family man

“This war should have been long over by now,” he explained with a resigned sigh. Ted should have never have had to join in the first place. But then he was focused on the hug. Fabian had always shown affection quite physically, but now it seemed even more vital, when any hug could be the last. He just hoped it was Ted outlasting him and not the other way around.

Fabian let out a little pondering hum, not quite judgemental, but definitely assessing the confession. On the surface, dishonesty seemed bad, keeping anything from your partner was not a precedent you’d want to start, but he understood. “Well, you have to keep them safe, first and foremost. Perhaps it’s better if they don’t know.” His brow furrowed in concentration as he set his thoughts into words. It was indeed a tricky situation, but Fabian knew the importance of family. He also knew the risk of keeping secrets and the distance that could put between people. “There’s not much point fighting if you don’t have them to go home to though Ted.” He said earnestly. He wasn’t quite sure what the advice was here, the warning or the moral. Perhaps only Ted could decide.

“How are they?” He asked, hoping to lighten the conversation. He tried to remember the last time he’d even seen Nymphadora. Of course, when she was a baby he’d made a few trips to visit her and his friends, but as time passed they became more and more infrequent. “She’s about Bill’s age right, blimey, is she already at Hogwarts?”

Ted hadn’t even noticed how long it had been since the war had started. It definitely felt like years, but he hadn’t realized it was because it had actually been years. “Ah - yeah.” However, even then, Ted always tried to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. “Don’t mean we won’t see the end of it.”

Ted felt a sense of relief having his friend Fabian agree with keeping his new allegiance a secret. He did heed the warning well from him as well. He hadn’t yet known or understood just how much Ted had been reminding himself the same notion. “I know. It’s not exactly my first choice.” In fact, he felt like there wasn’t any other option for him, seeing as they’d first come to a compromise to not get involved when the war had just broken out. And yet - that was literally years ago. Things change... they had to.

Ted kept his response small, yet sincere. “Andromeda’s good, good. Been keeping herself busy with work.” The last couple weeks had been as equally busy for him as well. They didn’t have much time to catch up with one another outside of the necessities, with him being away at Birmingham to visit family and Andromeda focused with Ministry work. 

Fabian’s heart sunk when Ted confirmed he’d joined the Order. His face must have fallen as well as he let out a defeated sigh. “I’m so sorry.” He said. This more than anything was a sign that they were failing. That Ted felt he had to join their rank now, after all these years, it was a sign that Fabian had not done what he’d set out to do. All these years, had they made any progress at all.

At the man’s cheery words he didn’t hesitate the negate his friend’s outstretched hand and pull him into a hug. He wished things didn’t have to be this way. It was one thing, seeing fresh young faces joining up. He had thought that by now, they’d have made some progress, defeated the threat, so that these young people might enjoy their lives, free from the fear of war. But at least they were only responsible for themselves.

Fabian pulled back and gave a sad but reassuring smile. “How does Andromeda feel about it? What about Nymphadora?” He asked, genuinely curious. Ted was a smart man, he must have factored in his wife and child when making this incredibly dangerous decision.

“Sorry?” Ted’s eyes glossed over with confusion, searching for an explanation in his pal’s expression. “Why should you be sorry?” He asked genuinely. After all, he had felt like he had finally done what was right all along. It had been about time since he had made the move. If anything, he was sorry he hadn’t done it sooner.

As Fabian brought his handshake into a hug, Ted fully stepped into the embrace of his old friend. This brought him the satisfied feeling that even after all this time, nothing could change the bond the two of them had. As Fabian pulled back, inquiring about his wife and child’s knowledge in all this, Ted pursed his lips while clearing his throat. “Between you and me, mate... I haven’t exactly told Andromeda or Nympadora.” He was in a clear frazzle, as he was not exactly proud of what he had just admitted.

Andromeda felt herself relax a bit as Ted embraced her. She had been wound up ever since Sirius asked her to pose as Bellatrix at that dumb engagement party, and the events that had taken place that night only served to make her more anxious. Though she couldn’t tell Ted about what happened, it was still a relief for him to be home. She felt safer when he was present –– as if there was someone else in the world who gave a damn about whether she was safe or not. And for all their troubles as a couple on the opposite sides of the tracks who had fallen into marriage after a surprise pregnancy, he did care about her safety, and she his.

In fact, Andromeda would even go so far as to say that he was her safe place. Despite the rockier parts of their marriage and the fact that she truly did miss her family and her old life, she wouldn’t give any of that up if it meant she would lose Ted. He was probably the only thing she had ever done right –– him and Dora. 

“How was your trip?” She asked, her words slightly mumbled since she was still pressed into his embrace. “How are your parents?” 

Ted took a deep breath - inhale then exhale. “It was alright.” He still held her in embrace, only now just loosening a little through his respiration, yet still refusing to let go of her just yet. His right hand slowly rubbing her back up and down in soft, sweet caress. “They’re better, much better. Dad’s finally accepted that recovery from his knee surgery means not going back to work and lifting up the entire new load of inventory.” He couldn’t bare but let out a chuckle. “Mum is just grateful that he’s healthy and I came to visit after all this time. They both send you their best.”

As Ted pulled away from her gently, he bent down to pick up his suitcase. He let his gaze trail away from her for only second, before looking back up at her, unable to hold back the grin of content he had for being able to stare at his wife again. “How was everything here while I was away?”

i’m home // tedromeda

Andromeda had walked through life in a daze these last two days. It had felt wrong, like a betrayal to Sirius, to just leave once she had apparated back to headquarters with everyone else. Her first thought had been making sure that her cover wasn’t blown, that no one who didn’t already know discover her involvement with the Order. But the moment she had arrived home, Andromeda was tangled up with guilt about it. Her cousin, her Sirius, had lost his best friend. In a mission that wasn’t supposed to be dangerous. It made her feel sick, to know that she hadn’t been there for Sirius on that night, that she had thought about herself before thinking of him. 

So these last two days, she’d just gone through the motions. Without Dora or Ted at home to distract her (which was probably a good thing, because she wasn’t sure she would pretend everything was okay), she had nothing to think about besides the pool of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Currently, Andromeda was sitting at the dining room table, some work she had brought home spread out in front of her, but her mind was far from the current project they were working on in the Department of Mysteries. All she could think about was Sirius.

Ted’s voice broke through her thoughts, and Andromeda started. Was he supposed to get home today? Merlin, had she forgotten? Running a hand through her disheveled hair, Andromeda stood from the table and made her way to the front hallway, forcing a smile on her face. “Oh, Ted,” she said softly, rounding the corner to see him standing there. “Welcome home.” 

As Andromeda turned the corner, you could see a wide, goofy looking grin spread across Ted’s face, as his eyes lightened up in content. “Hey.” He greeted her, very well knowing he already had, but now that he’d actually seen her, it felt real that he was finally back home. He dropped his bags at the entrance door and patted his hand down on the side of his thigh. As Ted walked down over to where she stood, he joked, “Haven’t forgotten what my muggy face looks like yet, I hope?” He couldn’t help but let out a short exasperated chuckle at the own joke he made. Done out of instinctual habit and craving for closeness, Ted leaned down to kiss his wife on the lips, just before bringing her in his embrace. Ted held her close to him, gently kissing the top of her head. “Thanks. I missed you.”

The last few days had been a blur. It had been all hands on deck with the Order, barely a moments rest. And then there had been the job offer yesterday, which he had accepted and was now preparing for. He’d start properly at the end of the week, as he’d agreed with Dumbledore, but there was still lots to wrap up here, and at Strongarm cottage. It wasn’t like he was disappearing forever, but being based mostly in the Scottish Highlands and having a fulltime job again meant he wouldn’t be quite as readily available.

He was at the Potter Estate today, doing a bit more digging into the bodies he and Bran had found in the woods. With everything else going on, it was very likely this discovery would get forgotten about by the inner circle. Or perhaps not forgotten, but not prioritised. He and Bran had agreed to do their own research into it. Not precisely in secret, but they didn’t have any kind of permission either. He figured he’d do some poking in the books that the Potter Estate boasted.

He had found very little, and with a head swirling with stuffy academic tomes, he’d decided to call it a day. He was on the way back to the fireplace when he ran into Ted Tonks. Ted had been one of his good friends, back at Hogwarts and for a few years after. He would still call him a good friend now, although they had grown apart quite naturally, their lives forking onto two very different paths.

“Ted!” He greeted cheerfully, although he was surprised to see him here. For the past few years, he had grown very used to thinking of Ted as a family man. Now to see him involved with the Order, it was jarring, and perhaps a little worrying. “Fancy seeing you here.” He pulled the man into a customary bear hug, then stood back, grinning. “How are you? What brings you to these parts?” Despite his concern, he was unexpectedly pleased to see him.

Looking at Fabian now, Ted had begun to realize how long it’d been since he had last seen his old friend. Fabian looked just the same, only now older and grown, maybe with some wear from probable stresses of the war. It almost came as a culture shock to Ted. How many years had it been since they had last spent time together? It was a shame it had to take a war and Ted finally gathering up the courage to finally do the right thing. Ted said, “I’ve joined the Order.” It was probably only the second time he had ever said that out loud. Ted shrugged his shoulders, subconsciously judging himself again for how long it had taken him to get to this moment. “Better late than never, am I right?” As he stepped closer to Fabian, Ted had the instinct to go in for a hug to greet his old friend, but unsure of how it would take with Fabian, instead he just held out his hand with the widest grin he had in a long time.

Date: February 16, 1982

Location: The Tonks Family Cottage

@meda-tonks​

The lock of the door clinked open. From his right hand, Ted held a tight grasp to his suitcase, while his left hand had used a key to open the door. Surely, he could’ve just used an unlocking charm, but he had done so mindlessly that by the time he noticed, it was too late. There were still some muggle habits to his routine that lagged around, especially after spending two weeks with his parents. Ted stepped in through the main door and called out energetically, “Hello, I’m home.”  

Once he had stepped in and closed the door behind him, Ted took a glance at the mirror by the door. Shit. His hair looked like a wild mess. Maybe it had been years since they’ve been together, and he was unlike other men for caring so much, but still, Ted always became self-conscious of how he looked for his wife. He shuffled through his hair, trying to fix his part, as he called out again to see if she was around. “Meda?”

Date: February 17, 1982

Location: Potter Estate

@a-glasshalfempty​

It had been two weeks since he had been at the Potter Estate on Order business. It was poor timing to join the organization fighting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s evil efforts, just as his mother had gotten sick back in Birmingham. However, he was assured his place would be saved for him in his return, as the Order of the Phoenix needed all the help they could get. And now that his mother was feeling better, Ted finally came back and after spending the day catching up with his wife Andromeda, it was time for him to check back in.

Ted apparated to the Potter Estate grounds, entering in the main door and began his search for Edgar Bones, who had been his main person for contact throughout the process. As he walked by the rooms and began his way upstairs, he felt an odd sense of emptiness and silence. Ted hadn’t visited the Estate many times at all, but it still felt odd. However, it was a passing thought, quickly thrown away as Ted felt his instinct was probably due to nerves or something of the sort.

Instead of finding Edgar, as he turned the corridor of the second floor, Ted encountered Fabian Prewett instead. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his old, good friend’s face or the matching looks of his twin brother Gideon. After a small delay of realization, Ted’s eyes widened and he bore a grin as he called out towards him, “Fab, aye! It’s good to see you, mate!”