healer

N E U T R A L ;

It made sense at first. To stay in the middle, neutral, neither supporting a side or the other. As a healer, you needed to have no bias, and Andromeda was well aware of that. And as it had been a dream of hers to be a healer since she was twelve years old, she had made up her mind about her place in the war quite early on. Of course, she kept it hidden from her family. She was well aware of their convictions, and though she didn’t agree with them, she always kept her mouth shut. 

In Hogwarts, it was easy to stay neutral. The war wasn’t completely absent from the school’s hallways, but it was far lesser than the war outside the stone walls. Andromeda spoke to few, mostly kept to her small circle of old friends and Slytherins, and most would have probably assumed she would eventually end up on the Dark Lord’s side, what with her family name and her seemingly cold nature. Thing was, Andromeda had never believed in the concept of blood purity. It had started, when she was little, from her not understanding why her parents treated muggles like lesser beings when they looked just like her, and had grown into an inner rebellion against those discriminatory beliefs. Not that that rebellion ever saw the light of day, not really, but inside? Inside, Andromeda knew she believed in equality. 

Still, when it came down to it, Andromeda never thought of herself as a fighter. As someone who’d actively work to defend others. She’d save them, and she’d do it well, but she couldn’t imagine herself in the battlefield. Plus, she was scared. Terrified, really. How would she react if she ever came face to face with her older sister whilst fighting for the other woman’s enemy? And of course, there was not a single doubt in Andromeda’s head about the fact that she would never side with the Dark Lord. Not just because of Ted and Nymphadora, because of course they played a big part in the way she felt about it all, but because she simply didn’t believe in the Death Eaters’ cause. Still, she did not fight. She did not rebel, she did not rise up. She stayed right smack in the middle, healing people from both sides yet starting to feel a bit more resentful towards a particular side.

June 11th 1979 - 1:34PM - St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

her fingers flexed on the polished silver door handle, as if rejecting her notion to enter the room. they loosened for a fraction of a second, mind half-convinced to return to work, before regaining their grip and twisting the knob. it spun with ease. the quietest sigh escaped her lips as she slipped through the opening, only a sliver of space revealing the room beyond. a lounge reserved for a specific cohort of healers, regularly apprehended by two women for this very purpose. her wand flicked behind her, locking the door with a click and several wards before finally finally finally she sunk into the chair across from andromeda black (fucking tonks, she cursed herself with the reminder.) ( @andrmdatonks ), head slumping to rest on one palm. “need i remind you that if you had settled for a life of complacent misery like the rest of us, i wouldn’t have to perform this cloak and dagger routine constantly.” a raised eyebrow punctuated her words but… as reluctant as tessa was to be seen publicly with the disgraced andromeda tonks, she dreaded more the possibility of losing her oldest friend. and this, hidden moments at st. mungo’s, was the safest way for them to remain what they always had been - close.

andromeda understood the secrecy much too well. she understood why tessa needed to hide the fact that they were still friends, and why she always had to perform this complicated routine whenever the two old friends wanted to spend time together. smiling lazily as the brunette sat in front of her, andromeda let out a short, but humourless laugh as she looked into the other’s eyes. something she had been taught not to do, but had been doing ever since she left the family that disowned her for who she fell in love with; for not believing in this blood purity nonsense like the rest of them. “why, is that bitterness i sense there, tessa? jealous, are you?” she asked, though it was only in jest. she knew fully well that her friend far from envied her life, and tessa wouldn’t be tessa if she acted otherwise. “admit it, you love all the secrecy. doesn’t it feel rebellious somewhat, for you? like when we used to smuggle firewhiskey into school.”

“oh, ted,” andromeda giggled almost silently, a smile growing onto her face without her knowledge. just thinking about her husband made her happy, in a way nothing but her little family could. ted and nymphadora? her whole life, truly. 

snapping out of her reverie, andromeda looked down at her glass and blushed slightly, a half-smile still present on her smile. “did you know that i didn’t think i’d be able to stand him at first? some teachers put us together to run some kind of studying group, and he was a year younger, and so galant, and i just… i had preconceived ideas. but god, i’m so glad i didn’t stick to those ideas and learned to know him better. at first, i thought he was mocking me when he offered to walk me back to the dungeons? can you imagine that? i thought ted was… being mean to me. i was the opposite of innocent. i thought people only meant harm, and he showed me how wrong i was. god, he showed me so much. he showed me what it’s like to love freely. not to be restricted by what’s supposedly right and wrong. not that i thought blood purity was right before him. don’t get me wrong, i had a soul or whatever before i met ted. but he helped me realize some things were worth fighting for. and god, he’s so amazing. so perfect, so wonderful, so amazing. and he’s so complex, too. i feel like people don’t really get to see the real ted, sometimes. like, okay, so... i don’t know how to explain it, but he’s much more than just a nice guy. which he is, but i mean... he’s more than just that. and i love him so much. i’ll never regret choosing him. he’s my person.”

swallowing somewhat nervously, somewhat angrily, andromeda looked down into the bottom of her glass. “bellatrix is... was. was my sister. but... growing up? she was my defender. i relied on her more than i ever relied on anyone else, except myself. and to see the hatred in her eyes when she found out about ted and me? it killed me. my sister, my protector, just... hating me. fuck. i shouldn’t care. i shouldn’t give a single care. the black family isn’t a family, it’s politics. it doesn’t matter who you’re related to, it’s about your reputation. about what you do. about what you think. about whether you shut up or speak up. you can’t be yourself in that family. or well, you can be. if you’re bellatrix or narcissa. if you’re lucky enough not to care.”

“aaaaaaah, tessa,” andromeda drawled out, looking at her bracelet as she thought it over. taking a sip from her drink, she sat up straighter and sighed. “tessa’s amazing. honestly, we get along so well. i don’t think that anyone else, except maybe ted, understands me so well. kindred spirits or whatever. problem is, she doesn’t want to be seen with me, does she? of course not. i’m a friend, when it’s useful. no, that’s not fair. i’m a friend, and if she was seen with me, it’d hurt her. because of the choices i made. because of who i fell in love with. i’m glad she hasn’t completely abandoned me, really. some people couldn’t give any less of a care about me ever since i was disowned, but tessa? tessa stayed. and i get it. i would have done the same thing as her had i been in her place. truthfully? had i not fallen in love with ted? i’d be married to whoever my parents would have chosen for me, and i’d probably be sneering down at others. jesus christ, i’d be the worst. anyway, i wasn’t fair earlier. i get it. i get it so much. god, it’s honestly a miracle i’m not the one having to hide who i’m friends with.”

WHEN: 8 June, 1:23PM WHERE: Elizabeth’s home WHO: @andrmdatonks

Usually, she would be sipping a mimosa at a moment like this, but alas — she was stuck drinking her orange juice without champagne. That was just one of the many downsides of being pregnant, Elizabeth had found, and she was growing rather tired of it. It was worth it all, of course, but that day, it was rather hard to accept that. “I’m so sick of having bloated ankles, Dro. I can’t fit in so many of my nice shoes any more.” She wasn’t too broken up about it in all honesty — it was frustrating, sure, but she had dealt with bigger problems before. It was nice to complain, though. It relaxed her. “ANYWAY, enough about that — how is Tonks doing?” 

Andromeda appreciated a small break from everything from time to time, and one of the few people who ever managed to make her feel like she was on one of those breaks was definitely Luciana. Mimosa in hand, Andromeda smiled slightly at the other woman. “To be honest, the bloated ankles never bothered me much. I was too busy being nauseous to care about much, really,” she stated before taking another sip of her mimosa. “I do feel bad for you, though. I remember how annoying it was not to be able to wear my usual clothes when I was pregnant, and nothing pregnancy related looks any good whatsoever. Anyway, Nymphadora’s fine. Please don’t indulge her in this whole rebellion against her first name. It’s bad enough she insists on putting on a pig nose these days to go to school.”

A N D R O M E D A , 

— character parallels 

andromeda could have apparated home, really. or even taken floo powder if she had felt up to it. however, the woman didn’t feel like going home yet. it wasn’t that she wasn’t excited to see ted and dora. in fact, she wished they were there with her at that moment, walking along diagon alley at night. thing was, andromeda needed not to be in a confined space at the moment. she had been working at the hospital for twenty-four hours straight, and desperately needed some fresh air. which was exactly why she had decided to walk home. okay, so, maybe taking a detour down diagon alley wasn’t the smartest choice, but she’d make up for it by buying some ice cream for dora and being there for ted later on. 

she didn’t hum to herself. she never had. andromeda wasn’t the kind of person to make any noise that was unnecessary, especially not in public. she didn’t talk unless needed, didn’t hum unless she was putting her daughter to sleep, and certainly did not sing in front of anyone. therefore, it made sense that he didn’t hear her coming. but she saw him, and she couldn’t help but freeze. they had been friends, once. had gotten along quite well, in fact. and she couldn’t help but miss him. she didn’t regret choosing ted and leaving behind that life, and never would, but that didn’t mean she’d simply forgotten about her past, and seeing rabastan standing there brought it all back to the front of her mind.

“ ––– mrs tonks ! “ she’s taken aback, having almost never seen the woman outside of the confides of st. mungo’s. there, she was respected and admirable, two words mary knew would never follow her name throughout the halls of the hospital. there, she was used for her one exceedingly brilliant skill, the way she’d brew and concoct whatever it was they needed with ease. however much mary had tried to hide it, she couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of intimidation. she’d worn a mask, a facade that began to soak itself into her like a second skin. that of strength, of confidence. “ i didn’t mean to be intrusive –– “  but she needn’t apologize, instead her gaze widens and for a moment of brevity she reverts back into something short of the recluse she’s become. as if, for a second, there’s something almost friendly in her tone. “ i ‘spose i didn’t recognize you out of uniform. although, that dress does look flattering.”

“ me ? i was just ––– “ whilst secrets were something in which mary couldn’t stand, the hypocrisy that coursed through her veins was almost transparent. her fatal flaw , she was sure of it. yet, it didn’t seem to stop her from refraining from the truth, from hiding a part of herself away from the world she’d become too tarnished to call her own. “ i live right up the road , needed some air. “ because you can’t sleep , because every time you close your eyes you want to scream . “ although i ‘spose diagon alley was the wrong place to come for that, all i’ve been smellin’ is the pies from the leaky cauldron “

andromeda barely knew mary. they had met each other a few times at the hospital, and the older of the two had learned to respect the brunette. she did her job well, and that was something andromeda had always appreciated in a person. still, at work, she made it a point not to get personal with people, always keeping on a professional front. therefore, she didn’t know much about the woman standing in front of her that night. still, someone who worked well was someone deserving of respect in andromeda’s mind, and she didn’t mind chatting with mary a little bit before she had to go... ‘let loose’. a term that made her shudder down to her core. “understandable.. the bright green uniform does often catch the attention much more than our faces. and thank you.”

andromeda had learned to discern lies at a very young age, and had only gotten better at it through time; especially with patients who didn’t always want to reveal what had happened to them. and though it was subtle, barely there even, she felt like mary wasn’t being completely honest with her. not that andromeda minded. sometimes, lies were much easier than the truth, and that was something she could thoroughly understand. therefore, she didn’t push into the matter any more than was necessary, a small smile appearing on her face as she slightly tilted her head to the side. “have something against pies? although, to be fair, i can see why it doesn’t exactly qualify as fresh air.”

A N D R O M E D A ,

Name: Andromeda ( advising like a man ) Callisto ( most beautiful ) Tonks ( twin ) , née Black ( absence of light ) . Nicknames: Andy & Dromeda ( though good luck if you ever call her that and you’re not Ted, who she’ll forgive almost anything ) . Age: Twenty-seven . Birthday: September 21st , 1951 . 6PM sharp . Place of Residence: In a flat in London, with Ted and Nymphadora .  Pronouns: She / her / hers . Sexual Orientation: Bisexual . 

VIOLA. — How skilled of a liar are you?

I guess you could say I’m a pretty good liar. Growing up a Black, if you don’t believe in everything they do, it’s a necessity. I try not to lie too often now, though. Especially when it comes to my family. Well, except for Nymphadora and Santa Claus. Ted insisted on it, and I thought it was an interesting idea. Though I am afraid of the repercussions of that lie. Dora seems so attached to the fictional man... Well, let’s just say I’m hoping this is the last time I’ll ever lie to her. Except for when she asks about my family, of course. She’s too young to know how they feel about her existence, and deserves a few more years of peace away from their hatred. 

ROSALINE. — Which people from your past haunt you?

Bellatrix and Narcissa. I might miss my parents, but it’s nothing compared to how much I miss my sisters. I still can’t believe my daughter won’t get to know her aunts; that they hate her simply for who her parents are. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it, no matter how much I understand why things are the way they are. I knew what was going to happen when I chose Ted, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. It’s silly, but I guess there was some part of me who hoped things would be different. That they’d make an exception for me. But I guess I made my choice, and I don’t regret it. I might miss them, but I have a family of my own now. They’re the ones I need to focus on. They’re the ones who return my love. I shouldn’t wait anymore time thinking about the past. But it’s hard... Look at me, rambling on. I really shouldn’t have had that fourth glass of red. I just... I miss them. They’re— they were my sisters. My family. 

ANDROMEDA TONKS (NÉE BLACK) — MINIMALISTIC MOODBOARD

        d a i n t y fingers move the cocktail stirrer in the almost empty martini glass. smile already given to the bartender in the quest for one more, and another after that. the news splayed out on the chair next to her. headline screaming for her attention but she ignores it with another sip of alcohol and doe eyes scanning the bar she had found herself in many times lately. with a sigh and another smile she lets the bartender know that she wants her next drink n o w and quickly the empty glass is replaced by a new. B E N J Y   F E N W I C K she remembered the name from hogwarts but couldn’t quiet place him. only knowing that he had been an order member now behind bars waiting for conviction. at least he got captured, if it had been her she had been d e a d within seconds. & as arm brush against hers she turns around, closes the article that has been open ( that has been read ) quickly and smiles, d i s a r m i n g l y. ❛ if you wanted my attention you could’ve just asked. ❜ 

the night out with ted and their friends was going a lot better than andromeda had anticipated. though she regretted not being able to tuck nymphadora in, she knew a night out was something she needed. having worked so hard lately, what with all the injuries and fatalities, andromeda was simply exhausted. not just physically, but also mentally. therefore, the fact that she was tipsy only made sense, though she had but a few drinks. kissing ted on the cheek after asking everyone what they wanted next, she got up and made her way over to the bar. there, she didn’t even notice she had brushed against someone until the other spoke out. freezing in her tracks, andromeda had to take a deep breath before she could respond. assuming marlene had simply not recognized her, she gritted her teeth for a moment before plastering an uncaring expression upon her face - an expression she knew all too well. “take a closer look, sweetheart,” she drawled out, before turning back to the bartender. “three whiskeys, a bellini and a martini. stirred.”