A Madness Most Discreet
Chapter 3 of 7
Rose of the WestAndromeda is caught in a rain storm and a moment she never imagined.
ReviewedDisclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.
Please note: Usually the stories I write would be probably be rated "R-lite". This one is fully R-rated, as part of the fest it was originally written for. For those who are used to a particular sort of love scene in my stories, you will find this a bit more explicit.
The April Hogsmeade Weekend arrived, and it would be the last of Andromeda's career at Hogwarts. She decided to enjoy the spring day and go into town to pick up a book she wanted for her Arithmancy N.E.W.T. Sidestepping packs of third years and paired-off fifth years, she arrived at her destination and made her purchase.
After wandering through town, she realized there was nothing else she wanted to do. The world had become quite centered upon one single wizard whom she couldn't marry, regardless of her feelings. She shrugged and started on her solitary way back to the school.
A sudden squall took her by surprise and she moaned with dismay as her clothing quickly became soaked.
"Quick, over here," a voice said into her ear. She realized that she'd been covered over by someone's cloak and that he was leading her off the path. "There's an abandoned cottage just beyond those trees."
She allowed herself to be led, knowing that it was Tonks. They hadn't been this physically close in a couple of weeks, but it was as if she'd never been anywhere else. "I need to get back to the school."
"I'm afraid it will be hours before this blows over."
He managed the latch on the door and guided her into the cottage. After casting a dusting spell at the one chair in the room, he lit a fire in the fireplace and smiled ruefully at her. "I guess we'll have to hope it's not full of birds' nests and things." He conjured a chair for himself and sat close to her, but shifted so that he could look at her.
Perhaps the cottage was enchanted, or perhaps they were lucky. The chimney drew the smoke and the fire was quite comfortable. Nevertheless, Andromeda started to shiver. Ted came over and stood her up. "We need to get this robe dry." He unfastened it and worked it down over the wet sleeves of her blouse.
"It's no use," she responded, "it's all soaked through."
"I'm afraid I can't stand the sight of you wearing nothing, Andromeda," he replied. "I'm liable to lose all my self control."
"Why don't we?" she asked. "We've both researched it thoroughly. The most likely remedy is for us to have sex."
"No, Dromeda, it's for us to consummate true love."
"Mudblood, I'll never have that, but I suspect this is the closest thing I ever will have."
His eyes became moist. "My poor love, are you so sure it's really like that?"
"I told you, my whole life is the sum of my children. If I don't produce magical pureblood children, my life will be a failure. Love doesn't enter into it."
"What about your parents?"
"Contracted. How they managed the three of us I'll never know, because they are indifferent to each other at best. I suspect the three sets of matched jewels my mother owns have something to do with it."
"I believe you love me."
"That's impossible. It's just the Amortentia making me feel like this toward you. Once we've done it, it will be all over. Then I can go on with my Healer training and..." She didn't know what happened after that. How would she fill her life without Ted in her dreams?
"You know how it's working in this case."
"It can induce romance between any two people."
"This Amortentia was mixed with Veritaserium. That changes everything."
"Please, Mudblood, I can't love you!" She was starting to feel nervous.
He pulled her close and held her tight. "All right, love. I believe you."
"I can't love you, and I can't go on like this. I need to study and to prepare for my Healer training. I need to be free of this, and you say only you can help me."
"What will your pureblood husband think when he realizes you're not a virgin?"
"He'll probably bed me before the wedding himself and suppose that I'm not a virgin because I've been testing other men. More likely he'll think other men have been testing me. It doesn't matter, Mudblood. I know you want some lovely life where we can live happily ever after, and you don't want to think of me as some sort of tart, but that's all I am. You're the only one who doesn't see me that way. You're my only chance to do this without it being a business deal."
He pulled her close again, tight to his body. Breathing deeply, he murmured to himself. "This will be as much like a wedding night as I can manage, then."
He knelt before her and took her hands within his. "Andromeda Black, I swear to you before any entities that might be listening that I will love you until the day I die. You alone will be the only woman I consider as a wife, and you alone will be the only woman to share my bed. I pledge to protect and care for you in any way that you need, from this moment on."
Andromeda stood there for a moment, feeling foolish. "Mudblood, I..."
He stood up and patted her hand sadly. "I know, Dromeda. You don't think you can love a Mudblood."
She bit her lip, ready to cry with frustration. "It's not exactly like that. Other men may have my body, and I may be forced to bear children for someone, but, Theodore Tonks, you'll always be dear to me, and to me you'll always be the one who really and truly cares, because no one else ever has..." She bit her lip again, ready to cry for real. "I'll never forget you."
"It's not a wedding vow, but it's the best we'll have for now." He pulled her close and kissed her. "There, there, now. No more tears. That's no way to act on our wedding night."
"In a dirty cottage?" she said, regaining her dignity.
"It's not so bad," he said as a shimmer of magic worked through, and the entire room was transformed from messy to clean. What had been small piles of litter turned into flowers or candles. Andromeda spun around on her foot until she saw the bed, which looked remarkably like the four-posters at Hogwarts, complete with heavy drapes.
"You've thought of everything," she said.
"If I had, there would have been an officiator here with a marriage license," he said.
"Well, you have everything else."
"Dromeda, I love you so much." He lowered his face to hers, and she gave herself to his kiss in a new and complete way, knowing that unlike the previous kisses, this time she would hold nothing back. Want flooded through her, familiar and yet different, comfortable and yet so very exciting.
She shivered and realized she was still cold. "Will you mind if I get out of these wet things?" she asked.
He shook his head silently and she undressed by her chair, hanging the various clothing on the back of it. As she reached her bra and knickers, she looked at him in concern. "I guess you've seen it all when you've seen my thoughts," she said.
"Never like this," he responded. "It's always been through your mirror or while bathing."
"You're not helping."
"Why don't you look at me?" She looked into his eyes...they were such warm, friendly eyes...and then allowed her vision to stray down to where he was now naked except for his briefs, which stuck out funny in the front.
"Is it always like that?"
"It is since I started desiring you, love, but no, not really."
As she watched, he slid his hands under the waistband of his underpants. An instant later, the undergarment joined the clothing hung on his chair and he stood before her, completely naked.
There was nothing left to do but reach behind herself for the hooks of her bra. It slid down her arms in a way that made him groan. Then he whispered, "Beautiful." That emboldened her to slide her panties down and place them on the chair. He groaned even more loudly, and she realized that his arousal had become more pronounced. Her previous observations and explorations were now all to the point.
There was no time to worry about it. He stepped toward her and leaned to pick her up. It was only a few steps to the bed, but he carried her. He set her down and sat next to her. Then he suddenly seemed a bit nervous. "This is like a dream come true, but I'm a little worried, Andromeda. I have so much desire for you that I want to just shag you senseless."
"Isn't that the point?"
He shook his head. "No, I want this to be something we both treasure. If it's the only time I ever make love to a woman, I don't want to waste it. Worse yet, if I'm not very careful, I'll hurt you badly."
"I don't think you could ever hurt me." She looked down, and wasn't sure. "I mean, it's supposed to fit, right? Plus, I trust you more than anyone I know. You won't hurt me any more than it has to."
He gathered her close and held her. "Thank you for that." He kissed her, and the sensation of bare skin was wonderful. Andromeda thought she could get very used to it if she had the chance.
"Ah, love," he whispered, "do you mind if I touch you?"
"Oh, please do," she responded. Somehow her body was twisting around to where his hands were cupping her breasts. He kissed her lips, and the reality of what they were doing destroyed the images from their dreams. She sighed. "Oh, please... more..." His mouth lowered to replace one of his hands and Andromeda felt herself growing faint. She was moaning and sighing something. Was it the Mudblood's name? It didn't matter. This was what she knew she would feel with him, but the dreams were no preparation for this.
His mouth was everywhere, following his hands. Her own hands, unsure what to do, chose to explore what they could. They rubbed those shoulders she'd admired all year, and then she ran her hands through his hair, admiring the way the sandy blond strands felt between her fingers.
At some point, his lips returned to hers and their bodies started to align together. She slid a leg around his hip and wrapped her knees around him, pressing up against him. After the way they had moved together for weeks in their dreams, it came naturally to her. Something heavenly started to move through her, but it wasn't quite enough.
"Mudblood, more!"
"Ah, love, we need to take our time, but Merlin, I think you might be ready for me." She felt fingers, gentle yet inquisitive, probing. Her body threatened to go wild, but then he moved away and she felt something new rubbing against her, giving her a heady feeling. He moved gently as she moved with decreasing control.
One of them moved farther than before, and then there was a new sensation within her. She opened her eyes and looked at him in delight. "Is this how it is? It's amazing."
His face was full of strain. "Not exactly. Are you absolutely, positively sure?"
"Oh, yes," she breathed out, more sure of this than anything in her life. This was magic, more than anything she could do with a wand. Somehow, she had known from the beginning of this insanity that he would make it perfect.
He groaned loudly, and suddenly there was a stinging pain that made her cry out. Everything stopped as he hugged her tight and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."
"No, it's...it's..." And suddenly it was fine, because his hands were touching her, rousing her again. "Please," she whispered, moving her body against his.
"I won't be able to stop," he groaned, moving within her, faster and more intently. She regained the rhythm and matched him, grinding against him as that wild, heady feeling crept back upon her.
"Oh, I love you," he whispered as he suddenly thrust deeply within her, his body shaking for a moment. He pulled back and thrust within her again, shaking again. Andromeda felt her own body shivering as the feeling of wild excitement receded. He collapsed upon her, and she lay beneath him, wondering if anything could be so wonderful ever again.
A moment later, he leaned up and looked at her. "It's better than I dreamed," he said, kissing her face in a way that made her feel... she didn't know the word, but it was a lovely feeling. "If you don't mind waiting a couple of minutes, we'll try to do it so that you'll enjoy it better."
"I don't see how it could be better. It was...I didn't know my body could do that."
He rolled to her side and put an arm around her. He kissed and caressed her softly for a few minutes as that lovely feeling continued. They could hear the eaves drip with the rain, and a stray gust of wind rattled the windows. "I've pictured us like this for a long time," he said. "Long lie-ins while storms rage outside, but us snug and perfect together."
"Just like this?" It felt so normal to cuddle up to him.
"Yes, I could do this for the rest of my life."
"I wish my life had room for something like this."
I wish you'd believe that we can be like this forever. There's always a way. Tell me why you think it wouldn't work."
She looked up at him and considered the situation. They lay together skin to skin, and his hand was caressing her shoulder and back. What could she withhold from him now?
"If they knew you existed, they would find a way to kill you. Then they would force me to do what they want, and it will be worse than if I just do it to begin with." She thought of the marriage her parents were arranging for her. "I'm already afraid of the wizards they want me to marry."
"You're afraid of Avery? I knock him over every time we play Quidditch."
"Yes, I know. It infuriates him, just as everything infuriates him. When he gets particularly mad, he slaps around one of the third-years. I suspect he's been... abusing... Maureen Smith. The girls say things about him... I don't want him to do the things they talk about to me."
"Tell your parents you don't want to marry him."
"They might chose Nott."
"He's all right."
"Not the Nott a few years ahead of us, but the father. His wife died in childbirth, and now he's told my parents he wants me. For the past five years, he's been coming to me in hallways and pushing me into corners where congratulates himself that I'm young and nubile."
"That you are," he said, "but no man of that age has any business noticing."
She shuddered. "He says his wife was too old and that she wasn't able to do the things he wanted. I don't want to know what those things are. Still, the worst of all is the Dark Lord." She buried her face in his chest. He hugged her tight and kissed her forehead. Something within her relaxed and she curled right into him. He made her feel safe.
He chuckled. "You're like a kitten. Are you so starved for affection?" He spent several minutes holding her and caressing her. "So... Voldemort.... They might contract you to him?"
"It would be quite a coup for the Blacks to marry into the Heir of Slytherin's line. For some reason he hasn't taken Bellatrix yet. My parents have said that he might want me instead. I don't know what I'll do if it happens. He has these long, skinny fingers. They're not delicate, beautiful hands, and nothing like your nice strong hands." She reached for his hand and kissed it. "His are like the legs of a spider. When he touches me, I always think I'll die."
She felt herself being pulled close and her hairline was kissed. "My love, I won't let that happen. I'll be there, whenever you need me. I'll rescue you."
Her eyes pricked at this declaration of his devotion. "You can't. I'm sure they'll kill you if you try, but I can't tell you what it means to know that someone feels this way."
During the conversation, he had caressed her in a way that was relaxing, but now she was starting to be aroused by him. She wriggled a little so that her breast was in his hand and sighed softly. "Please, Mudblood, make love to me again."
They did everything they did before, except this time, he encouraged her to touch him more. She smoothed the hairs on his chest, tasted him, and traced the muscles of his shoulders and belly. Sliding her hand even further down, she discovered that he was once again aroused. She traced and massaged his velvet skin, feeling more and more excited herself every time he sighed or groaned.
Finally, he rolled flat on his back and pulled her over him. With his hands over her hips, he gently guided her body down over his. "Oh, Merlin," he hissed.
Andromeda went very still, unsure exactly what she was feeling. She'd never felt particularly empty or lacking before, but this sensation, of him deep within her, made her understand what she had never missed before but always would in the future. She moved up and then down, feeling her insides quake as she did so. She repeated the process and received a whispered, "Ah, love..."
She rose above him and lowered herself several times, feeling more and more excited. Ted picked up the rhythm, holding her hips and guiding her. Andromeda didn't need any further help to understand what she was doing. With every move of her body over his, she could feel greater and more intense passion. Suddenly she couldn't move anymore. She collapsed over Ted as everything seemed to fly apart into a million specks of light. Ted was grasping her hips and moving up into her, once, twice, and with a loud groan a third time.
He pulled her close and kissed her face again, whispering, "Oh, my sweet love."
"I had no idea. I thought the other time..."
"I think there's a lot we can learn together."
She woke a little while later to discover that he had a bucket of water. "I thought you might want it, and I suspect you'll want this." He handed her a vial with a small amount of red fluid that must be her virgin blood.
"Mudblood..."
"I couldn't get it all. I'm afraid we should have gotten it the first time."
He probably knew as well as she did that leaving it in the sheets was, so the old wives claimed, a way to ensure everlasting love and fidelity. By essentially rubbing themselves in the residue of their passion, they had invoked magic that would bind them together more surely than the potion accident had.
Nevertheless, Andromeda welcomed the chance to clean herself, and she looked for the loo.
"It's over there," he said, pointing toward a door.
Andromeda finished her business and went to the chair with her clothes on it. "It looks less rainy now; I think I should go."
He came and took her hand. "Wait a while, love. It will stop entirely soon, and I wish to hold you in my arms again. I told you there will never be anyone for me but you. So if I'm never to know this in my life after today, I'd like to experience it one more time."
She couldn't refuse, not when his voice made her tingle between her legs. She knelt on the bed near where he sat, and he reached over and held her face, pulling her close for a fierce kiss. "This is what we are," he said, almost more to himself than to her. He caressed her with great tenderness, careful of all the places on her body where he had been over-eager before. Yet she knew that he was just as eager, now. She kissed and touched him as much as she could, but he was clearly making love to her as he had envisioned it.
He placed a hand on her knee, running a thumb up her thigh, and she felt her legs move in response. His body slid up against hers, and then he was within her again. It was like home for both of them, she realized. His eyes shone with that look he gave her from time to time that promised forever. Something within her accepted it and offered everything within herself in return. His hands reached alongside her body to clasp hers, and he kissed her tenderly as he moved with utmost gentleness within her.
Andromeda didn't know where her hand ended and his began, just that whenever either felt their passion intensifying, they clasped tighter. She wasn't sure exactly where his chest and hers melted together, just that her heart was beating against his as though they were merged. She met his gaze, unsure if her soul was still her own, when he pushed more deeply than ever within her. She felt herself trembling as her body accepted his and she felt the bliss work its way through her. She thought she would scream at the feeling tearing through her body, but instead she could only let out a loud, whimpering sigh just at the same moment he groaned her name and shuddered within her. She had never clenched anything as tightly as she did his hands within her own while her body reacted to the intensity of their passion.
She lay among the pillows, and as he began to move away, she pulled his head to her. She laid it on her breasts and whispered, "Now you tell me," as she started to smooth her hands through his hair.
He told her of being the odd one in his family, a sensation she understood. He whispered of coming to Hogwarts, where everyone was supposed to be the same, but where he discovered the little tortures reserved for the Muggle-born, particularly for little boys who couldn't seem to grow out of their chubbiness. Tears sprang to her eyes as he described the loneliness of going home on the Hogwarts Express and watching all the kids who were greeted by their parents while knowing his own were held back on the other side of the barricade.
"But then there was you, my Dromeda. You were like an angel to me, so pretty..."
She harrumphed at that. "You know my sisters are both prettier."
He reached up to push the hair out of her face. "Never to me. I've never seen anything remotely like you."
She couldn't say anything to respond, but instead started stroking his head again. "So you stayed at Hogwarts because of me? I don't believe that."
"Not exactly," he admitted. His hand caressed her for a moment. "When I became aware of you, I realized I would never see a prettier witch. When we started working together as Prefects, you were all business, but you didn't really bully or abuse me. Somehow, even the word 'Mudblood' takes on a teasing lilt in your mouth, as if you're trying to remind yourself rather than me that we come from different worlds."
He had her dead to rights. She could only drop a kiss on his head and whisper, "Continue," with as much dignity as she could muster.
"Whenever I look at you, I can imagine a life in the Wizarding World. I picture myself with a wizard's career, with a witch for a wife, and I imagine myself as the father letting his kids off and meeting them at the train. Only now I've been caught up in my own fantasy. None of it works without you."
"Mudblood," she said tentatively, "I don't know if I can be the basis for another person's life like that. Even if I were free to marry whomever I wanted, I don't know if I'm strong enough."
"That's not the sort of marriage I want. I don't want you to serve nor take care of me, and I don't wish to serve nor take care of you. I want to travel through life hand-in-hand with someone who understands me. I want to help each other over the adversities, little and big. And, I do want as much of this as I can get." He leaned up and kissed her again.
A/N: Thank you to Pennfana and Kyria of Delphi for beta reading!
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Latest 25 Reviews for A Madness Most Discreet
25 Reviews | 8.4/10 Average
It is bittersweet to read this, knowing what happens in the future, but it was a believable beginning, and a beautiful love story.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed this. (I had to end it here, knowing what's in store for them.)
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed this. (I had to end it here, knowing what's in store for them.)
What a way to start a wedding day, with a panic to find the groom.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
He is Nymphadora's dad, after all. You can't expect him to be where he's supposed to be all the time, LOL. Thank you for the lovely reviews!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
He is Nymphadora's dad, after all. You can't expect him to be where he's supposed to be all the time, LOL. Thank you for the lovely reviews!
"I'm late" "Oh do you have to be somewhere?" MEN
It"s easy to forget how hard it is to be a new wife, But Andromeda does become a good wife and mother.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Men are just on a different wavelength, I think. And yes, it's hard to be a young wife, especially if you're used to house elves doing everything, but Andromeda is willing to figure it out, and that's most of the battle. Thank you so much!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Men are just on a different wavelength, I think. And yes, it's hard to be a young wife, especially if you're used to house elves doing everything, but Andromeda is willing to figure it out, and that's most of the battle. Thank you so much!
Cope! no one could cope with THAT, well maybe Bella, but she is...well Bella. Good God, I nearly lost my lunch myself.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Yeah, Andromeda had some rough moments there. She knew where to look for help, though, so maybe she's on the right track, now. Thanks, again!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Yeah, Andromeda had some rough moments there. She knew where to look for help, though, so maybe she's on the right track, now. Thanks, again!
How terrible to know that your body is nothing, but a commodity to your mother and father, to be sold to the highest bidder.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
It may not actually be that way, but the canon pure-bloods seem to do nothing but find ways to make more pure-bloods, so the children are only as important as *their* children. Thanks for the review!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
It may not actually be that way, but the canon pure-bloods seem to do nothing but find ways to make more pure-bloods, so the children are only as important as *their* children. Thanks for the review!
I'm so sad for Dromy she will lose her whole family, I don't think it's only the potion, she love Ted.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
I agree, the potion is only bringing forward something that existed already. She'd long since been checking Ted out, and now she'll have the strength to act. Thank you!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
I agree, the potion is only bringing forward something that existed already. She'd long since been checking Ted out, and now she'll have the strength to act. Thank you!
Truth Love and luck, a very powerful combination.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Yes, these two are definitely in for it with those three things working on them. Thank you for the review!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Yes, these two are definitely in for it with those three things working on them. Thank you for the review!
Poor Ted causing problems. And I love that Molly was able to swallow her pride and apologize.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Molly's still a young bride, herself, and there's so much going on. Once she had a chance to consider things, she knew better. And yes, trust Ted not to be where anyone is looking for him, LOL. Thanks, again!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Molly's still a young bride, herself, and there's so much going on. Once she had a chance to consider things, she knew better. And yes, trust Ted not to be where anyone is looking for him, LOL. Thanks, again!
Poor Andromeda. She really got thrown not the deep end of the pool didn't she? At least she's willing to learn. Molly should give her some credit
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Don't be too hard on Molly, poor thing. No one asked her opinion or considered everything she had to deal with herself. But yes, she didn't have to take it out on Andromeda like that. Thank you for the review!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Don't be too hard on Molly, poor thing. No one asked her opinion or considered everything she had to deal with herself. But yes, she didn't have to take it out on Andromeda like that. Thank you for the review!
I'm with Andromeda on the running. I think she may have been able to handle one of the other, but not Tom.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Oh definitely, it's time to find a way out if one exists, and damn the consequences. Thank you, again!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Oh definitely, it's time to find a way out if one exists, and damn the consequences. Thank you, again!
Very nicely done. I can see her defenses starting to show some weakness and I think he can, too.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Hee! thanks again. She can't resist him even if she thinks she has to.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Hee! thanks again. She can't resist him even if she thinks she has to.
Nothing like some tough irrevocable magic. I love how Ted is a real gentleman, unlike her purée blood acquaintances.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
They're stuck and that's for sure, LOL. Ted's playing a long-term game and is willing to bide his time. The others just sort of figure they can take or do what they want. Thanks, again!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
They're stuck and that's for sure, LOL. Ted's playing a long-term game and is willing to bide his time. The others just sort of figure they can take or do what they want. Thanks, again!
Ooh interesting start. I'll admit I've wondered what brought Ted and Andromeda together. I knew she must have had some sort of reservations about abandoning her family.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you for the review! Yes, she was raised to a certain set of expectations. There must have been a lot of upheaval in her mind when she first contemplated Ted.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you for the review! Yes, she was raised to a certain set of expectations. There must have been a lot of upheaval in her mind when she first contemplated Ted.
Very nicely done. I love that Alphard was on their side, not that there was much doubt given what we knew of him, but very nice.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I wish there was more in canon about Alphard, but since there's almost nothing, I can make him as I wish. Thanks, again!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I wish there was more in canon about Alphard, but since there's almost nothing, I can make him as I wish. Thanks, again!
I love this story! Ted is such a wonderful, determined guy! It takes Andromeda forever to even imagine his modern/Muggle approach to marriages as an option for her. Then again, she anticipates complications that he cannot fathom. In this setup the potions accident certainly helped things along, even if it were to be hoped that she'd have managed it on her own too. Molly's not that warm welcome is very believable, too. Why would she.. You did well showing how A is gradually earning her respect. The thought that Cygnus forgot adding a passage to the trust fund for cases where the unimaginable happens is warming my heart. How could he have imagined that his daughter and possession would be showing a will of her own?! Its amazing enough that he knows the word "please"!---Ted seems a little too wise for his age, though.. most boys consider 'future' to circle about next Friday's party and possibly the Quidditch cup. I love how you kept other people out of the story,. A pity that it prevents us from following how A could have become Sirius' favourite cousin. He's but a firsty in this year, if I calculate right. Please ease my mind by confirming that you've ensured Auror escort for the officiator for the coming, say 3 weeks. Then, I suppose, A. simply ceased to ever exist in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
What a thorough review! How to answer it all? This is actually my second Ted/Andromeda story. The Life and Times of Perseus is a little more complete in terms of some of the family issues that come up and the longer-lasting ramifications of everything. I have a feeling, from Tonks sitting in Molly's kitchen, that Molly and Andromeda were likely friends during the canon years, but it wouldn't have been a natural thing, since as Gryffindor and Slytherin they would have traveled in different circles. To say Cygnus never expected this from this daughter is probably an understatement. I suspect Andie was just sort of the quiet, obedient one between the firebrand and the pretty one. I don't know if he knew please or if he was told he better try it for the sake of the situation. Ted's not like most of the boys his age, but there are boys who think about things other than sports and getting under any girl's skirt. There are a few who realize young what they want and work to get it. He must have been one of those sort of boys, because it would take a lot of concerted effort to get Andromeda out of the world she knew.And yes, I think the officiator better be well protected, too! Thank you so much!
We tend to forget that Drommy was raised with all the privilege of the Black fortune at her beck and call - I appreciate you allowing us to see her learn how to cope in a far different set of circumstances.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Yes! Drommy was not raised for the life she led as an adult. Yet Tonks tells us that she's a good housekeeper, so she must have learned it somewhere. Thank you for the review!
Hello, judgmental Molly! I enjoy seeing the Weasleys take in Andromeda. I never really thought about it before, but someone (or a few someones) must have helped out Andromeda and Ted when they swept off together. This is such a great fill of canon. How many chapters will there be? (One tiny editorial comment - a 'Ceratinly' crept in here.)
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
I'm sure Molly will eventually be a friend, but coming from different houses and being raised with completely different opinions on so important a topic... it must have been a little awkward at first. There are just seven chapters total. I love this pair, but I hate writing too much about them because the story gets so sad so quickly. Thank you for the editorial note, and thanks again for your review!
AAAH! Get out, get out, get out!This chapter really raises some interesting questions. What kind of life was Andromeda supposed to lead? What was Voldemort's end game? Would he have ever had children (leaving a legacy through them), or would making Horcruxes take away that need, since he'd still be alive? And what was his vision for the world after he took over?
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
I don't know if Voldemort didn't understand how it was supposed to work with the Horcruxes or if he got caught before he'd fully prepared, but he needed a body to inhabit after his was destroyed. The simplest way to get one would have been to "make" his own. In my mind, if he'd had kids, he wouldn't have needed Quirrell, or the potion Pettigrew brewed for him. So I think that's why he would have been open to having a wife. Thank you for the review!
I haven't read much (if any) of this pairing before, but you have certainly piqued my interest.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you! This pair seems so ordinary. After all, they're just someone's parents in the canon. Yet it seems to me that some huge family drama must have happened to get them together. This is just one guess of how it might have been.
Really enjoying this. It's lovely to read something so original.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you! This is just another family in the canon, but I think every family has it's story, and every family's story is exciting in its way.
First off, let me say how beautifully that excerpt from Shakespeare sets the stage for your story - particularly the title, which is a great choice. So this is where it all begins for our dear Tonks, eh? You do a good job of walking that fine line between their youthful innocence (the way she reassesses Ted after a summer off and their first kiss) and the impending danger of Voldemort et al. Don't fight it, Andromeda... Give in!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you! JKR give us such little glimpses into the backstory, like the comments Tonks makes about her parents and the little bit of them we actually see. I don't know how this compares, but there must have been a great story about how the two of them got together and produced Nymphadora.
This is so beautifully written - every nuance of desperation and unease, passion and devotion. I can't remember ever reading a Dromy and Ted quite like this.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you! That's high praise from you! I love this couple. They're so normal-looking in the canon, but there must have been a great romance in there.
This is the silliest review that I have ever left. But ... I am horrified that you have not received any reviews yet. I know plenty of people read and enjoy stories without reviewing, so it doesn't really mean much, but there is no way for an author to know if their story sucked or not unless people review. So, just dropping by quickly to say that I have no time to read this now as work and school are out of control, but I look forward to making it here ... eventually. :)
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
You're such a doll! Thank you for bookmarking in so lovely a way.
Oh dear gods.... run like hell, Drommy !!
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
I think she thought she could cope, but the reality is so much more horrible than she even imagined. Plus, she's just realized something. Thanks for the review!
This is so achingly tender... just wonderful.
Response from Rose of the West (Author of A Madness Most Discreet)
Thank you!