(no subject)

( R/Hrish thoughts  )

Andromeda Tonks

"My Mum's got this knack of getting stuff to fit itself in neatly - she even gets the socks to fold themselves..."

- Tonks, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, American Hardback Edition, page 53.

"Oh, yeah, her mother, Andromeda, was my favorite cousin," said Sirius, examining the tapestry closely. "No, Andromeda's not on here either, look..."

- Sirius, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, American Hardback Copy, page 113.

Andromeda's cousin is Sirius Black, and her daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, is in the Order. We see both Sirius and Tonks a lot, sometimes together, so you'd think at some point, she'd come up in conversation - perhaps even show up.

Yet, all we know is that she was Sirius's favorite cousin, and she can fold socks.

Why isn't Andromeda mentioned ever again, even though her sisters, daughter and cousin are? Why doesn't she show up? And is there a reason for the "was" Sirius used, or is he just referring to a normal occurence - family simply growing apart?

Most of all: Who is she?

I've thought about why on earth she has never been mentioned, and have come across - and thought about - some possibilities.

One is that she died. However, Tonks mentions her in present tense, so unless the death was very recent, it's likely Andromeda's alive.

Another is that she has no idea Sirius is innocent. While i can see this theory more than I can see Andromeda simply being dead, I have problems with Tonks not telling Andromeda that someone she was very close to at one point in her life is, in fact, very much innocent. Isn't that sort of unethical, no matter what?

It is, of course, possible that Andromeda does not believe in Sirius's innocence - or that there was simply a rift between them. I can see either of these being true, although I think it is more likely the latter. Perhaps with good reason, too - I can see Sirius perhaps wishing Andromeda had taken him in, or Andromeda disliking the way Sirius acted towards Slytherins.

Then there's the possibility that I'm looking into this far too much, and that there was no page space for Andromeda. However, I still have to wonder - if everyone else in Sirius's family managed to fit in OoTP, why not the one relative Sirius apparently had a bond with?

Any thoughts?