Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 17– Andromeda.
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Walking through my front door, I turn around and lock it with my key, and then I rest my forehead against the door, letting out a breath. Whether that is of relief or something else, I don't know. I have just had a really, not hard, but it was a day I was not prepared for, and even now, I find it hard to believe that I actually agreed. Of course, nothing is put in the contract yet, nothing is signed, and there is no magical binding, but I still agreed, and if it is as safe as promised and I won't be in danger or taken advantage of, then I will go through with it.
I let out a sigh and mentally shook myself to forget about all that for now and relax. I have a rather urgent task now, which I should have done a long time ago, something which has just been revealed to me even though I should have realised it myself a long time ago.
"...Nymphadora! I am home. Are you here?" I shout out, trying to find the shapeshifting little monster I gave birth to. But, unfortunately, ever since she turned sixteen, she has been more unruly and rebellious and stopped really listening to me, going out and doing whatever she wanted. As a result, I hardly know where she is half of the time, going out to parties and concerts, sometimes leaving in the middle of the night, and we don't discover she is missing until we find her bed empty in the morning or catch her sneaking inside in the early morning.
To make matters worse, she has magic which she can easily use to escape the house and then use her Metamorphmagus abilities to change her looks and then she is gone in the wind. The only way to possibly spot her is if you see someone being abnormally clumsy and stumbling around. Sometimes I wish she wasn't a Metamorphmagus because that way, the Ministry would have to put the trace on her. But since she is one, she uses magic uncontrollably to alter her appearance and hair, so the Ministry removed the trace from her in her first year when they kept getting reports of underage magic.
"Yeah, I am in here, mum!" I hear her all out from the living room, presumably watching the TV. Probably the room I spend the most time in when Ted is at work and Nymphadora is at Hogwarts, watching my soaps and other shows, though it is a hassle as well sometimes. Since the room is the only one in the house with muggle technology in it, it is the only room we cannot use magic in, and when I have to clean it, I have to unplug all of the devices and turn off the electric, so I can use the cleaning charms.
Walking in, I am unsurprised to find my daughter watching cartoons, and she acts affronted when I treat her like a child. The one she is watching now seems to be a cartoon about a bunch of talking babies, and the main character seems to be a bald baby in a blue shirt and diaper called Tommy. Muggles truly do come up with the strangest ideas.
"Dear, I have some news. And I also have something I want to discuss with you as well." I say, wishing to tell her about my new possible job, which is looking more appealing by the second, as well as discuss starting her Occlumency training since I have already left it too late. We need to get started straight away, especially if she wants to become an Auror.
"Yeah, yeah, mum. Just give me two seconds. This episode is just about to end." So she says, but I look up at the clock, and I can clearly see that it is nineteen past five, and I know that shows are on in half an hour increments from o'clock to half past. So it will not take two seconds or even two minutes for this episode to end, and it really irritates me that she just lied when I wanted to speak to her.
"Nymphadora, I have big news for me, as well as big news for you, so pay attention," I say, walking in front of her, getting in the way of the view of the TV as she lies down on the couch. If she was just honest with me, like the young adult she is supposed to be, then I would have gladly waited for the episode to end, but she just tried to dismiss me with a flimsy excuse, and I will not be having it.
"Uggh. I told you not to call me that. Just let me finish this episode, and then you can tell me your news or whatever." Nymphadora makes a noise of frustration and sits up from the sofa before turning to lie on the other end. My daughter just turned her body one hundred and eighty degrees just so that she could keep watching the TV, ignoring me and acting as if I was just an obstacle to her.
Knowing that she would just keep on trying to look past me towards the TV to continue watching it, I decided to step this up a little further. I turn around on the spot and stalk over to the TV and press the power off button before spinning around to look back at my daughter, who looks on speechless.
"MUM!! WHAT THE HELL!!? I SAID IT WAS FINISHING. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" She finds her voice after a second of me glaring at her, but instead of giving in as she used to as a child, she instead glares right back and starts to shout and grumble at me, nothing like the cute child she used to be. I open my mouth to give her a what for when I am interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.
"Hey! I am home!" My husband's voice follows shortly after, stifling my voice and making me sigh. I will wait until he is here to share my news. There is no point explaining it twice. Though I am surprised that he is here, he is unusually early, Ted mainly arrives late at night after a long day of work, but for some reason, he is early today.
I continue to stare at Nymphadora, who stares right back silently as we wait for her father to come into the room, and then out of the corner of my eye, I spot him as he rounds the corner. I spot his blonde hair first, which used to be so thick and wavy but is now sparse and sporadic over his ageing scalp. His plump belly comes into view next, far different from the once broad and muscular chest he had when we were younger. But then I spot his blue eyes, which still hold the same kindness they always have, though now the skin around it is weary and creased, looking very tired.
"Welcome home, Ted. I have some-" I greet him as he peeks his head through the doorway, ready to tell him the news, but Nymphadora quickly gets a word in first.
"Dad! Mum isn't letting me watch the TV!" She cries as soon as she spots him, immediately trying to get back onto the TV so she can continue relaxing and slacking off.
"Dear, let her watch the TV, please. She is hardly home these days since she started going to Hogwarts, and she is only home for the holidays now. Dora will be going back to Hogwarts soon, so just let her watch the TV." He immediately caves, just like he always does, and he always gives in to her. He just can't say no to that, and she clearly knows that as she can't help the smug grin that comes up on her face. It is because of his lax and forgiving attitude that I have been forced to become the strict and demanding, and sometimes I feel really angry with him because of that.
"Now, I will have dinner in my office, Dromeda. Mr Saunders has given me a lot of work to do, so I will be swamped for the remainder of the day. Please try not to disturb me." He says, thinking the conversation over and turning to retire to his office, irking me even more. I am even more irritated by the mention of his job and Mr Saunders, both points of contention in our marriage that I end up avoiding to not have any fights.
"Actually, Ted, before you go, I have some news for everybody," I say, stopping his exit and turning him back around to face me. Nymphadora grumbles in the background about wanting to catch the rest of her show before it finishes quickly, but I easily ignore it, wanting to rip the bandaid off as soon as possible.
"Today, I went out for a job interview and passed it. I will be starting effective immediately, and I will be going in for my first day of work tomorrow." I say, getting it all out at once. Ted appears to be stunned at my words and unable to find the words, stuttering and trying to say something. But in opposition to him, my daughter actually has a good reaction, being very supportive.
"Oh, wow, mum. That's great. What will you be doing, and who are you working for? Is it at a store? Will we get a discount?" She says excitedly, happy for me to be starting this new chapter in my life. I am getting an actual job for the first time in my life, having pretty much finished my career as a mother. She asks me questions which I laugh at, especially the discount one. Perhaps I will be able to get some form of discount out of this for as many businesses as I am able to acquire for Gilderoy.
"Well, I am happy to see you are taking this so well, Nymphadora. I will be working as a secretary and assistant for Gilderoy Lockhart. He has recently begun to expand his business and requires help to do so." So I say, fully expecting to get a loud 'don't call me that from her, but surprisingly I don't.
"THE Gilderoy Lockhart? Are you serious? That is awesome. Can you get me his autograph? Can you help me meet him? Can I come with you-"
"No." Ted's voice cuts through the happy environment, bringing our daughter's questions to a startling stop at his abrupt refusal.