Disclaimer: Still applies.
Author's Note: So...here we get to meet Andromeda. And a few things come into perspective for Hermione. This chapter was difficult and I removed a lot of stuff that didnt make sense. Since I did write this with pen and paper, I have already written thw whole thing, now I am just editing as I go. As always read and review.
Contains: Swearing, and kissing, lots of kissing.
Chapter Twenty-One: Andromeda Tonks
As the door closed behind Hermione she heard an excited voice from the kitchen.
"Nymphadora!" A woman's voice cried as she and Tonks entered the kitchen.
"Mum!" Tonks said embracing her mother.
After a few moments they broke apart and Tonks turned towards Hermione.
"Mum, this is Hermione, Hermione Granger." Tonks said beaming.
Hermione's gaze met Andromeda's, and she felt her knees go weak. Her resemblance to her sister Bellatrix was strikingly similar, and it made Hermione feel a little uneasy. She was slightly taller than Bellatrix, and her hair was light and her eyes were kind and not heavily lidded. Her jaw was softer and her face wasn't hollow and gaunt. Her body was lithe and she was thin, but showed all the right curves in all the right places. Andromeda could feel Hermione's stare as her eyes roamed over her body and she smirked as she held out her hand.
"Nice to meet you Hermione." Andromeda said.
As Hermione shook it; she prayed that Andromeda hadn't noticed her assessment of her figure, and the fact that she was trembling with fear. She was sure that Andromeda wouldn't like the fact that she had slept with her sisters and now her daughter, though she wasn't sure if Tonks had disclosed that they were in a sexual relationship.
"How was your trip?" Andromeda asked letting go of Hermione's hand.
"Wonderful. It is so beautiful out here." Hermione replied.
"It is quite nice. I always preferred the countryside rather than the city." Andromeda said.
As she continued to stand in Andromeda's presence she felt her worry drain away. Tonks smiled as she could see Hermione relax and the color return to her face.
"I like both, I lived in the city, but recently I moved to my summer cottage just outside London." Hermione said.
"Recently? Why?" Andromeda asked curiously.
"Roommate drama." Hermione replied evasively.
Hermione wasn't quite sure how much of her personal life she should disclose to Andromeda at the moment, though she suspected to that if Andromeda had been to see Narcissa lately, she might already know about her and Ginny. Andromeda surveyed Hermione imperiously, she knew that there was something she wasn't telling her, but she didn't expect her to tell her the whole story so soon.
"Dora, why don't you two go wash up before dinner." Andromeda said turning back to the stove.
Tonks was about to say something to her mother about getting a little too personal so quickly, but she recognized the dismissal. She knew that her mother was still trying to figure out Hermione, and that question was the first test. Once they were in her room Tonks sat down on her bed and fell back onto the pillows. After a few silent moments Hermione spoke,
"I need to use the bathroom." Hermione said softly.
"Down the hall first door on your right, it's in front of the staircase." Tonks said not looking at Hermione; she was currently pinching the bridge of her nose. Her mum was so infuriating sometimes.
Hermione said nothing she just left the room and down the hall into the bathroom, but on her way she stopped suddenly when she heard voices in the kitchen.
"Dromeda are you okay?" Ted asked walking into the kitchen.
He knew something was wrong because she was starting dinner without magic, and she rarely did that.
"Fine." She replied curtly.
"No everything is not fine, meeting Hermione upset you." He said.
Andromeda put down the knife and rounded on her husband.
"She…she has been with both Narcissa and Bellatrix. Did you know that she is head of the Muggle Injuries department at St. Mungo's?" Andromeda asked furiously.
"No I actually didn't know that. I haven't bombarded them with questions yet. And what do you mean that she has been with both of them?" Ted replied.
"Meaning she has fucked both of my sisters! She is a total Harlot!" Andromeda shouted, her voice broke.
"Dromeda,dont call her that, and I have no doubt that Hermione will treat our daughter the way she deserves to be treated. I am sure that Dora knows what Hermione has done, and I am assuming that she is fine with it, as she is obviously still with her." Ted said calmly.
Andromeda's temper was rising, she wanted to slap Ted, knock some sense into him. This woman that their daughter was dating was to her a Harlot. And Andromeda would rather kiss a Dementor than let her daughter be with someone like that. Narcissa had told her the whole story and as far as she was concerned it was really low of Hermione to go back out onto the sexual front so soon. Truth be told Hermione scared Andromeda, and Andromeda Tonks didn't like to be scared.
"And if she doesn't?" Andromeda asked heatedly.
Tonks did know, Narcissa had explained to Andromeda that she had stopped by the morning after she had slept with her. And she had also said that she suspected they ended up sleeping together as well.
"I am sure she does know Dromeda. I can see that she means a lot to Dora, and we need to support that. And even if she doesn't know, it is none of our sodding business Dromeda!" Ted said, his temper rising.
Her attitude towards their daughter's sexuality still infuriated him. But he could see her falter under the stern gaze he fixed on her. She sighed and she knew that she had lost the argument. She turned away and without another word to her husband she began to finish making dinner. Ted left the room, leaving Andromeda to her thoughts. Hermione sat there still crouched for a few more seconds. She couldn't believe what she had heard, Andromeda thought that she was playing Tonks, and she also assumed that she was keeping secrets from her, which wasn't true at all; they so far had shared everything, except the few things that weren't ready to be out in the open yet. She shook her head and went to the bathroom; afterwards she walked down the hall towards Tonks's bedroom. She tried to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes, but she was angry. How could someone she had only known for 5 minutes already judge her so severely? Yes she had slept with both Bellatrix and Narcissa, but they were both flings, one time experiences, and everyone involved knew that.
"I was hurting so bad, so I jumped into bed with someone else…is that so wrong? I mean what would anyone else have done?" Hermione asked herself.
After a few minutes of standing outside the door, she decided that she couldn't hold back the tears any longer, with trembling hands she opened the bedroom door and walked inside.
"What's wrong Mione?" Tonks asked sitting up as Hermione walked back into the room.
"I…your mum…she doesn't like me." Hermione sobbed.
"What in Merlin's name are you talking about Mione?" Tonks asked confused.
She knew that Hermione was sharp and intelligent, but there was no way that she could have deduced that her mother didn't like her from only a 5 minute conversation.
"I over heard your mum and dad in the kitchen on the way to the bathroom…She was telling your dad that I had slept with…Bellatrix and Narcissa…she called me a Harlot…and she thinks that I am playing you. And that I am lying to you about me sleeping with them…but I haven't lied Dora…I have told you everything." Hermione sobbed.
Tonks looked at Hermione, her eyebrows furrowed.
"She said all that?" Tonks asked icily.
Hermione nodded and continued to stand there and cry, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
"You dad defended me though…But I don't want to cause drama between you and your family…if she knows that I slept with Narcissa then I am sure that Narcissa explained why I did so…but in any case that doesn't help my case or make me look like a respectable and trustworthy person." Hermione said, her voice evening out slightly.
Tonks stood and pulled Hermione over towards the bed, sitting her down then she knelt at Hermione's knees.
"First of all you are a highly respectable person and I trust you. Second, I know what you did, and I know why, and it doesn't matter to me. Third, my mother isn't easy to please, so don't take anything she says seriously. She is a hypocrite because I know she still has a sexual relationship with Aunt Narcissa on occasion. Fourth, I am in love with you and always have been, she can't stand the thought of me being so happy, and the fact that I am happy with a woman is even more upsetting to her. I am not so sure why she gets so upset by my being an open bi-sexual, but she is. Fifth, she is a selfish person sometimes, so please don't let her get to you. And quite frankly the only person you should be worrying about impressing is me, and I say you do a damn good job at it." Tonks explained.
"But…" Hermione started but Tonks cut her off by placing a finger over her lips to silence her.
"You over analyze things way to much." Tonks said.
Hermione kissed the finger on her lips.
"I have been told that before." Hermione whispered against it.
"Well don't do it anymore." Tonks said placing a kiss on Hermione's lips.
"I will try and work on it." Hermione said slightly breathless as they broke apart.
Just then they were interrupted by a knock on the door, but Tonks did not remove herself from her place at Hermione's knees.
"Come in." Tonks said still looking at Hermione.
Ted opened the door and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He could see that Hermione had been crying and knew instantly that Hermione may have overheard the conversation; he had heard the bathroom door shut as he left the kitchen.
"Look Hermione, whatever you heard down in the kitchen, don't take it seriously. Dromeda isn't an easy person to please, she get's jealous when people besides her self spend time with her sisters. And she is being selfish because Dora is with a woman now, I know she really wanted grandchildren and now that she is no longer able to have them, she is upset. Just don't let it upset you, she will come round." He said looking seriously at Hermione.
"It was wrong of me to eavesdrop. I am sorry." Hermione said softly.
"You just happened to be in the hall when she started shouting." He said smiling.
"What she said…about Narcissa and Bellatrix is true. But there are reasons behind it, and Dora knows and understands, I haven't lied to her and I have been honest from the beginning. Ted I have no interest in breaking Dora's heart." Hermione said.
"It isn't me that you have to convince. It isn't any of my business; you are both grown women and can make your own choices." Ted said.
"And plus I know you are a good person, I knew from the moment I met you that you are the one for my Dora." He added beaming at the pair of them.
" I Should probably go down there and set the record straight, there is no sense in letting things stay this way, especially if we are going to be staying under the same roof for the next week." Hermione said getting to her feet.
Tonks stood as well and rubbed Hermione's back.
"Would you like me to go with you?" Tonks asked.
"No, I need to do this alone, the only way she is going to trust me is if I tell her straight up and be honest with her." Hermione replied.
Ted nodded and stepped aside as Hermione strode to the door and left the room.
"Dad do you think that is a wise choice? I mean you know how mum gets when she raving." Tonks asked.
"It is time that your mother got off her pompous high horse and starts accept you for who you are and that you are a grown woman and can make decisions that best suit you. I know that you know perfectly well what you are doing and she just needs to stop being selfish about the grandchild business." Ted replied.
"I hope that you are right." Tonks muttered.
Hermione took a deep breath and descended the stairs. She hoped that Andromeda would at least hear her out and let her explain things before it got too out of hand.
"Mrs. Tonks." Hermione said tentatively as she entered the kitchen.
"Andromeda will do. I do not place myself on a pedestal of arrogance like my sisters do. I am above such petulance." Andromeda said curtly as she turned to face Hermione.
"Andromeda, I have some things I would like to clarify for you." Hermione said softly
Andromeda put down her stirring spoon and advanced on Hermione, backing her into the wall next to the door frame, she held Hermione's chin between her thumb and index finger, forcing her face upwards. She then pressed her lips to Hermione's. Hermione was in shock, Tonks's mother was kissing her, and she was kissing her back. She heard a soft moan erupt from Andromeda's mouth as their tongues moved against one another. After a few moments Andromeda broke the kiss, and Hermione could see that she was flushed and slightly breathless.
"Keep your explanations, Narcissa told me the truth. But please do not break my daughter's heart Hermione Granger." Andromeda said against Hermione's lips her voice barely above a whisper.
"I…won't." Hermione whispered back.
"I can see why my sisters like you, but I mean what I say, do not break my daughter's heart, or there will be hell to pay." Andromeda said.
Hermione nodded and Andromeda released her and walked back over to the stove to finish dinner. Hermione took this as her que to leave and she left the kitchen. Her brain was going 100 miles an hour as she walked back up the stairs to Tonks's room. As she walked in she saw that Tonks was alone and sitting on her bed in thoughtful concentration. She turned at the sound of the door closing and she saw that Hermione was pale and shaking.
"Mione are you okay?" Tonks asked walking over to her lover and pulling her into her arms.
"She…she kissed me…" Hermione said softly.
"Not surprising she probably wanted to see why Aunt Narcissa likes you so much." Tonks said looking at the still shocked expression on her lover's face.
"I kissed her back…she was satisfied I guess. I heard her moan softly." Hermione said.
At this Tonks actually laughed, she figured her mother might try and pull something like this, but Hermione was still in shock.
"Look its cool Mione; I am not upset over it. Just don't let her get to you. She tries to act like she isn't haughty and proud like her sisters, but she is. Even if she doesn't associate herself with the Pure-Blood family she descends from, she is still highly respected; sometimes she lets it get to her. And even though she spent years trying to run away from it, hating the Pure-Blood mania and petulance that her family created, she is still a part of it. She left the family when she was 17 and married dad shortly after that. From what I understand about my Aunts, she and Bellatrix used to fight a lot, mostly over Narcissa. Because Narcissa was young an impressionable and Bellatrix's unnatural control over her made my mum feel uneasy. Bellatrix was sadistic and domineering. After years of hiding that she was with dad, she had finally had enough and she slipped up. Narcissa caught them and told Bellatrix, well naturally Bellatrix was furious and they fought badly. That night was the last night she saw her sisters, until Aunt Bella's trial. Then the years following the war and the last war, both sides started to see things differently. Bellatrix and Narcissa stopped being stuck up prats." Tonks explained.
"So she has been accepted again?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, she had spent many years without so much as a word from them or to them, because she was disowned. Bellatrix especially disapproved of anyone who wasn't Pure-Blood and she had a lot of influence in her family, and especially over Narcissa. After Bellatrix was sent to Azkaban she thought that maybe if she wrote to Narcissa she would get a response, because with Bellatrix out of the way, Narcissa could think for herself. But her hopes were dashed, she rarely heard from her baby sister, and when she did they were ugly words, but mum never stopped trying, because Narcissa is her sister and she wasn't about to lose her like she had lost Bellatrix. And now that the war is over and Voldemort is gone forever, they have nothing to stand for anymore, and Narcissa came round." Tonks explained.
"I can see why she wants the best for you, because she had such a difficult and dysfunctional family, she doesn't want that for you." Hermione said.
"I know she means well, but she has to realize that I am grown now and that I am living my own life my own way, she of all people should understand what that means to me." Tonks said.
"Dora…Just so you know…I have no interest in breaking your heart." Hermione said.
"I know Mione, I have no interest in braking yours either." Tonks replied.
"I want this, and I know what I am getting into. I want you back in my life and I was an idiot for not letting you know sooner and letting myself get into a bad relationship with Ginny. I want you more than anything." Hermione said, her voice cracked from the emotion in her words.
"Me too Mione." Tonks said.
Tonks held Hermione closer to her chest.
"I just want to be with you and I want your family to approve, I want to be with you in every way I possibly can." Hermione said.
"And you will." Tonks said letting the tears fall from her eyes into Hermione's bushy hair.
"You know something that I have noticed?" Tonks asked pulling back a little so she could look in Hermione's eyes.
"What is that?" Hermione asked.
"You have stopped calling me Tonks." Tonks replied.
"I can call you Tonks if you prefer. I just thought you liked Dora better." Hermione said.
"I do like it. I like it when you say it Mione." Tonks said.
Hermione smiled and pressed her lips against Tonks's. But before they could go any further, there was a knock at the door.
"Dinner is ready girls." Ted said through the door.
They shared another quick kiss and then left the room hand in hand.