Andromeda Tonks

## Andromeda Olga Tonks (née Black)

**Andromeda Olga Tonks** (née **Black**) (born 29 December, 1952), also known as **Dromeda**, was an English pure-blood witch and the middle daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née Rosier), as well as the sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from September 1964 to June 1971 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. 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, Ted, was murdered by Snatchers in Snowdonia. Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora, was also murdered by Andromeda's older sister, Bellatrix Lestrange.

## Biography

### Early life (1950s)

Andromeda was born on 29 December, 1952, in Black Manor, believed to be located on the outskirts of Tisbury, Wiltshire, England. She was the second daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née 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 only cousins at the time. Alphard Black was also Andromeda's uncle.

Andromeda did not have an especially happy childhood, but luckily, that changed once she left for school. Her parents, Cygnus and Druella, despised each other with every fibre of their beings, and took little interest in their daughters. Druella was especially cruel to them. When Andromeda was eleven years old, she witnessed her mother and father's explosive duel which ended up sending both of her parents to St. Mungo's.

In 1963, Cygnus and Druella attempted to duel each other to the death. It was not known what caused the intense firestorm of anger that was unleashed, only that they could not stay together anymore. Andromeda, then eleven, and Narcissa, aged eight, bore witness to the duel which left Druella in hospital for a week. They separated after that, citing irreconcilable differences. Druella left the manor and all three of her children and did not even demand to see them. Narcissa, eight, was heartbroken. Andromeda, eleven, and already a witness of the fact that her mother was an abusive terrifying person, was thankful, but relieved, and Bellatrix, twelve, had no idea what had happened and came home for Christmas to find their mother gone and their father sulking in his room. Bellatrix was always Druella's favourite, and it was no secret that she was devastated. She became prone to throwing insane tantrums and demanding that she go live with her mother, who would teach her dark magic, but even Druella didn't want to see her and Bellatrix didn't understand.

She was also Sirius Black's favourite cousin, growing up.

### Hogwarts years (1960s)

Andromeda received her Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1963. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from September 1963 to June 1970 and was sorted into Slytherin House. She may have been very skilled in Charms class, given her proficiency with casting various household charms. It is also possible that she was 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.

At some point during or after her education 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. Statements by her sisters indicate that both of them cut off contact with Andromeda because they considered her a blood traitor for her marriage.

In 1973, around 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.

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. Nymphdora 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)

**Andromeda**: *"What happened to our daughter? Hagrid said you were ambushed; where is Nymphadora?"*
**Harry Potter**: *"I don't know. We don't know what happened to anyone else."*
— Andromeda asks Harry about her daughter's safety
Although Andromeda and Ted did not appear to be official members of the 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 it is unknown if this was 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 Privet Drive 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.

#### Interrogation and Torture

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 in Snowdonia.

Andromeda's daughter was killed in action during the Battle of Hogwarts by Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda's sister, and Antonin Dolohov, respectively. Her son-in-law survived, however. Bellatrix was later killed herself by Molly Weasley.

## Physical Appearance

*"As she moved forward into the room, Mrs Tonks's resemblance to her sister Bellatrix became much less pronounced: Her hair was a light soft brown and her eyes were wider and kinder."*
—Description
Andromeda was described to have an uncanny physical resemblance to her older sister, Bellatrix, to the extent where Harry almost attacked her during their first meeting. Hence, she most likely 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

It is safe to assume, given her marriage to a Muggle-born, that 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 clearly 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 raised her daughter's son after her death.

Apart from her husband and daughter, in his youth, her cousin Sirius Black considered her to be his only true family, demonstrating that Andromeda always treated Sirius 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.

## Etymology

Many members of the House of Black — such as Sirius, Bellatrix, and Cygnus — appear to be named after stars or constellations, 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.