A/N: Written for Eclipses.
"I don't think we should do this anymore," Andromeda sighs.
She's rehearsed the lines countless times in front of the mirror, but it could not truly prepare her for this moment. She hadn't expected her heart to ache in her chest, like some invisible hand is squeezing the organ so tightly it might burst. She isn't prepared for the way her voice shakes and cracks, betraying her reluctance and doubt.
But, most of all, Andromeda is not prepared for the hurt that's written so clearly over Ted's face. He clears his throat, scrubbing his hands awkwardly over the back of his neck. "You don't mean that," he says quietly.
"I'm tired of having to hide, darling. It isn't right to you. But I'm afraid of what would happen if my family found out," she says. "I want to protect you."
The smallest of smiles pull at his lips. "And I want to protect you," he agrees. "That's why- well, one reason why- I want to do this."
"Do wha-? Ted?"
He drops down to one knee, taking Andromeda gently by the hand. "Everyone told my mother that my father was beneath her. They told her she could do so much better than a shopkeeper," he says. "My parents celebrated their twentieth anniversary last month. This was her engagement ring. She told me you would make such a beautiful bride."
Her heart flutters. It doesn't make sense. She had been unprepared for this outcome. "Ted," she whispers.
"Marry me, Andromeda. We'll be out of Hogwarts in two months, and I don't want to be hidden away, and I damn sure don't want to lose you. I want you with me, always."
She wonders if it would be kinder to reject him. He will never be accepted by her family, and she will never be able to return home.
But, really, she has felt more happiness with him in the past two years than she has felt with her family all this time.
"Yes," she says.
He slips the ring onto her finger and climbs to his feet, kissing her gently. "Andromeda Tonks," he murmurs. "Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"