This is the beginning of a series of vigs I have written centering around Andromeda Black/Tonks. I'm participating in LiveJournal's FanFic 50 and chose Andromeda and Ted as my writing subject. The vigs will be scattered and out of order, as I'm still writing them.

None of this is for profit; just for fun.

Andromeda held her head high as she walked down the staircase, keeping one gloved-hand poised lightly on the rail and the other holding up her hem. Below in the parlor, she could hear the sound of her family chatting merrily. Her aunt Walburga's shrill voice echoed through the corridors and stairway, causing a pause in Andromeda's step. Her lower lip threatened to wobble, yet she set her jaw and held it in place.

They would understand in time.

Hopefully.

Sucking in a small breath, Andromeda continued down from the third floor. Her aunt's dreary house, Grimmauld Place, had been transformed for the holidays. It seemed brighter than usual and did not have the dark gloom is usually possessed. Her aunt and uncle's spirits were higher than ever, which seemed to have even affected moody Bellatrix.

Bellatrix…

Andromeda inwardly cringed at the thought of what her sister would say – what she would do. She knew the answer to her own question, and it was not happy.

She would not be able to ever come back.

She paused to look around the staircase. It would undoubtedly be the last time she ever looked upon it as a welcome guest. The house, dreary though it was, held many memories for Andromeda. A small smile crossed her lips as she recalled the many adventures she and Narcissa had experienced in the house, and moreso how much trouble they had gotten into when Aunt Walburga had found out.

Her smile faltered as she eyed the stairs ahead of her. She set her shoulders and continued walking. She had to be strong and alert; there was no room for softness or weakness in what she was about to do.

"Well you don't look nervous at all."

Andromeda jumped with a small gasp, pulling her wand out of her sleeve and wheeling on the voice in one deft move.

Sirius Black stood leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised questioningly. He eyed the wand trained on him then the owner with a small smirk. "You're the one who used to make me believe this place was haunted. Look who's jumping at shadows now."

Andromeda left out a breath of relief then slid her wand back into her sleeve. "Bellatrix told you that, actually. Sorry; you scared me."

Sirius shrugged, shaking his head lightly so that his dark locks handsomely swayed over his young face. "It's all right. I'm just delaying the inevitable bore that is downstairs."

Andromeda mustered a small smile. "Come now, it's Christmas. It's supposed to be a joyous holiday."

"Since when is our Christmas ever joyous?" Sirius shot back with a smile, causing Andromeda to laugh lightly before her smile slowly died. Sirius' smile lessened as well, his grey eyes narrowing as he assessed his cousin. "Are you all right?"

Andromeda blinked and flashed a fake smile again. "I'm fine, really. I'm just a bit… distracted."

Sirius snorted. "I'll say. I've been standing here for the last five minutes and you didn't even notice, being so preoccupied with having a staring contest with the parlor." He turned his head to try to see her gaze better. "Are you sure everything's all right?"

Andromeda let out a sigh, letting her worry and fatigue cover her face as she turned to her younger cousin. Though he was only eleven years of age, Sirius had become her only real confident in their family. Their bond was strong as siblings; she supposed it was due to the two of them being the only Blacks in centuries who had not been sorted into Slytherin. It had marked them both by their family, a fact that Andromeda to this day still resented.

And yet, wonderful things had happened because of it. Besides bringing herself and Sirius closer together, being in Ravenclaw had changed her life forever.

She had met Ted Tonks.

And that was exactly the problem.

Sirius's face had softened to actual worry. Andromeda felt as though she was going to cry yet inhaled and settled her nerves.

"I'm leaving," she said softly.

"Good, take me with you so we can ditch this bore-fest," Sirius said with a relieved laugh. Andromeda did not laugh or smile, which caused his face to drop back to worry. Realization filled his eyes as he measured up his cousin with confusion. "You're leaving-leaving."

Andromeda nodded. "Yes. Tonight. I already have my things packed, here and at home. I plan to tell Father and the rest of them, then leave before they can change my mind. Or kill me."

"You're running away with Ted," Sirius surmised.

Andromeda gave a genuine smile as she shook her head. "Not running away, no." She held up her left hand, a small lump protruding beneath the glove on one of her fingers. "Ted proposed to me last night. I'm staying with his family until we marry in spring."

Sirius stared at her incredulously, then smiled. "Congratulations. Mum and Grandma Irma are going to kill you, though."

"I know," Andromeda said with a heavy sigh as she looked down at her hands. "But I love him, Sirius. I don't care about his heritage." She looked back up at her cousin with a coy smile. "When you find yourself a girlfriend that actually lasts a week, you'll understand."

Sirius snerked then tossed his hair again. "What can I say; the girls throw themselves at me."

Andromeda laughed then motioned for her cousin to come closer. When he was within arms reach, she pulled him into a tight embrace. Tears threatened to come to her eyes as she realized that it might in fact be the last time she spoke to her favorite cousin. She held him tighter as she fought back a sniffle.

"Promise me something, Sirius."

"What?"

"Don't let them tell you who you are or who you're supposed to be. Even if they don't like it, always follow your heart."

There was a slight pause before he solemnly replied. "I will."

Pushing him back to look him over, she gave a smile. "You'll visit, won't you?"

"Visit? I better be invited to the wedding."

"Of course." She hugged him once more, planting a soft kiss on his head. When she released him, she let out a deep breath, wiping her eyes to make sure no tears had fallen. "Well, shall we?"

"Wait." Sirius dashed back into his room, coming back a second later with a small bag. He shoved it into her hands, Andromeda realizing with the chinking noise it made that it was a sack of gold.

"Sirius, this is your savings. I can't take this-"

"Of course you can. And that's just what Uncle Alphard gave me for my birthday, so don't worry. It's not like the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is short on money," he said in a mocking tone.

Andromeda slid the bag into her pocket with a smile, then held out her arm to her cousin.

"Accompany me to my death?"

"It's my pleasure," he replied as he took her arm and walked with her down the staircase.

As they entered the parlor, a small chorus of voices spoke up; Aunt Walburga snidely remarked at how long it had taken Sirius to turn up, Grandmother Irma voiced her impatience, and Regulus whined about being hungry. Andromeda eyed the parlor guests. Her family. Her grandfathers Pollux and Arcturus sat with Irma in cozy armchairs near the fire while her great aunt Cassiopeia snored softly beside them. Aunt Walburga had been conversing with Bellatrix, both of them sharing a similar sneer. Her father and Uncle Orion both had a glass of liquor in their hand and stood in the corner with her and Sirius' favorite uncle, Alphard. Narcissa sat poised on the sofa admiring her nails while Regulus sat pouting and longingly eyeing the sweets table.

Uncle Alphard crossed the room and handed a glass of wine to Andromeda. "Something to drink, Meda? You look like you could use it."

Andromeda flashed a smile of gratitude and sipped from the glass. "Thanks Uncle Alphard." She let the liquid calm her shaking nerves as Alphard drew Sirius away to discuss school. Her eyes watched her family; studied their faces, remembered their laughs, secretly wished that it could be different somehow. She turned her attention to the ancient Black tapestry that hung from the wall, showing their line and her relatives from the past one hundred and fifty years. The Noble House of Black. A proud line that had stood for centuries.

Her eyes lingered on her name and up the line. Through the fine weave and golden threads, black holes dotted the ancient fabric. Beside her grandfather Pollux and his sister Cassiopeia stood a scorch over what used to be a name; great-uncle Marius. His crime had been accidental and completely out of his hands; he had been born a Squib. After two years of being forced to go to Hogwarts to try to lure any hidden magic out of him, he ran away to live as a Muggle in London. Andromeda had no doubt that had he waited, his parents would have murdered him.

His cousin too was blasted out of the Black's history. Andromeda remembered Uncle Alphard telling her of it. Her distanct cousin Cedrella Black had betrayed the family and married a wizard from a "lesser blood line," Septimus Weasley. The family had never forgiven her, as evident by the black hole that stood where her name should have.

More holes even as she went further up. Her great-great uncle Phineas, "wrongly named after his father," as Aunt Walburga had once commented, had supported Muggle Rights. The stories were mixed, but Andromeda had come to believe the story that his siblings had arranged his death so as to not disgrace the family name even more was probably the most accurate.

At the top of the line stood the oldest scorch. Isla Black. Her only crime had been love. She, above the rest, had betrayed the family and married a Muggle. Andromeda's eyes remained on the mark. She was about to take a similar step. Her eyes flashed down to her own name. She wondered how long it would before her name too was removed; burned from memory as yet another who disgraced the family name.

Aunt Isla, give me the strength you had to do what you knew was right.

Andromeda set her wine glass down then sucked in a breath as she eyed her family. Now or never. "Everyone, please. I have some wonderful news."

The conversations throughout the room halted as all eyes turned to her. Narcissa finished inspecting a fingernail then looked up at her sister with boredom. Andromeda ignored Bellatrix's cold stare and sought out Sirius' eyes. He was feigning ignorance, but gave a quick wink.

Grandma Irma's impatient voice croaked out. "What is it, Andromeda? Speak up."

Another breath to calm her nerves. She smiled widely. "I'm getting married."

The room was dead silent minus the cracking of the fire. Andromeda could feel the eyes of her family glaring at her, emotions mixing from awe, shock, rage, hatred, and disgust.

Uncle Alphard broke the silence with a hearty laugh. "This calls for a drink!"

"Alphard!" several voices snapped.

Bellatrix took several steps toward her sister, her arms crossed over her chest. "You can't be serious."

"Of course she isn't!" Alphard spoke up with a chortle. "Sirius is right here!"

"Alphard, hold your tongue or I will remove it for you," Pollux growled coldly. His dark eyes leveled at his granddaughter. "You're marrying the Mudblood?"

"His name is Ted," Andromeda corrected coldly. "I know you won't approve, which is why I did not ask permission," she added with a hopefully sympathetic look to her father. "But I love him -"

"He's a Mudblood!" Bellatrix shrieked.

"He's still a wizard," Andromeda shot back, glaring at her sister. "And don't you dare call him that."

"How dare you disgrace us like this," Aunt Walburga growled as she crossed the room to stand before Andromeda. "Shame of our family! Dishonor to our blood line!"

"This family has disgraced me enough," Andromeda shot back. "I love Ted and I am marrying him. I will lead a happy life away from all of you."

"Mind your place, young lady," Pollux barked harshly as he rose to his feet. "Shame, Andromeda. If your mother was still alive-"

A flame of anger rose within Andromeda, giving her courage to speak out. "Shame? For choosing whom I want to love? That is no bigger shame than living with a family that would incestually arrange my marriage to a cousin!"

Walburga slapped Andromeda hard across the face. Andromeda recoiled slowly, eyeing her father. "Papa," she pleaded in a whisper. "Please. Understand."

Cygnus Black eyed his daughter with hurt eyes. He finally turned away, shaking his head. "How could you betray us like this, Andromeda?"

"I thought you could sink no lower." Bellatrix spat with a shake of her head. "Marrying a Mudblood-"

"I said don't call him that!" Andromeda yelled, pulling her wand on her sister. The room erupted in angry voices as Bellatrix pulled her own wand, pointing it at her sister's face and blasting a hex. Andromeda blocked it and shot one back at her sister. She soon had five wands pointed at her, Aunt Walburga grabbing her arm and wrestling her wand away from her as she prepared to fire yet another at her sister. Bellatrix shot one back anyway, hitting her defenseless sister in the chest. Andromeda screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground.

Silence followed as Uncle Orion strode forward and stood over his niece. He backhanded her across the cheek, not even flinching as Andromeda let out a hurt cry.

"Get out of my house."

Sirius wiggled out from beneath Alphard's grip, preparing to cross the room to Andromeda.

"Sirius, take one step more and you are joining her," Orion barked.

Sirius paused in his step, eyeing Andromeda who shook her head. With defeat, he let Alphard take his shoulders and pull him back.

Andromeda winced as she got to her feet and eyed her family. Bellatrix's face was full of hatred and rage, while Narcissa was on the verge of crying. Her youngest sister looked hurt and upset and was slowly shaking her head in disbelief. She turned her attention to her father.

"Papa…"

Cygnus eyed his daughter then turned his head away. "You are no longer my child."

Walburga kicked Andromeda's wand into the hallway. "Don't ever come back."

Andromeda eyed her family, then nodded her head. "You have my love," she whispered. She limped out into the hallway and retrieved her wand, silently calling a summoning charm to bring her bags downstairs. They flew down with a thud, Andromeda pulling on a warm cloak then grabbing the bags.

Opening the front door, she took one final look at the parlor. The last thing she ever saw inside Number 12 Grimmauld Place was her name being scorched from the Black family tree forever.