Three
Chapter 3 of 6
JackieJLH"Whatever you do, they will love you; even if they don't love you, they are connected to you 'til you die." ~Deborah Moggach
ReviewedAuthor’s Notes: Many thanks to Christev for her amazing beta work!
Even after all these years, Professor McGonagall can still make her feel like a misbehaving child, she notes, blushing. "I don't want to be here," she admits.
McGonagall gives her a grim look of agreement. "You're not the only one." She sighs, looking around. "Where's the baby?" she asks, obviously not wanting to think about the impossible, heart-breaking work that lies ahead for all of them.
"He's safe," Andromeda answers. The war may be over, but there's not a person in the world who could drag Teddy's whereabouts from her right now.
McGonagall simply nods. Andromeda suspects she understands perfectly.
~
"He's really dead?" Andromeda asks, knowing what she's been told, but still wanting to hear it repeated by someone she trusts to be absolutely certain of the fact.
McGonagall nods. "We put him in there," she says, pointing toward a door that Andromeda knows leads to a small room off the Hall. "No one really wanted to have him out here, so close to his victims."
Hesitating for only a moment, Andromeda asks, "Can I see him?" At McGonagall's quizzical look, she goes on, "He has a bad habit of not actually dying. I'd like to see him for myself...."
~
Considering the request for a long moment, McGonagall says, “I really do have a million things I should be doing right now,” but it seems to be more of a complaint at herself than Andromeda, and she leads the way to the door without another protest.
Voldemort is lying in the centre of the floor, red eyes staring at the ceiling. Andromeda takes a cautious step toward him, nudging his hand with her foot. When he doesn’t move, she steps closer, using her wand to illuminate the small room.
“He’s not nearly so impressive now, is he?” McGonagall asks bitterly.
~
“You should have met him before the war,” Andromeda says softly, and McGonagall raises one eyebrow in question.
“I did,” she finally says when Andromeda doesn’t volunteer further information. “He was a year behind me at school. He could have talked a unicorn out of its horn back then.”
Andromeda nods silently in agreement. This snake-like, hideous creature on the floor doesn’t look a thing like the man who’d captured the loyalty of so many, all those years ago.
She can still recall, almost as if it were yesterday, the night Bellatrix came home from her first Death Eater meeting.
~
Bella’d had stars in her eyes, tales of a handsome, powerful man with a noble cause rolling off her tongue. “He’s amazing,” she’d concluded. Andromeda had never seen her sister so enamored with anyone before.
They were lying like they always did when they were in the same bed—Bella curled against Andromeda’s side, her head resting on Andromeda’s shoulder. Bella hadn’t been able to stop talking. “You should have been there, Andy. If you had heard him….”
“Had a lot to say, did he?” Andromeda had asked wryly. She’d doubted anyone associated with the Lestranges could’ve been all that interesting.
Story Actions
To follow, favorite, like, and more either log in or create an account.
Leave a Review
Log in to leave a review.
Latest 25 Reviews for The Ties That Bind
16 Reviews | 5.5/10 Average
Wow, that was amazing, the way she remembered him at the height of his power and now looked at him in his death.
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
Thank you! The difference between the Voldemort of 1967 and 1998 would have to come as a sort of shock, I think. Or at least, I think so, anyway. I can't imagine him having always been the Voldie we see during Harry's lifetime, all those years ago. He never would have been so popular or have had so many followers, I think.
Anonymous
Another great chapter. :)
Author's Response: Thank you!! :D
Ooh, this is great. The temptation of Andromeda- sounds like a Greek myth. Maybe it is! The three girls, inflamed with Voldemort's fervor, are so... precisely how they should be. Bella especially, alive and believing before she twisted, is wonderful to behold.
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
Thank you!! I love writing this family; they're so interesting, so complex, and the possibilities for them are nearly endless. Andromeda, especially, is really, really fascinating to me. It takes more than just courage to not only leave your family entirely, but to embrace ideals that your family spent your entire childhood telling you were wrong.
Anonymous
Totally looking forward to how Andromeda turns away from this craziness and then ends up with someone like Tonks.
Author's Response: It'll happen, I promise! :D The next set of drabbles should be up in a few days--I have family in town starting tomorrow, but only until Friday, so I should be able to get back to posting then if not sooner.
I've been working on an Andromeda/Ted story and it's eerie how similar some of my ideas are to yours, here. Of course, certain things are really the only way it makes sense, even if it's not there in the canon.
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
Right, exactly--there are only cerrtain ways that some things even work in canon. I'm looking forward to seeing your story when you post it!! (Or is it already up?)
Response from Rose of the West (Reviewer)
My story is a challenge fic on another archive and I'll start posting it here in the new year.My Andromeda does make an appearance in this week's Mars chapter, if you haven't seen it.
I had always pictured that the Tedious One was quite attractive and let his victims think he could do something for them. I don't think Bellatrix would have realized what he was really like until she was too far gone to care.
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
Right, exactly. That's actually part of the reason I have there be a two year gap between Bella's first meetings and Andromeda's. Bella has spent two years being taught to believe that certain atrocities are perfectly normal and accceptable, just the next logical step. He's really messed with her head by then. :(
What an awful day for her. Her husband already gone and now her daughter and son-in-law. She lost so much within just a few weeks.
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
She really has. When I read that both Dora and Remus had died, my heart just ached for her. :(
Wow, this is well described, even if it's in drabbles. Wonderful.
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
Thank you!! :D
Anonymous
I had a friend once whose parents visited German on holiday in 1937. He said while they were there, the friends they were visiting said, "We're going to go to a rally. Would you like to come?" And they thought, we're not doing anything else, why not? So they went. They said they didn't even speak German, and they were all-for whatever That Guy was saying.
I suspect it was the same for all the DE's.
Treat story, can't wait for the rest.5
Author's Response: I know that this is probably very wrong because we're talking about Nazis here, but your comment made me so happy that I can't stop grinning, because that was exactly the sort of feeling I was going for: that at first, all of these people were being drawn in to something that seemed not threatening or murderous at all, that it didn't start with some guy walking up random purebloods and saying, "Hey, want to help me kill people?" It took Voldemort years in canon to recruit his army--well over a decade, by Dumbledore's timeline--and I imagine large portions of that were spent charming and flattering and winning loyalties with charasmatic speeches and ideology that the purebloods could agree with, and the excitement of a group of like-minded people being passionate about something. And then little by little, it growing into putting those thoughts into action, and it not even occuring to half of them that what they were doing was necessarily wrong. It was just... the next logical step, to them. *shudders*
Kreacher Komfort's response: Exactly. I think he was very charming and wooed them based on what each person needed. For Severus, he needed a place to belong and to be told he was worth something, and power over other people. For Lucius, he needed to be told that one day the riff raff wouldn't be an issue. For McNair - plenty of people to beat the crap out of, and no one will bother you about it, as the people you're beating the crap out of are worthless anyway. He was the answer to all of their inner wants and needs, even when they didn't know they were looking for something.
Author's Response: Right! They say in canon that he had this army of people, a large group of devoted and loyal followers, and you don't get that by issuing death threats left and right. Later he may have ruled by fear--certainly he seemed to during the second war, when he and half of his minions seemed to have gone a bit barmy anyway--but at the beginning the image I have of him is... sort of the 'stereotypical cult leader' type.
Kreacher Komfort's response: Yeah I actually think he had a lot in common with Jim Jones. Definitely had the waxy complexion. :P
Anonymous
It's hard to remember that those three were sisters. I would find myself remembering that while reading and being startled by it.
Author's Response: It was always one of the bits of canon I wish Jo had done more with. The dynamics of that family must have been so interesting, and I found it very interesting that Ted Tonks had to leave home to try to stay safe--was Andromeda not afraid of an attack on her personally? If the house had been safe, Ted wouldn't have had to leave, so it really makes me wonder why Andromeda, despite her blood-traitor status and being an obvious embarrassment to the Black family, wasn't targetted at all. Her husband and daughter were, but not her... *shrugs* It made me think. Lol. End result: 70+ drabbles. Yay! 
Kreacher Komfort's response: There's a series of books I read by Lois McMaster Bujold. In the first book. one of the main characters is explaining to an enemy (who will later become his wife) about being presesnt when his mother was assassinated. He said, for some reason, he wasn't on the list, nor was his father. It had to do with blood lines, though, and he kind of trails off at the end, "How on earth the mad emperor thought he could come and kill my mother and think he could not kill my father, and then live to tell about it, was beyond me..." But it sounds like it was something like that. Even in her disgraced state, she was still a Black. And Bella might have begged the Dark Lord for her favor as well. And maybe Ted was just trying to keep her safe. He thought, if he left, then at least Andromeda would be safe from the pure-blood mania. Taking a chance that he could stay on the run and dodge the snatchers until it was all over.
Author's Response: I think that's exactly it--the Dark Lord doesn't really seem too interested in spilling pure blood without a good reason to begin with because really, you have to have someone to rule over when you take over the world, lol, and Bella would have protected her as much as she could, I think. Andromeda's still a Black, still Bella's sister. I think that certainly had to be a sort of protection all on its own--especially during the first war, before being bodiless or in Azkaban made Voldie and half the DEs more crazy than they already were, but even during the second, more than likely.
Sorry, I know, I'm rambling. Lol. I could really analyze the background of canon all day long if let to do so. 
It fascinates me to think about the stuff that could have played out behind the scenes.
Kreacher Komfort's response: What I really wish Jo would do is franchise the background stories. like with Dragonlance. Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hicks wrote the core novels. But then the stuff going on behind the scenes, other authors could put their storylines forward as options, and Tracy and Margaret would say yes or no.
Anonymous
Great intro, can't wait to see where you're taking this story.
Author's Response: Thank you!! I hope you enjoy it!! :D
Anonymous
Fascinating story. You make all these in between pieces very interesting.
Author's Response: Thank you!! :D This one will be longish--about 14 or 15 chapters--so I hope it keeps your interest! :D
Anonymous
*goes to read next chapter*
Author's Response: *hopes you enjoy it!*
Anonymous
seriously? someone gave this 4 stars? that's f-ing idiotic. this is brilliant. yeesh.
Author's Response: *grins* Thank you!! :D
I give you kudos on using a quote in your summary that lulled me into your fic. Then I commend you for what I see so far. This sounds like a promising fic, and I do hope you continue it. (Oh, and I love wicked_visions manips! Have you seen her next gen manips? Lovely.)
Response from JackieJLH (Author of The Ties That Bind)
I'm glad this fic caught your interest!! And yes, I've seen her next gen manips--I adore all of her stuff, really. Lol. She's so awesome. I'm always in awe of how perfect her manips are.
I'm so glad to see a little more of this around! I like this mode of storytelling, showing what's happening now in the light of certain specific moments in her memories. Who can help but feel a little satisfaction at the thought of the sister who had everything finaly being brought a bit low. Not too low. I'm sure Andromeda would trade having her husband and child alive.