Andromeda Tonks (andromynous) wrote in valescoing,
@ 2011-07-22 20:15:00

Entry tags:

[May 1998--Ted! AU]
It's been six days since the war has ended, and so far every moment she's spent alone, when Teddy is asleep, she's been trying to clean out the house of anything that is Nymphadora's. There is a pile of plastic bags at the back door, stuffed with clothes and other things.

Right now she's staring at her own bedspread, wondering whether she ought to just burn down the entire house and be done with it. There's happy memories here, certainly, but the last year -- they haven't been happy memories in the last year. Thankfully, Teddy is asleep in the living room.

She drops down onto the floor, back against the wall, and stares at the bed.

Harry Potter has saved the world yet again.

Harry Potter has rid the universe of Voldemort (with a little help from a Black sister who finally found her way).

Harry Potter cannot, in fact, help Andromeda put her life together again. That's the unfortunate part. She has to keep hoping that Ted is all right, though, because if she doesn't keep hoping that -- well, Teddy is all she has left.

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tttonks
2011-07-23 12:38 am UTC (link)

Could it be possible that after almost a year on the run, surviving attack after attack, living in make-shift tents with a goblin and other runaway muggleborns, that Ted had actually managed to make it back home save for some scars and some poorly put-back-in-place bones? It seemed like it, and it seemed to be the perfect fit that he'd realized, as he walked up the front steps of his home, that he would have lost the key to his house.

He'd lost it a million times before, of course, he was a slob, Dora had always told him. Not that his daughter was much better, but she'd been practicing now that she was married and expecting. Maybe the baby would be over and it would be one big giant Tonks family reunion. Ted liked to say that his Hufflepuff optimism was what helped him through this miserable year, and he let out a breath before knocking on the front door. Ted looked in the wind chime at his reflection and patted down his hair as much as he could, even though he could barely recognize himself with all the weight he'd lost and all the injuries he'd endured. He hoped Andromeda's nursing skills were honed and practiced as he waited for her to answer the door.

It would really suck if she wasn't home right now, wouldn't it?

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andromynous
2011-07-23 12:55 am UTC (link)

Of course someone would be at the door. She was sure that Harry and his other friends had started drawing straws over who was going to come to her door and make sure that she hadn't done something stupid like drunk herself into oblivion -- she would never do something like that to Teddy.

She took a deep breath, pushing herself to her feet and heading toward the door. When she opened it -- well, Ted wouldn't have too much time to explain to her that he was sore and fragile because she threw herself against him with all the grief and pain she'd been carrying on her shoulders since her daughter's death.

"Oh, Ted."

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tttonks
2011-07-24 01:40 am UTC (link)

"That's all you've got to say to your long lost husband?" Ted choked out, completely overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of his wife. His Andromeda. Oh, how he'd missed her so much. He hadn't spent more than a day away from her since their summer before seventh year, when she was disowned because of him, when--when they got married, deciding to spend the rest of their lives together and---

His arms gripped her so tightly to his body that Ted was sure he'd stop breathing. She smelled the same. He smelled like shit, but Andromeda still smelled like home.

Oh, hell, his legs were wobbling now. Either from exhaustion or emotion, he couldn't tell. Ted just knew that he wasn't going to let go of his wife any time soon.

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andromynous
2011-07-24 01:48 am UTC (link)

There was no way that she could tell Ted that their daughter was dead, that they were never going to see her become a mother and -- selfishly, right now Andromeda didn't want to think about it either. It wasn't like she could just close her eyes and forget everything that had happened, but she couldn't bring it up to him.

She didn't care that he smelled like something had curled up and died on him, around him, and under him -- she cared that he was here. When she pulled back, it was just enough to see just how rough he looked.

"Funny," she managed to say back, brows furrowed as she started to try and tug him toward the house. "I -- we've got to get you to bed so I can fix you up." Because if he died after all of this because of some stupid septic infection, she'd never forgive herself.

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tttonks
2011-07-25 11:51 pm UTC (link)

"I need a drink," he let out, not feeling at all bothered by his now red eyes and the tear streaks breaking through the dirt on his face. Ted held onto Andromeda's hand tightly, feeling as if he'd let this woman drag him around the world, he never wanted to let her go. "I'm just tired, Andy, I need to lie down and sleep for---a few weeks."

Ted wondered if that was worrisome, that he really did feel like he could go to sleep and never get up again. Well---no, never get up would be a bad thing, but that's what it felt like. He'd probably be tired for a while, but he needed his life to get started again, to begin again.

The sudden cry of a baby startled Ted, and his eyes brightened. The only baby that would be here would be----and his own little---"Baby? Dora's here?"

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andromynous
2011-07-26 02:14 am UTC (link)

Andromeda felt a sudden pang in her chest. She knew that Ted needed to lay down, but she could also see that he needed a little nursing -- he could have that while he was asleep for all she cared. She bit down hard on her lip when he asked whether Dora was home, hard enough to draw blood.

"Teddy's here by himself," she decided after a moment. There was no way that she could tell him that their daughter was dead in the state that he was in, it wasn't fair. She continued tugging until Ted is fully into the house in the living room and tries to make him settle him down on the couch before she heads to Teddy's cradle. He must've been able to sense the new addition to the house.

"Just -- sit down and I'll bring him to you, all right?" Because she needs something happy right now like she needs few other things in the world.

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tttonks
2011-07-26 09:24 pm UTC (link)

Ted nodded and watched her go, feeling an ache at just the sight of her leaving the room. If he wasn't so weary and had basically collapsed back into the couch, he would've followed her anyway, but Ted just sat and waited for Andromeda to return with---had she said Teddy?

A smile slid onto his face and he felt himself relax even more. Dora had always been a daddy's girl, there'd been no doubt about that since she was born. Ted had spoiled his little girl as much as possible before Andromeda had to put her foot down, but Dora knew...she knew that she could always turn to her daddy when she needed help so---

Oy. He couldn't help it, Ted's face cracked and in an instant tears were streaming down his face. He was home, he was home, and he was about to meet his grandson for the first time, his grandson whom his beloved daughter named after him, and he was alive to---Ted felt like he'd been holding back these sobs all his life, and buried his face in his hands, elbows pressing hard into his thighs as his shoulders shook.

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andromynous
2011-07-26 09:32 pm UTC (link)

She was gone from the room for as small amount of time as possible; she brought Teddy back quickly, making sure he'd been burped. As she stepped into the room with Ted in tears, though, she rushed back to his side with Teddy in tow.

"Oh, Ted..." she tried to curl her arms around him with the child still in tow, settling Teddy half on Ted's lap so the boy could settle down a little. She felt her own shoulders shaking already; the stress of having worried about Ted while grieving her child had been hard enough, and now that he was home she felt selfish for being as upset as she was when she knew she should've just been happy.

"Ted, it's going to be all right." She didn't know how, but she had to believe that much.

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