Andromeda Tonks

"Andromeda was my favourite cousin. No, Andromeda's not on here either, look. Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pure-blood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, so —"

- Sirius Black discussing Andromeda

Andromeda Tonks (née Black) (b. 1951-1955 ), also known as Dromeda, was a pure-blood witch and the middle daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black, as well as the sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1960s and was sorted into Slytherin House.

After Hogwarts, she married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, and was disowned by her prejudiced family. In 1973 she became the mother of Nymphadora Tonks. During the Second Wizarding War, Andromeda and her husband were allies of the Order of the Phoenix as their daughter was a member. Nymphadora married Remus Lupin in 1997 and had a son, Edward Remus Lupin. During the war in 1998, Andromeda's husband was murdered by Snatchers, Remus was murdered at the Battle of Hogwarts, and Nymphadora was also murdered by Andromeda's sister, Bellatrix Lestrange.

After the Second Wizarding War, Andromeda raised her grandson with the help of his godfather Harry Potter, which meant that Teddy also spent time with the Potter and Weasley families.

Early life
Andromeda was born in the early 1950s. She was the second daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née Rosier), and younger sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and older sister of Narcissa Malfoy. Walburga and Orion Black were her aunt and uncle on her father's side, and Sirius and Regulus Black her cousins. Evan Rosier may be a relative on her mother's side. Alphard Black was also Andromeda's uncle.

She was Sirius Black's favourite cousin, but he never met her married family before his imprisonment in Azkaban in 1981.

Hogwarts years
"She is no niece of ours, my Lord. We — Narcissa and I — have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries."

- Bellatrix Lestrange about the recent marriage of Nymphadora Tonks

Andromeda attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s and was sorted into Slytherin House. She may have been very skilled at Charms class. It is also possible that she was good at Defence Against the Dark Arts, because in her adult life she managed to resist torture without revealing any vital information or losing her sanity.

At some point during or after her education at Hogwarts, Andromeda met and subsequently fell in love with Muggle-born wizard Edward Tonks, despite her family's steadfast belief in the importance of blood purity.

Life after Hogwarts


Andromeda married Ted and was subsequently disowned and burned off the family tapestry in 12 Grimmauld Place by her aunt, parents and sisters. Statements by her sisters indicate that both of them cut off contact with Andromeda because they considered her a blood traitor for her marriage.

In 1973 around the age of twenty, Andromeda and Ted had one child, Nymphadora Tonks. Andromeda selected the name, which her daughter strongly disliked, preferring to be known simply as "Tonks" by her friends. Ted, Remus Lupin, and Andromeda called her Dora for short.

Andromeda had a talent for cleanliness that her husband and daughter did not share.



Her daughter, Nymphadora, began her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1984 and was sorted into Hufflepuff House at the Sorting ceremony. Nymphadora's Head of House was Professor Pomona Sprout, the Herbology teacher, who did not make her one of Hufflepuff's prefects in her fifth year because she lacked the ability to behave properly. Her daughter graduated from Hogwarts in 1991 and went on to train and later work as an Auror for the British Ministry of Magic. Nymphadora worked as an Auror between the wars and during the Second Wizarding War. Andromeda frequently worried about her daughter's safety.

Second Wizarding War
Although Andromeda and Ted did not appear to be official members of the Order of the Phoenix, they allowed their home to be one of the Order's safe-houses and were supportive of the organisation to which their daughter belonged. Nymphadora married Remus Lupin in the summer of 1997; he suspected that her parents did not approve because he was a werewolf, though it is unknown if this was true; given the fact that Andromeda was not a pure-blood supremacist.

After the Battle of the Seven Potters, they were instrumental in Harry Potter's moving from Privet Drive to The Burrow: Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid took temporary refuge in the Tonks' home, where Andromeda took care of Hagrid's injuries. She seemed somewhat offended when Harry first reacted to her as if she were her sister Bellatrix because of their resemblance. She and Ted were both very worried about their daughter when they learned that the Order was ambushed by Death Eaters when transporting Harry, though Ted tried to reassure his wife by pointing out that their daughter had been through worse in the course of her work as an Auror.

When the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control in August of 1997, the magical protections around the Order safe-houses were broken. Andromeda and Ted were interrogated and tortured by Death Eaters for information pertaining to Harry Potter and the Order. Their son-in-law reported that they were "shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay". Soon after this, their daughter discovered that she was pregnant and came to stay with Andromeda and Ted, as her husband temporarily left her out of fear that he would pass on lycanthropy to their child.

The Ministry soon began persecuting Muggle-borns by forming the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, which charged Muggle-borns with having stolen their magic and their wands from "real" witches and wizards. Ted refused to register on principle and was forced to go on the run; Andromeda, as a pure-blood, was safe and stayed with her pregnant daughter. Some time before the birth of her grandson Teddy, Andromeda was left a widow, as her husband was murdered by Snatchers.

Andromeda's daughter and son-in-law were murdered during the Battle of Hogwarts by Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda's sister, and Antonin Dolohov, respectively. Bellatrix was later killed by Molly Weasley.

Later life
Andromeda was left with custody of her grandson, though Teddy would also spend a lot of time with his godfather, Harry Potter, and the Weasley family.



Physical appearance
"As she moved forward into the room, Mrs Tonks's resemblance to her sister Bellatrix became much less pronounced: Her hair was a light soft brown and her eyes were wider and kinder."

- Description

Andromeda is described as closely resembling her elder sister Bellatrix physically (as Harry almost attacked her thinking that she was Bellatrix), though she has light brown hair instead of black, and has softer and wider eyes. Thus, she is likely tall and bears the patrician beauty common to the Black family, aside from her aforementioned eyes, which are kinder than her eldest sister's arrogant and heavily-lidded stare.

Personality and traits
It is safe to assume, given her marriage to a Muggle-born, that Andromeda was very different from both of her sisters: while her sisters married into "respectable" pure-blood families, she married for love despite her family's opposition, leading to her family's hatred.

She is clearly a good mother, showing her concern about her daughter's whereabouts after the Battle of the Seven Potters and taking care of her during her pregnancy. She is also a good grandmother, raising her daughter's son after her death.

Apart from her husband and daughter, her cousin Sirius Black considered her to be his only true family, demonstrating that Andromeda always treated Sirius with respect and kindness. In addition to being a good wife, mother, and grandmother, she is a good friend, because despite being under torture, she did not reveal anything that could harm Harry Potter or any of her friends. Like Molly Weasley, Andromeda is a woman dedicated to her family and friends. Thus, in many ways, Andromeda's personality contradicted the "evil Slytherin" stereotype held by many students of the other Houses.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Healing magic: After the Battle of the Seven Potters, Harry and Hagrid took refuge in her house, where she healed Hagrid's injuries. Given Hagrid's half-giant nature and concomitant natural magical resistance, this does imply she was a talented healer.
 * Household Charms: Andromeda had a talent for cleanliness, a talent that her husband and her daughter did not share.

Black Family


Andromeda's relationship with her parents was likely a bad one. Because she married a Muggle-born against her family's ideals of blood purity she was disowned and not considered a Black after that. It is safe to assume that her parents did not consider her as their daughter anymore and like Bellatrix and Narcissa cut off all contact with her. It is also possible that Andromeda's parents never met their granddaughter.

It is unknown what kind of relationship Andromeda had with her older sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, and younger sister, Narcissa Malfoy, when they were younger. However, both her sisters believed in pure-blood supremacy, whereas Andromeda obviously did not, given her marriage.

After she married the Muggle-born Ted, Andromeda was disowned and both her sisters cut off all contact with her. Andromeda's relationship with Bellatrix was likely particularly hateful, given that Bellatrix murdered Andromeda's cousin, Sirius Black, as well as her daughter (though, given the circumstances, she likely didn't learn of the latter until after the battle and her eldest sister's death). Andromeda also seemed to be offended when Harry Potter, upon first seeing her, reacted as if she were her older sister. Andromeda's relationship with Narcissa, however, is unknown, though it was most likely similar to that of her relationship to Bellatrix.

Andromeda's younger cousin Sirius Black told Harry Potter in 1995 that Andromeda was his favourite cousin. Like her, Sirius was considered a "blood traitor" by their family, and was disowned for his beliefs. Thus, the two were likely close in their younger years. Sirius considered Andromeda and Tonks his only and true family.

Ted Tonks
Andromeda married Ted Tonks in spite of her family's hatred of Muggle-borns, which led to her being disowned and shunned by her own sisters. Thus, it can be assumed that the two loved each other greatly. Ted comforted his wife when they were unsure what happened to their daughter after the Battle of the Seven Potters, reassuring her that, as an Auror, Tonks had been through worse.

Nymphadora Tonks


Nymphadora and her mother were close, though Tonks disliked the given name her "fool of a mother" gave her. It's unknown how Andromeda took the news that her daughter and Remus Lupin were in love and that they planned to marry. It's also unknown how she initially reacted to Nymphadora's pregnancy. Andromeda was frantic with worry over her daughter's participation in the Second Wizarding War and opted to stay with her during her pregnancy, while Ted went on the run from the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. When Tonks went to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, she left her infant son in the care of his grandmother. It's unknown how she took the news of her daughter's death at the hands of her older sister, Bellatrix. One can assume that the loss of her only child was devastating.

After the final battle of the Second Wizarding War, Andromeda would raise the boy after his parents' deaths with the help of Teddy´s godfather Harry Potter.

Harry Potter
"Harry broke off. He had just noticed the woman who had entered the room behind Hagrid. You! he shouted, and he thrust his hand into his pocket, but it was empty."

- Harry meets Andromeda for the first time



The first time Harry met Andromeda, he thought that she looked a lot like her sister Bellatrix but with kinder eyes and lighter hair. Her resemblance to Bellatrix was such that Harry attempted to attack her, but upon realising his mistake, he felt bad and apologised as her physical comparison to her sister seemed offensive to her.

After Voldemort's downfall, Harry helped Andromeda raise her grandson and his godson, Teddy Lupin. Harry liked and respected Andromeda for her ideals and because she was Tonks' mother. It is possible that after the war they would see each other regularly and probable in such a scenario that they would develop a bond because of Teddy, Remus, and Tonks's memory. It is also highly likely that Andromeda herself was welcomed at Harry and Ginny's house as a dinner guest, along with her grandson.

Order of the Phoenix
Andromeda was not an official member of the Order of the Phoenix, but nevertheless, she supported the Order's ideals (given her marriage to a Muggle-born). As her daughter and son-in-law were members, she would allow the Order use of her house as a safe house. It is likely that she has a good relation with all of the members, and because she was at Hogwarts at the same time as Arthur and Molly Weasley, a friendship might have started there. The degree and nature of her involvement during the First Wizarding War is unknown, but it is reasonable to assume that she helped them in some way. Andromeda proved her loyalty in 1998 when she was tortured by Death Eater in her home and did not reveal anything of importance regarding Harry or the Order, despite the fact that she was under torture.

Etymology
Many members of the House of Black — such as Sirius, Bellatrix, and Cygnus — appear to be named after stars or constellations, and the name Andromeda follows this pattern. It is a northern constellation that contains the Andromeda Galaxy and was named after the character from Greek mythology: a princess who was chained to a rock to be sacrificed to a sea monster, as divine punishment for her mother's (Cassiopeia) boasting, but was saved by the hero Perseus, whom she then married. This may allude to Andromeda Tonks' estrangement from her aristocratic, but cruel extended family.

Behind the scenes

 * Due to the similarities in appearance shared by Andromeda and her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, fans of the Harry Potter series set up an online petition to have Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Bellatrix, play Andromeda in . However, as Harry and Hagrid escape to the Burrow rather than the Tonks house, Andromeda and Ted were both cut from the film.
 * Out of the three Black sisters, Andromeda was the only sister that has not appeared in any of the films.
 * Andromeda is also the only one of the five Black cousins who has not appeared in the films, as her two sisters appeared in the Half-Blood Prince through to the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Bellatrix also appearing in the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius Black appeared in Prisoner of Azkaban through Order of the Phoenix and in Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and a younger Regulus Black appeared in one of Horace Slughorn's photographs in the Half-Blood Prince.

Notes and references
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