Edward Tonks

"Knew they were coming for me. Heard Death Eaters were in the area last week and decided I’d better run for it. Refused to register as a Muggle-born on principle, see, so I knew it was a matter of time, knew I’d have to leave in the end. My wife should be okay, she’s pure-blood."

- Ted on the run from Snatchers in 1998

Ted Tonks was a Muggle-born wizard, the husband of Andromeda Black, and the father of Nymphadora Tonks. He is described as a "fair-haired, big-bellied" man, with a mellow and pleasant voice.

Early Life
Much of Ted's life is unknown. At some point, likely in the early 1970s, Ted married Andromeda Black, whom he affectionately called "Dromeda", in spite of her family's belief in blood purity. She was disowned and burned off the family tree for not making a "respectable pure-blood marriage" like her sisters Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. They had one child, for whom Andromeda selected the name "Nymphadora".

Ted and his daughter, whom he fondly called "Dora", lacked the talent for magical cleanliness that Andromeda has. He seems to have been friendly with Arthur Weasley, as he was familiar with Arthur's fascination with Muggle items.

Second Wizarding War
When Lord Voldemort returned to power, Ted's daughter joined the second Order of the Phoenix to fight against the growing threat. Neither Ted nor Andromeda were official members, but nonetheless supported their daughter, allowing their home to be used as a safehouse. In 1997, Tonks married Remus Lupin, who suspected that Ted and Andromeda disapproved because of his werewolf status, but it is unknown if this is true.

After the Flight from Little Whinging, Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid crashed in the garden of the Tonks' home and were both injured. Ted brought the two inside, where he proceeded to fix Harry's broken ribs, tooth and arm. He and Andromeda were very worried for their daughter's safety when Harry informed them that Death Eaters ambushed the group. Ted, however, attempted to calm Andromeda down by pointing out that Dora had faced worse during the course of her work as an Auror. Sometime after Harry and Hagrid took the Portkey to the Burrow, Ted sent the pieces of Sirius Black's flying motorbike to Arthur Weasley, where they were kept in the Burrow's shed for the remainder of the war.

On the Run
When the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control in August 1997, all known safehouses of the Order lost their protective enchantments, and were raided by mixtures of Ministry employees and Death Eaters. Ted and Andromeda were tortured for information about Harry, like many other families with connections to Order members; Remus reported that they were "shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay". Some time after this, their daughter came to stay with them upon discovering that she was pregnant. Remus temporarily left her side, worried about passing on lycanthropy to their child.

When the Ministry began its persecution of Muggle-borns, Ted, on a matter of principle, refused to register with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. He was forced to leave to avoid Death Eaters operating near his home. Andromeda did not accompany him, as her pure-blood status kept her safe and she had to care for her pregnant daughter.

Ted then went on the run, eventually meeting up with fellow fugitives Dirk Cresswell and Dean Thomas, as well as goblins Griphook and Gornuk, and they proceeded to stay on the move throughout the countryside. Eventually, the group was caught by a gang of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback, perhaps due to breaking the Taboo curse on Voldemort's name. Ted, Dirk and Gornuk were killed resisting capture.

The death of Ted Tonks and his comrades was announced on Potterwatch, as the Daily Prophet had ceased reporting deaths caused by Voldemort's regime. When Nymphadora gave birth to her son, she and Remus decided to name him Teddy in her father's memory.

Etymology
Ted is a short form of the names Theodore and Edward. Theodore is derived from Greek meaning "gift of God" and was the name of many Christian saints. Edward is derived from the Old English words ead, meaning "blessed", and weard, meaning "guard", and has been the name of many members of the English nobility and royalty.

Behind the scenes

 * Ted Tonks is rumored to be the news reader Ted that is mentioned in the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
 * On the Black family tree, Ted is referred to as a Muggle, though later canon established him to be a Muggle-born wizard.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows