Love Will Tear Us Apart

THE WEDDING

THREE YEARS LATER:

"Dromeda? Where are you? I - oof!"

Andromeda Black smiled and emerged from the tiny kitchen to find Ted lying on the floor, having just tripped over one of the many brown boxes that were littering their brand new, if tiny, flat.

"Yes, dear?" She asked sweetly, peering at him from behind a stack of books that she was yet to put onto the shelves that James and Sirius had helped them put up. Even with the use of magic, moving house was not turning out to be an easy feat.

"Lily called, she said that everything is ready for next week. She started talking about your dress but then freaked out when she remembered that I'm not supposed to know about it and hung up in a flurry." Ted chuckled, pushing himself up onto his knees and looking up at her. 

Andromeda laughed and stuck out her hands to help him to his feet. "She's going mental over the whole wedding. I mean, it's just a party really, I don't know why it has to be quite such an ordeal."

"Aren't you looking forward to it?" Ted asked concernedly. 

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "I'm looking forward to being married to you Ted, I could care less about sweeping down the aisle in whatever meringue Lily has decided on."


"Still it's nice of her to sort it all out, just means that all we have to do is turn up, say the right words and then begin our lives together."

"Heaven!"

"Did you get any late replies?" Ted asked casually, but his voice was thick with implications.

"Some... But none with the Black family crest on it if that's what you're alluding to." Andromeda's voice cracked though she was desperate to remain light-hearted. 

Ted sighed. "Oh Dromeda..."

"I really thought they'd come." Andromeda sniffed. "I don't know why, it was stupid. I should have known better."

"You never know, darling. They might show up at the last minute, like on the day. You know they love a bit of drama."

"They do, but somehow it doesn't feel that likely. It's kind of the final straw you know. Not that there's any going back anyway, but after we get married there's really no going back."

"Do you want to go back?"

"No! Not even a little bit. Especially not after how they treated me after I chose you in the Forest. They're terrible people the lot of them, I want nothing to do with them. I don't need them, none of us do."

Ted inhaled sharply, remembering what Andromeda had gone through in their final years of Hogwarts and how much it had hurt her. She'd spent so much time crying in his arms that he'd finally told her to go back to them because it hurt him too much to see her upset. But she had just cried harder at the prospect and kept repeating, "No, I love you." like a mantra.

"Very well, Dromeda." Ted said, smiling gently at her. "Looks like you're stuck with me then."

"I wouldn't have it any way. To be stuck with you and our friends for the rest of my life would be pure bliss." Andromeda bit down on her bottom lip at the end of her sentence and turned away from Ted. 

Hard as she might try to suppress her knowledge of her future and the bloody wars that would unfold, she was still tormented by the knowledge that she would lose those she loved. Her only hope was that the loss would be later rather than sooner.

~~~

Ted and Andromeda arrived at the Potter's house two days before their wedding was due to take place and were greeted with open arms by James, Sirius, Lily and James' parents Fleamont and Euphemia. The Potters had been kind enough to offer up their large back garden for the use of the wedding. Partly out of the goodness of their own hearts and partly because James and Sirius had asked them if it would be okay, and they very rarely denied the boys anything that they deemed to be fun or adventurous. A wedding was exactly their cup of tea.