It was assumed that since Andromeda eventually ended up being disowned by her family that she had never loved them.
But there was a time when Andromeda did love her family. Like her two sisters, she desired her father's attention, who rarely had anything to do with the direct raising of his daughters. Like her two sisters, Andromeda also desired to earn her mother's approval, but there was no way that anyone could ever be perfect enough for Druella Black.
As for her two sisters, there was a time when Andromeda did love the both of them. She called them by the affectionate pet names of "Bella" and "Cissy," and they called her by the affectionate pet name of "Dromeda."
Andromeda, however, always knew that she was different from the rest of her family.
Even as a young child, Bellatrix was often cruel and sadistic. She took pleasure in torturing small animals who had done nothing to her.
Narcissa was more delicate and more ladylike than Bellatrix was, but Narcissa was a firm believer in everything that her parents taught her. Narcissa would never dream of going against her family's beliefs. She simply refused to think for herself.
Unlike her two sisters, Andromeda insisted on being her own person. She would think whatever and however she wanted, and she didn't care if her family liked that or not.
However, Andromeda did have one moment of weakness. She allowed herself to be Sorted into Slytherin, but that had only been because she had still been young and naive enough to believe that her family's approval was important.
Andromeda, however, was never able to connect with any of her Housemates. They believed too strongly in blood purity, and they truly believed that Muggles, Mudbloods, and Blood-Traitors were beneath them and deserved to be destroyed. Andromeda, though, could never love her family or her Housemates enough to go along with such "proper" beliefs.
Andromeda began to spend time with students from the other three Houses. At first, they were slightly wary of her, as they knew that she was a Slytherin and a Pureblood from a family that had long been prejudiced against anyone who was not a proper Pureblood. It did not take them long, however, to realize that Andromeda was nothing like the rest of her family. It was not long before Andromeda was fully welcomed among "the enemy."
On the surface, Ted Tonks did not appear to be anyone special. He was cute but not breathtaking handsome. He was not sophisticated. He was just a regular, common person. But those were all reasons why Andromeda could not help but fall in love with him. Ted was nothing like her "perfect" family, and that made her happy.
A part of Andromeda was relieved when her family finally disowned her. She no longer had to pretend that she loved them. Still, though, another part of Andromeda was disappointed that Narcissa did not go along with her. Narcissa wasn't much of a thinker, but for the most part she was a sweet girl. But alas, Narcissa was too much into Lucius Malfoy to ever follow Andromeda on the right path in life.
Andromeda loved it when Ted called her by the affectionate pet name of "Dromeda." When he said it, he truly said it with affection. That had not been the case with either Bellatrix or Narcissa. They had always resented Andromeda for not being like them. Ted, on the other hand, had no problem with Andromeda being herself. With Ted, Andromeda never had to pretend. With Ted, she could be real and true.
Andromeda could not have been happier when she gave birth to her daughter Nymphadora, even though her daughter quickly began to prefer "Dora" or "Tonks" over her birth name. Andromeda had no problem with this, however, as she had always loved referring to the people that she loved by affectionate pet names.
At first, Andromeda did not approve of Remus Lupin as a husband for her daughter. For one thing, Lupin was much too old. For another thing, he was a werewolf. Andromeda did not consider herself a prejudiced person (she was not a Black, after all), but she knew that werewolves were dangerous. In time, though, she came to realize that Lupin made her daughter happy; and there was nothing more important to Andromeda than her family's happiness.
Before the Second Wizarding War was over, Andromeda lost almost everyone that she loved. Her beloved husband, murdered by Snatchers for being a Muggle-born. Her precious daughter, murdered by her own aunt, by Andromeda's own sister Bellatrix. Her son-in-law, murdered by another Death Eater.
All that Andromeda had left was her grandson. The fact that Andromeda's other sister Narcissa was still alive never once registered in her mind. They had chosen different paths in life a long time ago.
Andromeda truly loved and treasured her grandson, but there were times when she was lonely. She had given up so much for the sake of love, and in the end it was almost as if none of her sacrifices had truly mattered.
