Alas, I'm not British, therefore, the HP universe does not belong to me.
Such Lies that My Wife Told Me
As Told by Ted Tonks
I love my wife but there are times that I feel that my love isn't enough. This feeling is constant and increases to immeasurable portions several times a year – the date that my wife was disowned by her family, our wedding anniversary, birthdays of her family members that are not written on our calendar on the wall, but nevertheless acknowledged. Those days are the hardest – she makes the right statements and smiles, but the joy never reaches her eyes.
Such lies that my wife told me.
I asked her what she would lose if she was to marry me. She told me nothing. I asked if I should speak to her father, to ask his permission to marry her. She told me it was unnecessary. She told me that it didn't matter, that she didn't care. That she wouldn't lose anything of importance if she was to marry me. She told me that her love for me was stronger and it would make up for her maybe being disowned from her family, forever cutting ties with her mother, father, sisters, cousins, the only world she had ever known. I should have known that it wouldn't be that simple.
Weddings should be a joyous occasion, attended by both families sharing in the bride's and groom's joy. We did not have such an atmosphere. Where I was surrounded by my family and friends, she was basically alone except for an uncle and a rebellious cousin. Her friends sent gifts but did not attend out of fear that they could be disowned for supporting her decision. The wedding was done totally in the Muggle tradition, as no one from the wizarding world would perform the wizarding rites out of fear of a name that was only heard in whispers. Yet my princess called upon her pureblood training and the only thing our guests saw was her smile.
Such lies my wife told me.
My dear wife received an owl from someone and it led to her crying the first three days of our honeymoon. It was the heart wrenching sort of cries – the ones that told of broken dreams, broken promises and despair. What made her cries worse was the fact that she hid her tears from me. She only cried when she thought I was asleep. Eventually her tears ceased, we pretended to enjoy our honeymoon and then made our way home and started the rest of our lives. For a while her heartbreak was a thing of the past.
As I learned more about the wizarding world, beyond the lessons that they teach us while at Hogwarts, I learned that I could have maybe spared Andromeda some of her pain. While her mother and father may not have approved (I'm not delusional, they despise the fact that I, in their eyes, am a 'Mudblood') of my origins, not respecting the pureblood way of doing things did not further my cause. In my ignorance, I had made several missteps, some not of my own choosing. Andromeda failed to inform me that she was already betrothed, magical contracts already signed. Andromeda also did not tell me she was also in the middle of her 'courting' period with her fiancé. Had I the knowledge I have now, I would have asked her grandfather, Arcturus Black, the patriarch and head of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, permission to court Andromeda also. However, one cannot simply use a Time-Turner to fix mistakes and now we live with the consequences of our actions.
Such lies my wife told me.
Only my wife's looks betray her as a daughter of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Andromeda shuns the traditions that shaped her, that molded her into the woman that I love. Even at her young age our daughter, Nymphadora, picks up on her reluctance of speaking about the grandparents, aunts and cousins that as time goes on, looks like she will never get to meet. Andromeda feels that my family is enough but I know that isn't true. She needs to know and be proud of her heritage on both sides of her family, to know the good and the bad. My baby girl should meet the aunt she favors when she's not shifting her facial features. This is the same sister that my dear wife is still in contact with, although she doesn't think I know. No matter how much she tells me that as long as she has me, that she doesn't need them, I know this to be untrue.
Such lies my wife tells me.