July 1973
Andromeda sat in a rocking chair, Nymphadora quieting down for the night in her arms. Nymphadora had not been Ted's first choice to name his daughter, but he had given Andromeda her way when she insisted. He never even asked questions about what it meant to her or why she insisted on such a pureblood name, accepting her simple explanation of that she liked the name.
Andromeda would have never admitted why she had selected the name, anyway. Ted often forgot that there was a reason that he and Andromeda had been in different houses. Whenever she would allude to it, he would dismiss it as that she had made the request to the Hat, wishing to please her parents when she was a child. Ted loved Andromeda for who she was, even for the fact that she could be shrewd and resourceful, but he often forgot that when she took actions, she took them with the mind of a Slytherin. Instead, he would all too often view them as the actions of a woman with the heart of a Hufflepuff.
She had always liked the name Nymphadora, but she would not have insisted on naming her daughter that normally. Normally, she would have acknowledged the beauty of some of the Muggle names that Ted loved, and they would have worked together to decide upon the perfect name. Normally, she didn't draw a line in the sand and insist he comply with her wishes. He blamed it on her pregnancy hormones. In reality, it was fear that impacted Andromeda that way.
Andromeda had known all too well that the birth would be listed in the Prophet, and she worried about having an excessively Muggle sounding name printed in the paper. The last thing she wanted to do was to draw further attention to her choice to marry a Muggleborn, for she feared that her father and sister might seek retribution if they were reminded of her choice. With a daughter to protect, she simply couldn't risk that.
Andromeda felt a wave of self-loathing that Cygnus Black and Bellatrix still controlled her even though she had now not spoken to them for years. Andromeda scolded herself to stop worrying about them, but it was hard not to worry about what they might do. Cygnus's cruelty often hid under the guise of being a "sportsman," a brutal trophy hunter who enjoyed hunting the most intelligent creatures he was allowed. As for Bellatrix, well, her cruelty was hidden from no one. Andromeda couldn't risk her ever coming after Nymphadora; Andromeda wouldn't put killing her own niece past Bellatrix when the family bloodlines were at risk.
Little Dora was finally asleep, so Andromeda placed her gently in the crib. Ted still wasn't home. She told herself that he had probably just been kept late at work. What did that mean, though? When he came home late from work that often meant that something terrible had happened. Andromeda settled onto the sofa, reading a book, trying to distract herself from her worry.
After what seemed like hours, Ted finally walked through the door. He looked pale and tired. "Ted, I was worried," she confessed.
"There was no need to worry about me, 'Dromeda. I was out covering a story," he purposefully avoided details.
"What story was that?" she asked.
"It was the Death Eaters again. It was an entire family this time. It was- terrible- it's bad enough I had to relive it in the article; I'd rather not think about it now. Tell me about your day," he requested.
"Let me heat up dinner for you," she quickly told him. She started reheating the roast chicken and potatoes. "I've been thinking that I need to find a job."
"Andromeda, we're doing fine," Ted told her.
"Ted, I want to have money saved, in case we have to leave," she admitted.
"Why would we have to leave?" Ted soothingly asked her.
"Ted, you can't pretend we won't be a target. I may read the paper, but you write for it; you know that Muggleborns are being targeted," Andromeda returned.
"I don't think they'll target us, though. You're a pureblood- royalty, practically," Ted reminded her.
"That doesn't matter; I'm a blood-traitor. They hate me almost as much as they hate you," she argued.
"Surely, your family still loves you," Ted reasoned with her.
"Ted, they wanted to kill you when I told them I married you," Andromeda tried to make him face reality.
"But they didn't," he countered.
"Because Druella Black would not have such a scandal in her family and because Cissy feared that it would hurt her chances of marrying Lucius Malfoy," Andromeda responded with venom in her voice.
"Do you think that Druella would let them hurt us now?" Ted asked.
"It doesn't matter, now. It's not Daddy and Bella, anymore. Now the Death Eaters do whatever they please without concern for scandals," Andromeda bitterly replied.
"Do you really think they're Death Eaters?" Ted inquired.
"Certainly, Bellatrix and Rodolphus are. Cygnus is likey smart enough to stay away from any serious involvement. I'm sure Druella and Cissy wouldn't," Andromeda sighed.
"I hope you're wrong about Bellatrix and her husband being Death Eaters," Ted commented.
"So do I, but I grew up with her. I know what she's capable of," Andromeda acknowledged.
"I'm sorry, 'Dromeda. It must be hard having your family split like this," Ted put his arm around her.
"It's not split. I'm just not part of it. I never really was," Andromeda explained.
"I'm sorry," Ted repeated.
"Don't be. I'm not. I don't want to be associated with people who torture and murder in the name of blood purity. This is my family, and I will do anything to protect it, especially from… those people," Andromeda insisted.
"Andromeda, we can't run. England is our home, and if everyone who disagrees with You-Know-Who runs away, Britain will be lost in a fortnight. Then, once Britain is lost, what is to stop You-Know-Who from expanding his influence across Europe, if we who disagree keep running from him? It's people like us that will stop him simply by our presence. As long as there are more who oppose him than support him, he cannot win," Ted explained.
"Why do we have to be the ones to stop him, though?" Andromeda asked.
"Because it's our duty. Because if we don't, who will? We don't have to fight him, Andromeda, but we must stand our ground to protect what we hold dear," Ted spoke passionately.
"I still want to be prepared, in case we have to leave," Andromeda insisted. "Making a stand is one thing for the childless, but when you have a family, well, family comes before ideals."
"I understand, 'Dromeda. I couldn't let them ever do anything to you or Dora, though as I said, I suspect one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and a half-blood should be safe. We'll be prepared, but we won't let fear overcome us," Ted responded.
Andromeda nodded silently, in a cautious agreement. She took his food off the heat and plated it for him.
"Thank you, 'Dromeda," he kindly thanked his wife.
They sat at the table in silence, her fear creating a chasm between them. He finished eating and put his plate in the sink. "Let's go to bed, my dear," he suggested.
She followed him to the bedroom, where she cuddled against him. As afraid as she was, she felt safe in his arms. "I love you, Ted. I'll do whatever I have to to keep us safe," she whispered.
"I love you, too, 'Dromeda. This will all be over soon, and Dora will have a safer world to grow up in. I just know it," he told her.
She buried her head in his chest and that night, surrounded by the warmth of his body and his love, she could almost believe those words.
