From Opposite Sides

A Light in the Dark

As you can imagine, a bittersweet aroma trailed the preparations for the wedding of Andromeda and Ted Tonks. Andromeda felt a giant opening in her heart where her family should be. It's not like her engagement had been on a whim. She'd thought over her future with Ted a million times before he even proposed, and she'd known that whichever side she chose, guilt would plague her until the day she died. Standing up for what she believed in had given her so much power, even if it had been at the cost of her family. Weren't they supposed to be happy for her? Weren't they supposed to stand by her decision, even if they hated it? Isn't that what family does? Her parents had warned her not to go over to "the wrong side", but she never dreamed that they would actually shun her. Narcissa, and Bellatrix, whom she used to admire as a little girl, wouldn't speak to her anymore, either. Their words still rang in her ears for days afterwards...

"We've told you countless times how terrible Muggles are! Now you want to marry the son of Muggles?

"I can't imagine why you're putting yourself through this, Dromeda. Why can't you just find a pure-blood to marry?"

"He acquired his power by sheer chance. He doesn't have any magical blood running through his veins. "

"He's got nothing but dirty blood in him. If you were a sensible witch, you'd see that."

They'd ensured that she lost contact with every single Black. For getting married, of all things! Some family she had.

Ted's family was more than accommodating through it all. They paid for her dress, and Mr. Tonks even volunteered to walk her down the aisle himself. She let him do so, very appreciatively. Her in-laws were everything her own family should've been: gracious, loving, and accepting. They didn't mind her coming to visit them by Floo powder (though it gave them a good scare the first time she did it!) or using magic inside their home. Ever since Violet and Reginald Tonks were told that they had a wizard for a son, nothing seemed to shock them anymore.

On the big day, Violet assisted Andromeda with putting on her beautiful white gown. "For the longest time," her soon-to-be mother-in-law admitted, "Ted was so upset that people in your world would ignore him because his father and I don't have magic. Then you came along. I can't tell you how thankful we are that you gave him a chance."

Andromeda tried not to cry, taking Violet's hand. "I can't tell you how glad I am that I'm doing this. Ted's made me almost a completely different person. Because of him, I can see past bloodline, into the actual people themselves." She sighed deeply. "I just wish my parents and sisters could do the same."

Finally, she stepped into the sanctuary for the ceremony, accompanied by Reginald. From both sides of the aisle, she found confirmation that none of the Blacks were here. Well, all but one. Her cousin Sirius came because, as the first relative she had told about Ted, they were very close. She trusted him alone since he'd been an outcast of the family from the moment he was sorted into Gryffindor. Sirius would never shut her out, that mischievous rebel of a boy! He had come with James Potter and his parents, whom she'd met at work. All the sadness melted away when Sirius smirked at her lovingly, shaking his shaggy mane of hair. Andromeda also saw some other friends from work: Nancy Finnegan, Vikki Brown, and Arabella Figg (a Squib, but still very involved with the Wizarding world). Her eyes spotted Violet Tonks in the front, where she should be, as the mother of the groom. Andromeda was instantly overwhelmed by how much she was still loved, despite losing the people who'd given birth to her. It caused her to burst into the first genuine smile she'd worn in a long time. Standing at the altar was Ted, handsome as ever. Being married to him would surely mean that she wouldn't experience any more days of unhappiness, and she felt determined to care for him just as much as he would care for her, fulfilling a cardinal rule of marriage.