- " [...] 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 with Harry Potter[src]
Andromeda Tonks (née Black) (b. 1950s), also known as Dromeda, was a pure-blood witch, born into the Black family. She was 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. 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 they had a son, Teddy Lupin. During the war, Andromeda's husband was killed by Snatchers in 1998. Remus was killed at the Battle of Hogwarts; Nymphadora was also killed by Andromeda's sister, Bellatrix. 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.
Biography
Family
Andromeda was the second daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née Rosier), and sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and 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 Andromeda's uncle by marriage, as well as her second cousin once removed.[3]
She was Sirius Black's favourite cousin, but he never met her post-marriage family before his imprisonment in Azkaban in 1981.[4]
Early life
- "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 to Lord Voldemort about the recent marriage of Nymphadora Tonks[src]
Andromeda attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s and was sorted into Slytherin house[2].
Andromeda's burn mark on the Black Family tree.
At some point during or after her education at Hogwarts, Andromeda met Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard. Despite her family's steadfast belief in the importance of blood purity, Andromeda married Ted and was subsequently disowned and burned off the family tapestry in 12 Grimmauld Place by her aunt. Statements by her sisters indicate that both of them cut off contact with Andromeda because they considered her a blood traitor for her marriage.[5]
- Lupin: " [...] Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only."
- Tonks: "So would you if your fool of a mother had called you Nymphadora."
- — Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin[src]
Andromeda and Ted had one child, Nymphadora Tonks. Andromeda selected the name, which her daughter strongly disliked, preferring to be known simply as "Tonks". Andromeda had a talent for cleanliness that her husband and daughter did not share.[4]
Second Wizarding War
Although Andromeda and Ted did not appear to be members of the Order of the Phoenix, they allowed their home to be one of the Order's safehouses and were supportive of the organisation to which their daughter belonged. Nymphadora, called "Dora" by her father, 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.
After the Battle over Little Whinging, 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.
- Andromeda: "What happened to our daughter? Hagrid said you were ambushed; where is Nymphadora?"
- Harry: "I don't know. We don't know what happened to anyone else."
- — Andromeda asks Harry about her daughter's safety[src]
When the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control in August of 1997, the magical protections around the Order safehouses 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"[5]. 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 killed by Snatchers.
Andromeda's daughter and son-in-law were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts by Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda's own sister, and Antonin Dolohov, respectively and Bellatrix was 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.[5]
Physical appearance
Andromeda is described as closely resembling her elder sister Bellatrix physically, though she has brown hair instead of black, softer features, and wider, kinder eyes.[5] Thus, she is likely tall and bears the patrician beauty common to the Black family.
Magical abilities and skills
- Healer: After the Battle over Little Whinging, Harry and Hagrid took refuge in her house, where she healed Hagrid's injuries.
- Household Charms: Andromeda had a talent for cleanliness, a talent that her husband and her daughter did not share.
Relationships
Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora Tonks.
Husband and Daughter
Andromeda married Ted Tonks in spite of her family's hatred of Muggle-borns, which led to her being disowned[4] 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 over Little Whinging, reassuring her that, as an Auror, Tonks had been through worse.[5]
Nymphadora Tonks and her mother were close, though Tonks disliked the given name her "fool of a mother" gave her[4]. 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, who would raise the boy after his parents' deaths in battle with the help of Teddy´s godfather Harry Potter.[5]
Sisters
Andromeda's older sister Bellatrix Lestrange.
Andromeda's younger sister Narcissa Malfoy.
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 supremacism, 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[5]. Andromeda's relationship with Bellatrix was likely particularly hateful, given that Bellatrix murdered Andromeda's cousin, Sirius Black[4], as well as her daughter (though, given the circumstances, she likely didn't learn of the latter until after the 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.[5] Andromeda's relationship with Narcissa, however, is unknown.
Sirius Black
Andromeda's younger cousin Sirius Black told Harry Potter in 1995 that Andromeda was his favourite cousin[4]. 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.
Harry Potter
The first time Harry met Andromeda, he thought that she looked liked her sister Bellatrix, but with softer and kinder eyes. However, this comparison seemed offensive to her. After Voldemort's downfall, Harry helped Andromeda raise her grandson, and his godson, Teddy Lupin.
Name 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 boasting, but was saved by the hero Perseus, whom she then married. This may allude to Andromeda Tonks' estrangement from her aristocratic but cruel 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 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. However, Andromeda was cut from the film.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears on tapestry)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ The Black family tapestry shows that Andromeda is younger than Bellatrix, who was born in 1951, and older than Narcissa, who was born in 1955.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 In Chapter 4 of Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn states: "The whole Black family had been in my house, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor!" This implies that all Blacks except Sirius were Sorted into Slytherin while Slughorn was Head of House. Andromeda, born c. 1953, presumably attended Hogwarts from the mid-1960s to 1970, and thus would have been a student of Slughorn, who was stated to have begun teaching at Hogwarts around the same time as Albus Dumbledore in Chapter 5 of Half-Blood Prince, in 1938 or earlier. Sirius Black also states "My whole family have been in Slytherin" and in Chapter 23 of Deathly Hallows, confirming that at least those Blacks closely related to Sirius were in Slytherin.
- ↑ Black family tree
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows