Saying Yes, chapter 1

May 28, 2013 22:54

SAYING YES chapter 1

Summary: At 17, Andromeda Black thought being in love was everything. At 57, Andromeda Tonks knew better. Yet the first time Kingsley Shacklebolt asked her out, she surprised herself by saying yes.

Characters: Andromeda Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Teddy Lupin and ensemble (Harry! Ginny! Molly! Kingsley's kids! All the Potters and Weasleys!)

Warnings: None

Chapters: 15

Note: So many brilliant writers to thank:

JKR, the one and only.

gm_weasley started it all, with the tiniest suggestion of this pairing in the beautiful "Variations on a Happily Ever After," best described with its own summary: "All was eventually well, but it took nineteen years to get there." Unfortunately, it seems the story has been either taken down or locked, but it used to be here.

sundancekid's "September when it comes" is a fantastic portrait of Teddy over the years. And, now I think about it, the sixth of the Septembers in that story may well have inspired some of the events in Chapter 11 of this story.

With permission, I've used Fernwithy's inspired choice of name for Kingsley's son, from the delightful "Teddy Lupin and the Forest Guard." The name was so perfect, in fact, that I had to let my version of Kingsley have children just so I could use it.

Rosemaryandrue's wonderful "Rising Storm" universe has unquestionably influenced how I see the characters of Andromeda and Ted during the years of the first war.

And Molly running a home school for pre-Hogwarts-aged kids comes from Sam Starbuck (aka Copperbadge)'s fantastic "Stealing Harry" series.

Story:

CHAPTER ONE

At 17, Andromeda Black thought being in love was everything. At 57, Andromeda Tonks knew better.

She knew nothing would ever equal the passion for Ted that had swept her off her feet and given her the strength to leave behind everyone she loved. And she knew love wasn't enough to keep the world from being pulled out from under your feet.

So the first time Kingsley Shacklebolt asked her out, what Andromeda found herself answering was, "You should know I don't plan to marry again."

He graced her with one of his slow, gentle smiles with just a hint of amusement at the edges and said, "Likely as not neither do I, so let's just start with the original question. Can I take you to dinner sometime?"

His rumbling laugh was so honest and infectious, Andromeda couldn't help smiling back.

Then she surprised herself by saying yes.

- - - - -

That first dinner, Andromeda found it hard to concentrate. It was simply too strange to be on a date again after all these years.

Not that she'd even dated much in the first place - there hadn't been much time for it before she'd left home, eloped, and moved in with Ted. No, nothing about their early years together had particularly followed tradition.

Kingsley reached over and touched her hand lightly with his, recalling her to the present.

"Andromeda," he said. "Perhaps it was a mistake to ask you out so formally. I was just hoping for a chance to get to know you a bit, outside of work. Tell me something about Teddy - he's in his second year at Hogwarts, is that right?"

That was all he had to ask. Andromeda felt her need to maintain a degree of formality with Kingsley, who was a colleague after all, slipping away.

"Yes, in his second year," she said. "I suppose Harry talked about him sometimes, when you worked together?"

"Ceaselessly," Kingsley grinned. "I've never known a prouder godfather."

"Well," said Andromeda, trying to suppress a smile of her own, "he is a rather extraordinary godson, of course."

From there, it seemed natural to tell Kingsley about Teddy's academic achievements - regular praise from his Potions and Transfiguration professors in particular, and he seemed to have a sure hand with Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures as well - and about the friends and adventures that filled his letters home.

Andromeda wondered if she was boring Kingsley with her endless talk of Teddy, but the smile on the man's face suggested otherwise.

"What about your children?" she asked. "Are they at Hogwarts yet?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Stor starts next year."

Yes, it appeared she was out to dinner with a man who, though only two years younger than her himself if she recalled correctly, had a son likewise two years younger than her own grandson. Well, she'd started quite early and he'd started quite late, and what was the use in dwelling on such things?

Considering Kingsley Shacklebolt had been such a public figure for the last decade, Andromeda knew surprisingly little about his private life.

He'd married soon after becoming Minister for Magic, she knew that much, to an American witch high up in the Department of Magic. They'd had two children but separated soon after, with his ex-wife returning to the States and Minister Shacklebolt settling easily into the role of divorcé father. That was as much as Andromeda knew.

Exchanging stories of their children carried them through the evening and Andromeda was amazed when she pulled out her pocket watch and discovered it had grown late. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a nice evening, though she was careful not to place too much weight on that sentiment.

"I had a lovely evening," she told Kingsley, as they said good night outside the restaurant.

"So did I," he replied easily. "Perhaps we can do it again sometime."

Andromeda nodded her assent, and was nearly home before she realised she'd just agreed to a second date.

But Kingsley proved a prudent man in this, as in so many things. He didn't push too much or ask too soon, though they saw each other quite frequently on the days when the Wizengamot met, and often exchanged a few friendly words during breaks.

One day, he asked if she'd like to join him for a quick lunch between sessions, and it seemed natural to agree, just as it seemed natural that the man who had until recently been Minister was now simply a colleague.

As his second term had neared its end, many within the magical community had wanted to see Kingsley stay on as Minister, but he insisted on the two-term limit he himself had put in place, and instead stepped gracefully sideways into a seat on the Wizengamot.

In her far distant past, Andromeda had worked as an administrative assistant to the Wizengamot - that was before she'd got fed up with the wizarding world's seeming inability ever to change. She'd left the Ministry in frustration when Nymphadora was still fairly young.

Decades later, when Kingsley's post-war restructuring made the Wizengamot an elected body and acquaintances began urging Andromeda to stand for office, she at first found the idea absurd, then began to think it rather made sense. Serving on the Wizengamot was a part-time position that left her time to care for Teddy, and Andromeda certainly had some opinions about wizarding law.

The work turned out to be more rewarding that she'd expected, and it was a pleasure to watch the Wizengamot, that bastion of the old and respectable, be slowly but surely taken over by a new generation, one that didn't give a fig about the old ways. Andromeda had seen more progress in the last ten years than she'd expected to see in her lifetime.

And now, just as unexpected, Andromeda found herself being courted by one very persistent ex-Auror. Kingsley, unsurprisingly, proved to be a determined man.

Every couple weeks or so he would ask her to lunch or dinner, or simply for a stroll. One time, once the weather had taken a turn for the better in the late spring, he actually convinced her to attend a Quidditch match, which Andromeda found more tolerable than usual thanks to his amusing commentary.

"Did you enjoy the match?" Kingsley asked afterward, when they stopped for a glass of wine in a nearby café before each heading home.

"Yes, I did," Andromeda said, and was startled to realise it was true.

- - - - -

Meeting Teddy off the Hogwarts Express in June, Andromeda indulged in all the embarrassments her grandmother's prerogative allowed, planting a kiss on top of his head that made him squirm in front of his friends, then holding him out at arm's length to observe that, once again, he'd been growing at an astounding rate.

Andromeda had just the time to plant another kiss on top of his mop of hair, which seemed to be subtly shifting colours in his excitement to be home, before she found herself ceding her turn as all three Potter children raced up, shrieking, "Teddy!" and all trying to clamber onto the boy at once.

Harry and Ginny appeared just behind them, slightly out of breath, and greeted Andromeda warmly. Harry shot her an apologetic smile and nodded toward the children. "I'm not sure we'll ever get them disentangled now," he said, as James tugged on Teddy's arm and tripped over his own tongue in his haste to tell Teddy something about a fort he'd built in the Potters' garden.

"Then there's nothing else for it," Andromeda said. "You'll all have to come over for dinner."

"We wouldn't want to impose -" Ginny began, as Harry protested, "Andromeda, we couldn't -"

"Harry Potter," Andromeda said, pleased to find that her "stern" voice had not lost any of its effectiveness for want of use in the months Teddy had been away. "I must have cooked half the meals you ate during your entire time in Auror training, and now you choose to go polite on me? Just come to dinner, and bring your family."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said meekly, and Ginny laughed at him.

"Thanks, then, Andromeda, we'd love to," Ginny added. She called, "Kids, did you hear that? You don't have to let your Teddy go, we're going to dinner with him." Andromeda couldn't help wincing as the children shrieked with delight. Teddy grinned.

Later, Harry insisted on doing the washing-up, so Andromeda stood with Ginny by the patio door, watching Teddy, James, Al and Lily tearing round the garden in the falling dusk.

"How do you stand it when they go away to school?" Ginny murmured. "I always think that's so far off, but it isn't, really. How does anyone stand it when they leave?"

Andromeda turned to study the young woman beside her. Maybe it was a sign of her own age, but it felt like only a year or two since Ginny had been 16, clumsy and endearing in her desire to help with Teddy whenever she came along with Harry to visit.

"When you find out, do let me know," Andromeda said, and Ginny smiled.

Actually, Andromeda was surprised how easily life fell back into its normal rhythm this time. The Potters came by often, and if they weren't there, Teddy was generally at their place. Or they were all together at the Burrow, because there was nothing Molly liked better than an excuse to bring together as many of her family and friends as possible.

Andromeda saw less of Kingsley, now that Teddy was home - not that they saw one another all that often to begin with, since he also had two young children and his evenings out had always been contingent on when he could find someone to look after them.

Still, she saw Kingsley on Wizengamot days, and here and there they managed to grab a quick lunch together, catching each other up on their small daily stories and their children's adventures.

She told him about Teddy helping Lily catch glow worms in the Potters' garden and about his school friends coming over to play pick-up Quidditch.

In exchange, Kingsley told her about Em's first encounter with garden gnomes and Stor's jitters about starting Hogwarts next year. Each time they met, she noticed, he knew exactly how many days it was until the children left for their yearly visit with their mother.

Andromeda made sure to take him out to lunch that day, hoping to provide a bit of distraction after he'd seen his children off on the morning Portkey to Washington. She was both amused and touched by how dejected he looked.

"However will you manage once they're both at Hogwarts?" she couldn't help asking him, over salads at their favourite café for workday lunches.

She was thinking of the first time she'd seen Teddy onto the Hogwarts Express, knowing she wouldn't set eyes on him again until Christmas. Or, for that matter, the first time she'd done the same with Nymphadora.

"Then at least I'll have regular owls," Kingsley answered mournfully. "They haven't yet found one that can cross the Atlantic in one go."

That was likely the moment when Andromeda realised that, yes, she could come to quite care for this man.

- - - - -

( continue to CHAPTER 2)

harry, james sirius, post-canon, albus severus, saying yes, teddy, kingsley, andromeda/kingsley, andromeda, multi-chapter, lily luna, ginny

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