andromeda when she saw her sister during the Battle of Hogwarts. Andromeda also seemed to be offended when Harry Potter, upon first seeing her, reacted as if she were her older sister. Andromeda showed no remorse for her older sister's death at her own hands given Bellatrix's cruelty towards her and her attempts to murder both her child and Sirius. Andromeda's relationship with Narcissa, however, was not hateful and was more of a caring one. Following Voldemort's defeat and Lucius Malfoy's arrest, Narcissa renounced her formerly valued pure-blood supremacy.

Andromeda's younger cousin Sirius Black told Harry Potter in 1995 that Andromeda was his favourite cousin. Like her, Sirius was considered a "blood traitor" by their family, and was disowned for his beliefs. The two were really close in their younger years. Sirius considered Andromeda and Nymphadora family and thus spent a lot of time with the Tonks family.

#### Ted Tonks

Andromeda married Ted Tonks in spite of her family's hatred of Muggle-borns, which led to her being disowned and shunned by her sister. The two loved each other greatly. Ted comforted his wife when they were unsure what happened to their daughter after the Battle of the Seven Potters, reassuring her that, as an Auror, Tonks had been through worse.

#### Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora and her mother were close, though Tonks disliked the given name her "*fool of a mother*" gave her. Andromeda was delighted when news that her daughter and Remus Lupin were in love and that they planned to marry got to her. She was overjoyed when she found out about Nymphadora's pregnancy. Andromeda was frantic with worry over her daughter's participation in the Second Wizarding War and opted to stay with her during her pregnancy, while Ted went on the run from the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. When Tonks went off to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, Andromeda accompanied her daughter and the two left Teddy in the care of Diane Juneberry, a half-elf that worked at the Macmillan Manor. Andromeda fought alongside her daughter, although the two were separated, during which time her older sister Bellatrix attempted to kill her daughter. Andromeda did not the take the news lightly, attacking and killing her sister with a deadly blow.

After the final battle of the Second Wizarding War, Andromeda would help raise her grandson.

### Harry Potter

The first time Harry met Andromeda, he thought that she looked a lot like her sister Bellatrix but with kinder eyes and lighter hair. Her resemblance to Bellatrix was such that Harry attempted to attack her, but upon realising his mistake, he felt bad and apologised as her physical comparison to her sister seemed offensive to her.

After Voldemort's downfall, Harry spent a lot of time around Andromeda's grandson and his godson, Teddy Lupin. Harry liked and respected Andromeda for her ideals and because she was Tonks' mother.

### Order of the Phoenix

Andromeda was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, but did not join the second Order, nevertheless, she supported the Order's ideals (given her marriage to a Muggle-born). As her daughter and son-in-law were members, she would allow the Order use of her house as a safe house. She had a good relation with all of the members, and was a close friend of Arthur and Molly Weasley. She was a member the Order during the First Wizarding War and let her home be used as a safe-house. Andromeda proved her loyalty in 1998 when she was tortured by Death Eater in her home and did not reveal anything of importance regarding Harry or the Order, despite the fact that she was under torture.

## Etymology

Many members of the House of Black — such as Sirius, Bellatrix, and Regulus — are named after stars or constellations as well as mythological figures, and the name Andromeda follows this pattern. It is a northern constellation that contains the Andromeda Galaxy and was named after the character from Greek mythology: a princess who was chained to a rock to be sacrificed to a sea monster, as divine punishment for her mother's (Cassiopeia) boasting, but was saved by the hero Perseus, whom she then married. This may allude to Andromeda Tonks' estrangement from her aristocratic, but cruel extended family.

## Credits

I do not own this character. All rights to this character belong to the original author. However, I (MidgardianofAsgard) changed much of the original storyline, and thus much of the information in this page belongs to me.