Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.

Rated T for mild sexuality.

A Quick Goodbye

It seemed that their entire relationship had happened very quickly. Ted had known and loved Andromeda for nearly thirty years, but now, when he had to leave her so suddenly, this felt like a very short amount of time. It wasn't just the relationship as a whole, either. So many individual moments had been quick ones.

When he remembered meeting her, he found himself thinking of it as occurring suddenly, even though that made no real sense. They had been Sorted at the same time (but he'd been preoccupied with trying to take in a room full of witches and wizards), they had eaten countless meals in the Great Hall (but they'd been at separate tables), and they had been in Astronomy together since first year (but he'd stuck close to the other Hufflepuffs, at first because he knew them, at least slightly, and then just out of habit). In sixth year, though, they'd both started N.E.W.T. Transfiguration. The class had been mostly Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, so the two of them had ended up working at the same desk, trying to transfigure owls into opera glasses. They'd spoken for the first time—introductions, a bit of small talk—and Andromeda had smiled at him as they worked. He'd been attracted to her even then.

After a few weeks of seeing her in class, Ted had happened upon Andromeda at a table in the back of the library, where she was bent over a roll of parchment. "McGonagall's essay?" he'd asked. She'd nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Andromeda had replied, pushing some books aside to make room.

They'd worked on their essays side by side. And quite quickly—within an hour at the most—the hands that weren't holding quills had found each other under the table.

Their romance had continued with quick moments because they simply hadn't had the time for longer ones—they'd been trying to keep a relationship secret in a school that wasn't very private. He'd wanted to tell her how he felt about her properly, but, rushed as they were, he'd only said, "I really, really like you" before kissing her for the first time. She had kissed him back, however, and had told him that she really, really liked him too, so he'd felt better about it. The lack of time to say something eloquent hadn't mattered—she'd understood what he meant. After that, there had been more quick moments—kissing in deserted classrooms and corridors, cuddling and talking in corners of the ground, and frequently breaking apart, sure that they heard someone coming. Eventually, they'd purchased a Sneakoscope (three Sneakoscopes, actually; he'd lost the first two somewhere in his dormitory, and Andromeda had finally taken charge) and brought it around with them. Its whistling had served to alert them, always all too soon, to the approach of others who would give them away.

After leaving school, things had been easier. She'd been able to come see him at his new flat, Apparating there when her family's attentions were elsewhere. He'd introduced her to his parents, with whom she'd gotten along well. "I wish I could bring you home too," she'd told him, "but they'll never understand. They'd only make things more difficult for us."

There were moments from those days that he especially remembered. There was the evening, the December after school had ended, that they'd spent in his flat. They had talked and kissed and caressed, and he'd told her how much he loved her.

"I love you too," she had said, "so much." Then, quickly, "I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Ted. Do you want to be with me?"

He'd held her closely then, feeling unbelievably lucky and terribly ineloquent. "That would be wonderful, Dromeda."

She had kissed him fiercely, pressing herself against him, and he had returned her kiss as passionately as he had ever kissed her. "I want you now," Andromeda had said. "Please, Ted. Make love to me."

The following moments had been quick ones too, not because they'd wanted to get it over with—they hadn't—or because they'd been extremely adept—they'd had no idea what they were doing. But they had wanted each other very badly and had been nearly frantic to touch each other. Afterwards, when he'd held her, Andromeda had stroked his hair and whispered, "I love you, Ted, and that was just what I wanted. But—"—and she had giggled suddenly—"—next time let's make it slow and thorough." And he had laughed too, happy to have someone as wonderful as Andromeda.

He remembered, too, the day that March when he'd formally asked her to marry him. "Yes, of course," she'd said. And she'd instantly been full of plans for how they could get married without her family's knowledge.

"You aren't going to tell them," he'd asked, "even now?"

"I'll tell them after we're married," she had said. "I might as well tell you now, Ted—my family has disowned people for marrying Muggleborn wizards before. I just don't want them to interfere with us."

"Disowned?" he'd said. "But Dromeda, I can't ask you to go through that for me."

She had pulled him close. "I want to marry you more than anything in the world, Ted," she'd said. "It's right for me. If they disown me—well, it'll be hard. But I want to marry you."

And then quickly—a mere two weeks later—they had been married. It had been a very small wedding—just the two of them and his parents—but they had been happy, and she had looked beautiful.

He'd had his only meeting with her family the next day. This had also been quick, ending with an unceremonious dismissal. Over the next months, when they were on their own, Andromeda hadn't pretended that everything was easy for her, hadn't hidden how she felt. "I miss Cissy," she had sometimes said. "It's Father's birthday today," she had once commented. But even when she had said these things, even when she had rolled her eyes and told him that he was the messiest person she had ever met, he had never doubted that she was as happy with him as he was with her.

Less than a year after they'd been married, Andromeda had told him that she was pregnant. This had also been quick, but it had been wonderful. He remembered the day that Dora had been born and the way that he'd asked Andromeda if his eyes were going on him when he'd seen Dora's wispy hair go from blonde to black.

"Well," he'd said at last, putting his arm around his wife, "she doesn't take after my family." Andromeda had laughed at this, and Dora had blinked rapidly.

After this, things had slowed down a bit—as much as they could with a child in the house. The First War had brought tense times, but they'd gotten through it, and he'd looked forward to growing old with Andromeda. And now He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned, and it seemed that everything had moved much too rapidly.

He had thought about just registering with the Ministry. He had known that he would eventually have to run if he didn't, and he hadn't wanted to leave Andromeda, Dora, and his soon-to-be-born grandchild. He had decided, however, that he couldn't register. It was wrong, what the Ministry was doing. It was in complete opposition to everything in which he and his family believed. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he declared that he was somehow less of a wizard just because of his parentage.

He had avoided persecution for some time, but it had been too good to last. There were Death Eaters near his home now, and he had to leave before they could find him and hurt him and his family. He had said goodbye to Dora, telling her that everything would be alright. He still had to say goodbye to Andromeda; he didn't know how to do it.

He took her in his arms. "I'm sorry to have to leave you," he began.
"Don't be sorry, Ted," she said. "This is right. I understand." She clutched at him. "But I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you," he said, knowing that that couldn't begin to cover it, knowing that any goodbye he said would be over far too soon. "But this can't last. So many people are fighting against him. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know you will," Andromeda said. "I love you more than anything, Ted."

"I love you, Dromeda," he said.

He kissed her and Disapparated.