thou shall not harm

The voice of her mother nagged in the back of her head, she should have said no to this. It would have been fair easier to just say no. Yet here she was, maybe it was the rebellious streak her parent’s scorned so much or perhaps she really was changing her mind. Ted was nothing like they said. He was kind, and funny. The time they spent together on prefect rounds provided those two fact to be true at the very least. 

His lanky shadow paraded towards her and Andromeda felt herself smiling already. How could one person do that to someone else? How could just his silly walk make her beam. A strange warmth circling her chest, the closer he came. 

“Hi, Tonks.” The fondness in her voice was so unfamiliar Andromeda forgot herself. For now she’d just be here.

He could barely believe that she had said yes-- hell, he could barely believe that he had suggested it. Shirking off their rounds, what was he thinking? Clearly not straight because the last several months he’d been clouded by the look in her eyes and her easy laugh-- it’d been so simple to just talk to her. She really listened, and Ted-- who had trouble being talkative at the best of times-- kept going and going and going, just for a rare chance to make her smile or see her laugh. 

He was late though, and he’d found himself scurrying down the halls, feeling utterly moronic-- what was going to happen? 

He had no idea but he was desperate to find out. 

He should be past the little strings that pull at his heart sometimes when Ted smiles at him-and he is. Really. But a lot of his own coming out had been tied to recognizing what his feelings for Ted had actually been, so of course, a few of those feelings, however juvenile, are always going to linger. 

“Erm, you might know her already-Cleona O’Dempsey? She was two years ahead of us, Gryffindor, big…”  He pauses, his hands half way through the gesture to indicate a large bosom before remembering that he is, in fact, not a teenager anymore. “….personality.” He laughs. “She owns that tea shop in Diagon? And uh, she’s pretty fucking incredible.”

“And you know…don’t have to keep her a secret so that’s always a plus.” 

He take another big swig of his beer. 

“But who knows, Ted, might be following in your footsteps after all. How’d you…”  He scrunches his nose. 

“How’d you know when she was it?”

Though Ted doesn’t think that marriage is the end all be all for everyone, he unabashedly loves love. He also, for what it’s worth, loves seeing one of his best mates in, what narrow-minded ted would perceive as, love. He pulls at his memory and conjures a fairly wobbly image of the girl-- from what he remembers she was fairly beautiful but also-- yeah Benjy saying big personality was probably quite on the mark. ‘Well then I think it might just be time for me to get some tea tomorrow,” He gives Benjy a look that displays all of the ways in which Ted would be a horrific secret agent. “Discreetly of course.” Ted didn’t do discrete well. 

He scratched his head, closing his eyes making a small humming noise as he tried to recall where the plant was. “It was about a week ago, I brushed past it and the guide I was with said something but he didn’t speak very good English but I got a sense that it was a warning or something.” He opened his eyes and looked at Ted. “I’ve been struggling to urinate.”

“Hmmm,” Ted hums appreciatively-- “And what Magazine is that?” He asks, probing the area with a gentle finger. Interesting. Despite his years growing under his belt, there were moments where even Ted was caught unawares by the cases that walked though his door. It was good for him to be challenged, he reasoned when the sense of frustration at not knowing creeped up his neck. 

“Can you tell me what it looked like?” His eyebrows raise in more worry when Lovegood said that he was struggling to relieve himself-- Ted didn’t need to be a trained to Healer that that was a problematic side effect, though it did help him narrow down how to treat the man at least if he couldn’t figure out what his actual ailment was. 

“Oh definitely,” he agreed, taking another forkful of his lunch.  “Both are important jobs and take very different types of people.  Dad always thought that I would be an Auror.  Took him as a shock when Amelia took on that role instead.”

“Too true, that is.” Ted raises his water bottle in solidarity before taking a sip, gathering his thoughts for a moment. He enjoyed the theoretical process of understanding why people went into their chosen fields, and he often held a lot of pride in becoming a healer, though it was a mixed road that had got him here. 

“Don’t know that I could ever see you being an auror, not that I mean that in an unkind way-- I certainly don’t have the chops for it.” He paused. “My parents, Muggles you know, there’s not always a way to transfer what happens here and what happens in their world, but being a doctor, a muggle healer, that was something they understood, something that made sense.... suppose that’s the biggest reason I started, though certainly not really enough to keep me in it all these years if I didn’t find true passion in the work.” and in that regard, he counted himself very lucky.

He kissed her and the world was an after thought. They’d made this life together against all odds, and she loved. Coming home everyday was delight, seeing her family the greatest joy. Ted spoke holding their baby over her shoulders and Andromeda felt lost in again in the dizzying truth that was loving Ted Tonks. 

She couldn’t help but laugh at his answers. “The Queen might like Ice cream and pizza to.” She agreed. “But risotto is more piratical, very well your highness’s.” She did a small bow in an effort to keep the game up just a little while longer. Opening up the cupboard she began gather the odds and ends she needed for cooking. While Ted and Dora laughed behind her, still playing. Merlin it was good to be home.

He shifts Dora to his hip, navigating the kitchen with Andromeda. These moments, common as they have become in their life, are the glue that keep Ted together. When the world threatens to slip, or a patient passes on, or he sees something incomprehensible-- this is the grounding place that makes sense, that has always made sense to him. Dora starts to squirm in his arms and he places her on the ground as she runs into the other room-- likely to grab a toy or two and come back. 

“Let’s just say I recently got the push I needed to finally consider turning in my application.” Amelia probably didn’t even realize the impact she’d had on Lily. 

AS she speaks Ted finds his smile grow tenfold. He loves when people show an interest in Healing, but he loves even more when it is something that people come to after they’ve left Hogwarts. He’s seen so many people start only to quit because they decided to following healing on a bend of freaking out while they were seventh years. Those who waited and joined later had a much higher success rate.

“We do accept a few years out of graduation. There’s an extrance exam-- more to gauge your existing knowledge. This is considered alongside your NEWT scores, and a decision is reached with those materials.” He holds his hand up. “Wait here.” He walks to the Mediwitch station for a moment and rummages around until he finds some healing program information in one of the drawers. He walks back and holds it out to her. “I’m glad to know that that push came-- we’re always looking for those interesting in becoming a Healer.” 

“Say thank you, Charlie.”

“Fank-yew.” He says, his mouth full of chocolate.

Arthur speaks quickly, wanting to fill Healer Tonks in as much as he can. He knew Andromeda well enough from work and he recognized Ted from the odd ministry formal and their Hogwarts days, though they ran in different circles in both. He’s suddenly hyper aware of how this must look-a five year old with a gnome bite-the specific kind of gnomes that only lurk around gardens.

“Me and his mum were sprucing up the yard and we try to get the boys involved in ways that they can-we’ve got five of em, the oldest is seven-and well…”

Arthur lowers his voice, hoping Charlie is distracted by the fudge flies and the sounds of his own chewing.

“He thinks he can keep up with his older brother. Even though he’s a bit S-m-a-l-l. They ran off before we could stop em, and I swear we eradicated the gnomes last autumn but they won’t bloody-er, they won’t stay away. And normally we’ve got a tinture at home but we didn’t have enough and I haven’t seen a h-a-n-d s-w-e-l-l quite like that so…”

He pauses.

“Sorry. How bout we let Auror Tonks do his job, eh Charlie?”

Ted listens carefully as Arthur speaks, reading some of the backtracking that is happening in his voice. His brain stacks everything up that he’s said and thinks of the best way to approach Charlie. “No need for the apologies-- I appreciate that getting information isn’t like pulling teeth.” 

He leans down again so that he’s eye and eye with Charlie again, who’s finished his fudge fly. Ted looks him in the eye before speaking. “So, Mr. Weasley, Have you ever heard of Babbity Rabbity?” Charlie nods enthusiastically. “Would you be able to help me, then? I have never heard the story of Babbity Rabbity, and would love to know what happens to her-- would you mind telling me?”

He leans quickly over to Arthur. “This is going to s-t-i-n-g, but it will be quick.”

As Charlie excitedly tells Ted about Babbity’s cackling stump, Ted walks over to the cabinet, grabbing some gauze, a small cleansing potion and his wand. Ted asks several leading questions as Charlie talks, sitting so that the bite is right in front of him. “Now Charlie--” Ted interrupts him gently. “Do you know how to count to three?” 

Yes.” 

“Can you count to three for me and squeeze your dad’s hand really tight? I have to use some magic to make you feel better.” Charlie suddenly looks a bit fearful. “Trust me, it will only last for a second and I think I might have some more fudge flies in my pocket.” He counts down with Charlie, moving quickly to pour the potion into the wound and wipe it clean-- he tries to move with efficiency, spelling the skin to begin it’s closing process, finishing it with even more gauze. 

“Well, I think the polite thing to say is that she looks just like you but….”

Benjy breaks off with a laugh.

“I would love come by though. Really.” He means it and he can’t quite wipe the smile off of his face when he settles back on his stool beside Ted. “You sure its alright you stick around? Really, I-” Benjy scoffs.

“Well I was gonna say you’re the only one with someone at home, but that’s not true anymore.”

He smiles his thanks at Tom as he gets his beer. Benjy takes a big sip, foam covering his upper lip.

“If you can believe that.”

“Oi- shove off. She’s got the ability to look like whoever she wants; I have no doubt that looking like me will not be high on her list of things to do.” He waves the boy off. “I can stop for a beer-- despite public perception my jailer won’t be too put out that I’m late.” It made him chuckle, the way that those who interacted with him always took the way of thinking that Andromeda ran the household because she was the more dominant of them. As if marriage was a zero sum game of who held more power at any given time. 

 “That’s right Queen Mummy, long may she reign.” Andromeda said with a grin kissing Dora’s cheek as she giggled. Then turning towards Ted she kissed him a smile still on her lips as they meet his. 

“Alright my Prince Charming and Princess Dora, what are we having for dinner tonight. I sent the royal cook home, so it’ll have to be something Queen Mummy can make with what we have.” Andromeda added with a laugh, she hadn’t stopped again today for food. But they had to have something in the cabinet. 

Kissing Andromeda always feels like coming home to Ted. In the moments where he finds the world is too loud, it is what lowers the volume and keeps him motivated to never give up the life they build together daily. He thinks fleetingly of his run in with Narcissa, and the differences between the two sisters but he swallows it. He still hasn’t told Andy that it’s happened, and the idea of bursting this bubble they are in seems unfathomable. 

His smile faded at the mention of Isaac.  “He’s… good?  I mean, he’s doing his best.”  It felt as though Isaac shut him out the past few years, not that he could fully blame him.  Ed was a dick to him when he needed it most, leaving the country when he knew that his brother leaned on him for support.  “He’s… not one to talk to me much.”

Sighing, he hoped that Ted got the hint to drop that line of conversation.  “I couldn’t imagine working in that office.  It gives me anxiety just thinking about it.”

Ted naturally wants to press on, but there was something in Edgar’s eyes that kept him from doing so-- he might look up to Edgar, but he also is Ted’s supervisor, something he needs to remember. But of course in switching from Edgar’s least favorite topic meant that they brought up Ted’s. God how he hates thinking about the Aurory and what was happening to his wife and her coworkers... No rest, no reprieve from the unending evil. He had to fight it in his own way, he supposes. 

“Quite right-- I think you and I are the sort who do much better mending than apprehending.”