A/N: Just a short story that randomly came to me. Set after DH. R&R please.
More Alike Than You'd Think
Andromeda Tonks thought she was not like her sisters.
Her older sister, Bellatrix, was quite frankly as close to evil as anyone humanly could be. Her time in Azkaban had done nothing for her mental health, at least now she was dead. Andromeda never had that much love for Bella growing up, and did think, that if Bellatrix did have any humane feelings left, being dead was probably the best thing for her. And with the fact that she was the one who killed Nymphadora, Andromeda would of never forgiven her if she had managed to survive.
Her younger sister, Narcissa, was more or less redeemed now. She was a cold calculating woman, who only had love for her immediate family, most of all her for her son. For a while after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's final defeat, Andromeda thought for that Cissy would acknowledge her as family again. But, she held to her views that she was no longer part of the family.
They had both held to the pureblood superiority views of the Black family, and thought little of all muggles and muggle-borns, her husband included.
They were both cruel women.
Andromeda hadn't seen them since she was blasted off the tapestry of the family tree.
Andromeda loved her grandson, who was named after her late husband and her son-in-law, and was a metamorphmagus like his mother was.
Not a day passed by when she didn't miss them dearly.
She had discovered that if she focused on what she still had, and the happy memories she had of her family, she could function almost normally.
And she still had the remaining light in her life. Her grandson, Ted Remus Lupin.
His parents had died heroes, and so far he had been perfectly happy. After all, he'd never remember them. She planned on never letting his childhood become an awful one. He would always be loved.
He was almost exactly like Nymphadora was like when she was that age. It made her feel a longing for her daughter that she knew would never fully go away.
Quite often she had a girls night with some of her old friends, and lately they were quite taken with the muggle game of poker. Getting together every Saturday night, it had become one of the anchors for Andromeda, to be able to try living a normal life for the past year. If not for them, and for Teddy, she knew she would of fell apart. Although, if there was one thing she hated about these nights, it was when she lost. She was a very sore loser.
Tonight was no different.
The game had just finished, and Andromeda was not well off. In fact, if she were being honest with herself, she'd say had lost a lot more than she had gained. And she was not in a good mood. She was in a bad enough mood to show her friends Teddy's newest trick. He was a fast learner, that grandson of hers. Telling her friends she'll be right back she went to check on him in his cot.
She asked her friends to look after her grandson for a few minutes, as she had to go out quickly and buy something. That she had been so busy lately it slipped her mind. She reminded them not to wake him though, as he needed his sleep.
Of course her friends agreed, they adored that little boy, and it was always interesting to see what colour hair he had each day. Entering his room, they were horrified to find the cot empty, apart from a large stuffed teddy bear and a blanket. They knew if they couldn't find him soon, Andromeda would come back and most likely slaughter them, after all she had lost tonight, and they knew her temper.
Before they could figure what to do they heard Andromeda calling that she was back, and heading this way. Trying to figure out whom to blame was hard, (they weren't very honourable old ladies,) and before that could be decided she had entered the room. They were all staring guiltily at her. She raised an eyebrow and her eyes swept the room. It appeared to her that they were all holding their breaths.
Asking them what was the matter got no response, and Andromeda was very much reminded of rabbits caught in headlights, so she walked over to the cot with their eyes following her. She starting cooing into the cot, and all her friends gave each other looks that clearly said, 'she's gone mental'. At which one had to blurt out the fact that Teddy was gone, and placed the blame on one the others. Which was furiously responded to by passing the blame to another.
Andromeda bent into the cot and picked up the large teddy bear gingerly, and looked at all her friends serenely. After all, what were they on about, saying her grandson was missing? She started rocking the teddy backwards and forth, humming. Her friends decided it was fair time to go, before Andromeda found her brain again and lashed out at them. She was still looking at the amusedly. And asked them if they didn't recognize her grandson? They stared at the teddy bear in her arms. That's it, she had snapped.
Without warning they all saw it at the same time. The teddy bear moved. It stuck its finger into its mouth. The women's eyes all widened. At which point the teddy bear's fur on its head turned blue, most of its fur shortened, turning to a patterned cloth, and in whole, the teddy bear turned into Teddy Lupin. He gurgled happily.
With several screams of shock the women all turned tail and fled.
Andromeda stood happily holding her grandson, cooing to Teddy that grandma loves him very much. That would teach them to beat her at poker. She wondered how she'd get them back if they won against her again. Setting her beloved grandson back down, she sang to him until he drifted off to sleep, and then headed to bed herself. She fell asleep while happily thinking up new ways to get back at her friends, for the next time she might lose the game.
Andromeda Tonks was a very sore loser, and more like her sisters then she ever imagined.
A/N: I've always thought that Andromeda may have a somewhat cruel sense of humor like her sisters do. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts about it. Feel free to review and critique.