I was sitting in front of my vanity table on the night before my wedding, brushing my hair and trying to keep those nagging second thoughts from creeping into my head. I knew that Ted loved me, and I was pretty sure I loved him, but that wasn't what bothered me. I'd known him for a long time, but did I really know him? We had only been living together for one month, after all.

After we had finished our Hogwarts career, Ted’s parents had gifted us with a small house that had belonged to his grandparents. It was filled with their old furniture and was cosy. I could hear Reagan and Amelia in the next room, talking and giggling. They had started off as Ted’s friends, but had quickly warmed up to me.

I sighed. I was missing Ted already, even though he had only gone to Amos’s for two days and I would see him in less than twenty-four hours. Ever since school had let out the longest time we had spent apart was when he went to work. I smiled at the thought of Ted working. He had a desk job at the Ministry working for the Improper Use of Magic Office. It certainly wasn’t the type of job I thought he would like as he was always on the go. And his office – it was a terrible mess! I couldn’t wrap my head around how he found anything.

Two weeks before I had gotten a job at Flourish and Blotts doing odd jobs like working at the register and stacking the books. Ted had been against me getting a job, stating he didn’t want his wife to worry about a job or stressing herself.

I looked down at the piece of paper that was sitting in front of me. Before I started getting ready for bed, I thought I would write to my mother to tell her that I was getting married. Of course she wouldn’t care, but I felt that it was my obligation as her daughter to at least let her know. Unfortunately the words never came to me. I picked up my quill and started to write what came to mind.

Dear Mother,
I am writing you to tell you that tomorrow I will be a married woman. Please tell Father the news, as I would feel obliged to you.
Your daughter,
Andromeda.

I read the letter over again before folding it up, going over to where Bedell was resting. He had just come back from delivering a letter to Sirius telling him of my marriage and I knew that I was risking him getting too tired by sending him to Mother.

“Shh, only one more flight tonight and then you can rest,� I cooed to him as I tied the letter to his leg. I opened the window and watched him until the darkness swallowed him up. After closing the window, I walked over to my bed, and crawled under the blankets. Even though Ted and I had been living together for a month I had been the only one to sleep in this bed. Ted had relocated to the guest bedroom merely because he ‘couldn’t trust himself’.

I pulled the blankets up to my chin and closed my eyes. I could tell that I wasn’t going to get much sleep as thoughts of Mother and my wedding flooded my mind.

***

I was awakened the next morning by somebody shaking me. I opened one eye to see Reagan standing over me, her dark hair already up for the wedding. I smiled and opened the other eye before sitting up.

“It smells good,� I muttered. “What’s to eat?�

Reagan smiled. “Everything.�

I climbed out of bed and stretched before peering at the clock. It was only seven-thirty in the morning! Why on earth would they wake me up that early?

Reagan must have noticed the puzzled look on my face for she quickly explained, “We had to get you up early because there is a lot to do. We have to get you fed, do your hair and make-up, get you dressed, get us dressed and go! We’re leaving at ten-thirty so that only gives us three hours.�

I shook my head before following her out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. Mary and Sophie, Ted’s mother and sister, were sitting at the table eating breakfast, while Amelia stood at the stove.

“Andy!� Sophie greeted me before jumping up and giving me a hug. I hugged the little girl back and smiled; she would make a wonderful bridesmaid. “I’m so glad you’re going to be my sister and not some girl who’s a right cow.�

“Sophie!� her mother snapped, though her mouth twitched as she tried to hide a smile. “I don’t want to hear you speak like that again.� She turned towards me. “Now, Andromeda dear, do sit down and have a bite to eat. We have quite a lot of food.�

I looked at the table and gasped. They must have cooked all of the food in the house! I looked at Amelia and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, don’t you give me that look, Andy. We brought our own food. Now sit.�

I sat down and started to put food on my plate. Picking up a fried tomato, I bit off a small piece, but I could barely swallow it.

“How am I to eat today?� I asked pushing the plate away.

“If you don’t eat you’ll faint,� Reagan told me matter-of-factly.

“I don’t care if I faint. I’m not going to eat.� I stood up and walked into the bedroom. Bedell sat on the windowsill tapping lightly on the window with his beak. I opened the window and let him in. “What do you have for me now?� I untied the small letter from his leg and gave him a treat, letting out a breath before opening it.

Andromeda,
I do not care if you are to be married or not, for I only have two daughters, who are good and respectable and did not run off with filthy Mudbloods. If you think your father and I are going to give you our blessings you are sorely mistaken.
Druella Black.

I stared down at the letter I clutched in my hands. Want her blessings? Did she really think that I was stupid enough to ask for their approval? I crumpled up the paper and threw it into the waste bin next to the door.

“Okay, sit down and we’ll get you ready,� Amelia said as the other women walked into my bedroom.

I don’t know how long I sat on my little stool for but it was hours before the other women pulled away from me.

“There. You can look in the mirror now,� Mary told me. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, but I have to go check on Ted. You know how he is.� Mary waved to us before walking out of the house to her taxi.

I stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror. I could scarcely believe my eyes. Never before had I seen myself look so beautiful. My brown hair was piled up on my head and my skin was clear. My wedding dress fit me perfectly, following my slight curves and showing a modest amount of cleavage. I turned around to face the rest of the female wedding party. Amelia and Reagan were dressed in blue summer dresses and Sophie was dressed in a white bridesmaid dress.

“We need to get to the field,� Amelia said, looking towards the clock. “Come on.�

***

We arrived at the field to find a small tent in which the ceremony was to be held. Amos and John, Ted’s cousin, stood outside the tent. Amelia peeked inside, only to tell us that we should take our positions. The soft music started to play signalling the bridesmaids and groomsmen to start walking down the aisle.

I could feel my stomach start to turn and my head get light. Oh no. I couldn’t be sick now. A small hand grasped mine and I looked down to see Sophie smiling at me. “Don’t worry, Andy. It’ll be all right, I’m right here.� Since my father could not be at the wedding, Sophie had agreed to walk me down the aisle.

The bridal music started and I took a deep breath. Sophie and I stepped into the tent only to be greeted with smiles from the guests. I bit my lip as I looked up at Ted who was smiling greatly at me. He wore a black tuxedo and was by far the most handsome man I had ever seen.

Stepping up to the alter I leaned down and kissed Sophie’s forehead. When I stood up I smiled at Ted and the minister started to speak.

***

Everywhere I turned there was somebody who was related to Ted saying how proud they were to have such a lovely girl added to their family. All I could do was smile and say how pleased I was to be part of it.

Ted walked towards me with a middle-aged woman on his arm. “Andromeda, I would like you to meet my Aunt Doris, she really wanted to meet you.� He smiled and quickly took his leave.

“So you’re the girl that my nephew married … yes, well you’re certainly pretty enough.� The woman looked me over, making me uncomfortable. “Let’s go sit at a table, we have something to discuss.�

I followed her towards a small table and sat down. “What would you like to talk about?� I asked politely.

“Now that you are married, I want to talk about your wifely duties. I have noticed that your mother – or any of your family for that matter – isn’t here. I won’t ask any questions, though, it’s not my place. I’m sure your mother has never discussed your wifely duties with you, so I will,� she waved over to the server to bring her a glass of wine. “As a wife, it is your job to look after your husband’s needs, including the one in the bedroom.�

She took a large sip of her wine and I could feel my face get warm.

“Now don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you how babies are made or anything about the female and male anatomy. I’m going to tell you a bit about our family. As a wife it is your job to produce lot of children for Ted. It is in our family – the Tonks’ – to have big families. My mother had six children – me, three other daughters and two sons. Two of my sisters have five children each, my other sister has four and so does my brother Henry. George, on the other hand – your father-in-law – has only two children. His wife is prude, as far as I’m concerned.� She took another gulp of wine, finishing her glass. “I have four daughters and each other them have three children. We’re a big family. It is your job to keep the Tonks family line going and have a houseful of children.�

I didn’t have a response such an outrages appeal, so I settled for a kind of half-smile half-nod. I looked over at Ted who was standing with his father and smiling at me. Of course he knew what she was talking about! That prat, he was enjoying every minute of this!

“If you don’t mind now, dear,� Doris was saying standing up, “I’m going to find some more wine. You certainly don’t have enough here.� I watched her wobble away into the crowd.

When dusk started to fall, the guests took their leave. As Ted and I prepared to Apparate home, the young men from the wedding whistled and shouted good luck to Ted. We landed in our little kitchen which was filled with our wedding gifts. I picked up small box and fingered the ribbon.

“Now, now, Dromeda, those can wait until the morning,� Ted whispered in my ear, sending shivers up and down my spine. “We have a little… business to attend to.� He took hold of my hand and pulled me towards our bedroom.

***

The start of our married life was quiet and uneventful. I spent the days reading, working and trying my hand at gardening. Ted spent the days at his job at the Ministry, coming home at nightfall, bringing takeaway with him. We barely ever had a homemade meal, as I couldn’t cook and Ted wasn’t home to.

I sat at the table trying to focus on the Muggle book Ted had brought home last week for me. It was filled with Muggle fairy tales, which I found fascinating. I had just finished one about a girl named Cinderella who lived with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. They treated her terribly and made her life miserable.

I sighed and looked down at the book. They reminded me of my own family – a terrible mother and two terrible sisters. And Ted – my knight in shining armour swooping in and sweeping me off my feet. I wonder if Cinderella ever thought she did the wrong thing by abandoning her family, I mused. My family had treated me horribly when they heard about Ted, but before that they treated like one of them. Did I do the wrong thing by marrying Ted?

I heard the door open and close and Ted kick off his shoes. I could feel a single tear slide down my cheek.

“Dromeda, I’m home.� He walked into the kitchen, smiling. “What’s wrong?� His smile slipped off his face.

I shook my head and pretended to read.

“Dromeda, come on, I can tell when something is bothering you – you’re crying.� Ted set the takeaway on the table and sat down next to me.

“I-I don’t know if I did the right thing,� I whispered, wiping the tear from my cheek.

“What right thing?� Ted questioned, his head cocked to the side.

“I don’t know if I did the right thing in leaving my family.�

“Andromeda, don’t do this again!�

“Do what again? I haven’t even thought about my family for a month!� I jumped up from my chair. “I was just thinking. Maybe my family would never have made me leave if I hadn’t told them about you. I would have been better off just leaving and never coming back. Maybe then they would still care about me.�

Ted stood up, an angry look on his face. “So you would rather keep our love a secret – keep me a secret, huh? Why do you even care about what they think? Can’t you see that they don’t want anything to do with you just because you’re different? It only would’ve been a matter of time before they kicked you out for something else. Maybe you were too nice to a house-elf, maybe you fancied a girl!�

“No, Ted! I don’t want to keep you a secret – that’s why I told my parents about you! I just think my life would be easier if I hadn’t.�

Ted walked over to the door and opened it. “Maybe my life would have been easier if I had never spoken to you.� The door slammed behind him followed by the loud crack of him Apparating.

Tears were now pouring down my face. Never before had Ted and I spoke to each other like that. I couldn’t control my anger and now he was gone. I shut off the lights and walked into our bedroom. Pulling off my jumper I climbed into bed fully clothed.

There was no possible way I could sleep tonight, there were just too many questions swimming around in my head. Would he forgive me? When would he be back? Would he ever be back? Where did he go?

I fell asleep for an hour or so before waking up. I got out of bed and walked around the house. Ted still wasn’t home and I was getting worried. I had to talk to somebody. Reagan! She would listen. I walked into the kitchen and checked the clock – one o’clock.

I grabbed my jumper and Apparated to her apartment. I knocked softly on her door and waited a few seconds. She wouldn’t be mad, would she? Hopefully not. I knocked on the door a little louder and this time Reagan came to the door almost instant.

“Andromeda? What are you doing here? It’s one in the morning!� Reagan was dressed in a pair of frumpy pyjamas and a fuzzy orange bathrobe.

“I need to talk with you,� I mumbled looking at my feet.

She sighed and stepped out of the way. “Come on in, I’ll make tea.�

I walked into the clean white kitchen and sat down at the table. Reagan sat down across from me and yawned. “What is it?�

I took a deep breath before speaking. “Ted and I… had a fight. We’ve never fought before – it was terrible!� I could feel tears building up in my eyes and tried to blink them back.

“A fight? What about?� Reagan was now leaning on her elbows looking fully awake.

“I was… thinking about my family. What if I didn’t do the right thing in marrying Ted? What if we weren’t meant to get married? What if he doesn’t even love me?�

“Andromeda, slow down and take a deep breath.� She stood up, got the tea ready and sitting back down before saying anything else. “First, and I’m not saying this to be rude, but don’t think about your family. It just leads to bad things. Marrying Ted was the best thing that could have happened to you. He’s sweet, funny and completely in love with you. You should have heard him when we were in school. You were all he could talk about. It was annoying sometimes, but it was good to see him in love. Ted was hurt a lot before. Girls would go out with him and then get rid of him just as things were getting serious.�

I nodded and wiped tears away from my eyes. “I love him a lot. He’s wonderful to me and would do anything I asked. I had just never heard him speak like that before. He said that his life you be easier if he had never spoken to me.�

Reagan looked shocked, but quickly smiled. “He was lying. If Ted hadn’t spoken to you he would still be living with his parents with no job. He needs you.�

I drained my cup and stood up. “I should be going now. Thank you so much, Reagan.� I gave her a swift hug before heading towards the door.

“Oh and Andromeda.� I turned towards her, an eyebrow raised. “Don’t worry; Ted will be home in the morning.�

***

I woke in the morning with dried tears on my face. Sometime during the night, right before I had finally fallen asleep, I heard the door open and close and Ted stumbling through the house. I hadn’t bothered to go to him though; I was too angry for that.

I climbed out of bed and stretched before walking out of my room and tiptoeing to the guest room. I slowly opened the door and poked my head in. Ted was wrapped in the blankets, only his head sticking out. I opened the door wider and walked over to him. He smelt strongly of firewhisky and smoke. I leaned down and kissed his messy blond hair before slowly backing out of the room. I shut the door gently behind me before walking into the kitchen.

I picked up my wand from where I left it the night before and turned on the radio. With a flick of my wand a carton of eggs and bacon flew onto the counter. I broke the eggs in the frying pan and started on the toast. I had never tried to cook breakfast before, but I had seen it done on the television that Ted had insisted we buy. The smell of burnt eggs reached my noise as I reached for the juice. I quickly took the eggs off of the stove and put them on a plate.

By the time the meal was ready Ted was walking into the kitchen.

“What is that smell?� he asked, holding his nose.

“It’s breakfast!� I told him brightly. “I made it myself.�

“I can see that,� he muttered, sitting down at the table. “Burnt eggs, toast and bacon – my favourite.�

I smiled to myself; maybe he had forgotten about last night. I sat down and watched Ted try the eggs. He made a face before clearing his throat. “Dromeda, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have said anything.�

“No, Ted,� I interrupted him, looking down at my hands. “You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have been so quick to jump to my family’s rescue.� I looked up at him and smiled. “Just promise me that you’ll never leave again.�

“I promise,� Ted whispered before he pushed his plate away. “And promise me that you’ll never cook again.�