Chapter 3 – Dinner at Lord Elrond's Table

Andromeda gave herself a last look in the mirror, nodding at her appearance. She'd found a deep blue gown a few shades darker than her eyes among the ones she'd been given, and a silver-cloth sash to accent it. Her hair was pinned up in a neat bun, with a trio of narrow braids winding through it, and held by a pair of wrought silver pins. Perfectly respectable, and altogether more like what she grew up with than what she'd been living with for many years.

Someone knocked on her door, and Andromeda tucked her wand into an arm sheath. She nodded to Gandalf, greeting him with a polite, "Good evening, Mithrandir."

She'd spent most of the afternoon talking with the wizard, and the subject had often come back to their respective magics. Gandalf had been very curious about her wand, and the magic of her world. Andromeda had gotten the impression that he knew more about her world than he let her see, but she hadn't had the time to find out how much he knew, if really any at all.

"Good evening, Andromeda." Gandalf smiled back, and offered his arm. "Lord Elrond has requested II escort you to dinner."

Andromeda tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, allowing him to lead her through the halls to a balcony that overlooked one of the waterfalls. Four others sat around the table, and she smiled at Elrond and Arwen in greeting.

"Lord Elrond. Arwen." She nodded to the elves as she took her seat, her gaze passing briefly over the hobbit and the human already at the table. She suspected she wouldn't be surprised by who they were when introduced, but she waited, not wanting to reveal too much of her own knowledge of Middle Earth.

"Andromeda." Elrond returned her greeting briefly. There was a frown on his face that Andromeda couldn't read, and she shifted slightly, wondering what had caused the expression. It faded a moment later, and he introduced Aragorn and Bilbo, who had both shot curious looks at her.

Aragorn continued to watch her, a slight frown of thought on his face, while Bilbo simply nodded, and returned to a conversation that had been interrupted by her arrival.

Andromeda listened to his commentary on a piece of writing he was translating, nodding absently when someone appeared at her elbow with wine. She spun the stem of the goblet idly between her fingers as Bilbo continued to speak.

Aragorn shifted in his seat to lean towards Andromeda. "One can only listen to Bilbo's stories so many times, for the elaborations grow with each passing year," he commented, his tone casual.

Andromeda turned, raising an eyebrow in question. "Isn't that true of any tale? After all, the best thing about a storyteller is they never tell the same tale twice."

Aragorn smiled slightly. "True." He paused, taking a sip from his goblet of wine. "What brings you to Imladris?" he asked, curiosity in his expression. "I know it cannot be Lord Elrond's hospitality. Although known as the Last Homely House, sometimes he can…" He caught Elrond's sharp glance, and fell silent with a knowing smile. Andromeda's brow furrowed a moment, and she made a note to ask Aragorn later what he meant to say.

"I am uncertain as to my purpose here in this place, if there is any at all, but in time, many things are revealed." Andromeda took a sip of her wine, her expression bland even as she gave a mental wince at the vagueness of her response, even though she knew she had to be vague. She didn't know what year it was in Middle Earth, but she was fairly certain the Fellowship has not yet set out on their quest to destroy the ring.

And I do not wish to disturb events any more than I will simply by being here, if there is no way to return home.

"In this place?" Aragorn questioned.

"Middle Earth," Andromeda replied quietly. "It is not where I was born, or raised." She caught the amused smile on Gandalf's face out of the corner of her eye, and again wondered how much the wizard knew, and wasn't letting on about.

Aragorn nodded. "Really? Than where would you be from?" He gazed at the wizard with a slightly challenging expression on his face.

"From a land far from Middle Earth, called Britain." Andromeda twirled her goblet again, uncertain how much to reveal of her world. Better to tell them of my world, where they are unlikely to ever go, than to have them discover I know more of their future than they as yet know.

"Britain? Sounds intriguing." Aragorn lit his pipe, and leaned back. "What is it like?"

Andromeda watched him intently for a moment before she replied, wondering why she felt like he knew something about her world already. "Depends on where you go. It is a land of many places, and many people." She continued to watch him, waiting to see where he would take this line of questioning. And if he would let slip something that he shouldn't know. "Where would you have me begin?"

"The town you grew up in would be a logical choice." Aragorn waved his hand, indicating the valley around them. "One would know that better than any other place. I'm sure there are places Arwen and I know of that others haven't found yet."

Arwen smiled, her eyes sparkling. "As I have places I know that I have not shown you, melanin."

Andromeda nodded, smiling in response to the elven woman's mirth. "True enough." She paused, taking a sip of wine before beginning to weave a tale of the streets of London, Diagon Alley, her aunt and uncle's sometimes frightening home, and the other places of her childhood. And let's not tell you about Tolkien. It would result in questions I'd rather not answer.


Aragorn's hand found Arwen's as they listened to the stories Andromeda spun of this place called Britain, until she came to what sounded like the end of the tale.

"What happened next?" he encouraged.

Andromeda licked her lips. "I met Ted, and my aunt blasted my name off the family tree." She appeared reluctant to talk more about her family, twirling the goblet once more.

"Who is Ted?"

Beside Andromeda, Elrond's conversation with Bilbo had drawn to a close, and his eyes focused on her as well. Aragorn suspected he had been listening to the entire conversation before this, knowing the elven lord could easily have listened to both Bilbo and Andromeda at the same time.

"He's a Muggle-born wizard, and my husband." Andromeda took a sip from her goblet, her expression troubled. "Is there something else about Britain you're curious about?"

"What is a Muggle?" Arwen asked from beside Aragorn.

"A Muggle is a human who can't work magic where I come from."

"And why did your aunt disown you?" Elrond asked quietly.

Andromeda looked over at him, her blue eyes holding a mix of disgust and pity. "Because she had all the pure-blood prejudices against those who cannot trace magic back in their family to the beginning."

"What did you say your family name was?" Aragorn suddenly asked. Something from her stories was niggling at the back of his mind, and he tried to pin it down. What was it?

Andromeda gave him a puzzled look. "Black. Why?"

"Just… curious. Do you have any children?"

"Just one. A daughter." Andromeda paused, licking her lips, her body language suggesting she was nervous about the direction the conversation was taking. "Nymphadora. And she hates her name. Insists people call her by her surname, Tonks."

Aragorn choked at the name, the thought coming to his mind in full. Legolas's strange companion, the man called Sirius. He had mentioned a young woman called Tonks in his stories. "Tonks?"

Andromeda nodded, giving him a curious look. "Is it that strange?"

"No… no." Aragorn shook his head, not wanting to tell her quite yet about Sirius. Not until he had spoken to the strange man, perhaps convinced him to come to Imladris. "I thought the name sounded familiar for a moment, that's all."

Andromeda regarded him with a hint of confusion in her expression for a long moment. "Of course." She didn't look convinced, but she said nothing more.


Dinner was quiet for a while after that, while they ate, and Andromeda turned the conversation over in her mind. Aragorn was keeping something back, and it troubled her. What, or who, was in Mirkwood that would know who her daughter was? Or was it simply the name?

As a servant took away his empty plate, Elrond spoke quietly, his question startling Andromeda. "I am curious, Andromeda, how you learned Sindarin."

"I…" Andromeda shook her head, certain now what had caused Elrond's troubled frown at the beginning of dinner. "I was unaware I was speaking it, Lord Elrond. I hear myself speaking English, and I hear your responses in the same. Which I suspect holds no great resemblance to any language of Middle Earth."

Her brow furrowed, and she tapped one finger against the table as she thought. I should have noticed that is was odd I am capable of understanding them, and they, me. How did I fail to do so?

"So you do not actually know Sindarin?" Elrond was watching her intently, and Andromeda shifted uncomfortably.

"No." She knew that wasn't entirely true, as she had memorized the bits of verse from Tolkien's books, but she wasn't sure that constituted knowledge, or mere parroting. Not to mention, those books told of a future for this world. At least, she thought they did, and it wouldn't be a good idea to speak of them if they did.

"If I may ask, what year is it?"

Elrond raised an eyebrow, but answered

Andromeda mentally winced. Seven years, and the Fellowship will gather here, and depart to take that ring to its destruction. She didn't even name the ring in her thoughts, much as she never named Voldemort, lest she draw unwanted attention in her direction.

"Is there something important about the date, Andromeda?" Elrond was still watching her, and she tried to shove the unease she was feeling down into some dark corner of her mind.

"Nothing of which I care to speak, Lord Elrond." She met his gaze, her expression carefully blank.

He nodded after a long moment. "As you wish."

Andromeda nodded in return, and there was silence for a long moment before she spoke again. "If I may take my leave, Lord Elrond, I am tired, and wish to retire to my room for the night." In truth, she merely wanted to make a strategic retreat before she said anything else that she shouldn't.


Elrond granted Andromeda leave to go, the table sitting silent until she was out of hearing.

Gandalf smoked his pipe for a long moment before he spoke. "She is from the same world as our young friend in Mirkwood," he said quietly. "I suspected such after speaking with her earlier, and her tales of this place called Britain make it all the more likely."

"Also, the name Tonks is one Sirius has mentioned before." Aragorn leaned back in his seat, one arm crossed over his chest, the other holding his pipe. "Though not often, and when he does, it appears to be with some regret."

"Perhaps because he has no reason to think he would ever see those who bore that family name again." Gandalf frowned. "Nor would I hold out any more than a vague hope he will see any others from his world again."

"Unless another incident brings more from their world here." Elrond's frown was a match for Gandalf's. "Or we can find a way to send them home."

"We have spent the last ten years trying to find a way to send Sirius back to his world, and we are no closer now than we were then." Aragorn shook his head. "I do not think there is a way, short of the Valar taking interest in these two strangers. And there are other concerns."

"Among them, business that will take you or I back to Mirkwood." Gandalf looked over at Aragorn, raising one grey eyebrow. "Do you intend to tell our young friend about Andromeda?"

"He would likely appreciate the news that he isn't the only one of his world trapped here," Aragorn replied easily. "And Thranduil will no doubt be glad to have Sirius gone from his halls."

Gandalf snorted, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. "No doubt. Even if he's only gone a short while."

Elrond silently agreed it was likely the Mirkwood king would be glad to see Sirius Black gone from his woods. Many tales he'd heard of the stranger who'd appeared there ten years ago, and the mantra Thranduil now repeated when Sirius had annoyed the elven king again. 'There is a way to send him back. It will be found. He will be gone, far away from me.'

"Before you leave, you ought to speak to Andromeda, and let her know about Sirius's being here, in Middle Earth," Bilbo interjected suddenly, giving Aragorn a sharp look. "You ought to have told her earlier. If she does indeed know him, she will be glad to know she isn't alone here, same as he will be."

Aragorn nodded to Bilbo. "True enough, my friend."

The conversation fell silent again, the others taking their leave one by one, leaving Elrond alone with his thoughts.

What am I going to do with these strangers? And what is Andromeda reluctant to speak of, that made her uneasy about the year?


Author's Note:

Lady Melisande Grey - We shall see.

Darklight - More there is now, and more there will come. Both of Andromeda in Imladris and Draco in Lothlorien.