Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 21 Andromeda Tonks

Since the Malfoys' visit yesterday, Thea has keenly noticed a dramatic change in the attitudes of both patients and doctors at St. Mungo's Hospital towards her.

It seems that everyone passes by Thea's hospital room intentionally or unintentionally, as if a fire dragon lives in that room!

Thea was extremely annoyed by the stares from those people, and she wanted to go out and see Neville.

But considering her current identity as the daughter of a die-hard Death Eater, she dismissed the idea.

So this is what Dumbledore and Andromeda saw: the girl opened the door sleepily after hearing the knock, and Dumbledore could clearly see the girl's somewhat disheveled hair.

“Excuse me, Mr. Dumbledore, I overslept this afternoon.” Her gaze lingered for a few seconds on the prying eyes outside the door, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

Dumbledore noticed this, but he didn't expose the girl's lame excuse.

Instead, he smiled and took out a few lemon shaggy candies from his pocket and handed them to Thea, saying with a smile, "The little wizard really should sleep a little longer."

Then the group entered the room, and Dumbledore waved his wand, and several soft-looking chairs appeared on the floor.

Thea exclaimed in surprise, which drew a soft chuckle from Dumbledore, but it wasn't mocking at all; it was more like the laughter of a mischievous old man.

Andromeda made the decision to raise the child after careful consideration. After all, raising Thea would be an extremely unwise choice for her family, as it would push their hard-won family back into the spotlight.

But Andromeda still agreed. She had told herself before she came that even though Thea looked exactly like her birth mother, Andromeda would treat Thea as her own daughter.

“Hello, Thea, I am your aunt, Andromeda Tonks.”

"Hello, Aunt Andromeda, Uncle Tonks."

Ted Tonks was surprised that the girl greeted him first, and he gave a slightly awkward smile: "...Hello, Thea."

Thea saw Andromeda gently hold her husband's hand, and their eyes met, filled with affection.

Seeing that all three were nervous to varying degrees, Dumbledore withdrew from the meeting, leaving only the three of them in the ward.

Thea could clearly see that Uncle Tonks had visibly relaxed since Dumbledore left.

Seeing the somewhat puzzled look in Shangxia's eyes, Tonks took the initiative to explain, "Not many students can remain calm in front of their teachers, so my performance was passable."

Thea was amused by Tonks's winking and grimacing, and the scene instantly became lively.

"I'm sorry, Thea, I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as an aunt all these years, letting you stay in the orphanage for so long..."

Andromeda took the initiative to appeal to the family's emotions, hoping to gain Thea's forgiveness.

What could Thea do? Of course, she chose to forgive her.

When Andromeda saw Thea's sweet smile and thought of the stories Dumbledore had told her about Thea's past, her eyes welled up with tears.

Thea: "..."

Thea was stunned for a moment. In her memory, almost all adults were well-mannered and elegant.

They are either like Windsor from the orphanage, sharp-tongued but kind-hearted, never shedding a tear; or like Narcissa, always maintaining elegance, let alone shedding tears in public.

And shouldn't she be the one crying? How come this aunt is crying faster than her!

Worried that her aunt might actually cry, she quickly steered the conversation to her custody: "Aunt, may I ask why you are willing to raise me?"

Andromeda was taken aback by her question: "...Because I am your aunt, and your mother and I are sisters."

Even though Andromeda tried his best to hide his discomfort at mentioning his mother, Thea, who knew the reason, still noticed.

She nodded, as if accepting the answer.

Now it was Andromeda's turn to ask: "Thea, how were you doing at the orphanage? Did you have any close friends?"

Thea sensed Andromeda's concern and her tone became somewhat cheerful: "I'm doing very well. I've made many friends there, including Jennifer, Elise, Daisy... and Windsor and Mary, who are also very kind to me."

She counted them one by one, like a child showing off her candy.

Andromeda knew perfectly well that Thea was trying to comfort her, and feeling somewhat relieved, she gradually opened up, talking about Hogwarts, Quidditch, the library...

She also mentioned her family's current situation: "I have a daughter who is 15 years old and attends Hogwarts. She is a Hufflepuff like her father, and you will definitely get along well."

Thea listened to Andromeda's endless chatter, and the occasional smile exchanged between her and her husband made Thea somewhat envious of their interactions.

When Andromeda finally asked, "So, Thea, would you like to live with us?"

Perhaps it was the sweet aroma of the hot cocoa in the cup, or the warm glow of the lights tonight, or perhaps the cold stares of those people during the day that sent a chill down Thea's spine.

She was so close, so very close, to agreeing.

At the critical moment, Thea's rationality stopped her: "Aunt Andromeda, I'm sorry, this decision is very important to me, and I may need some time to think it over."

“Of course, this is an important decision.” Andromeda was somewhat disappointed, but still readily agreed.

Andromeda and Tonks then said their goodbyes, and Thea politely saw them to the door.

As Andromeda left the hospital, she felt uneasy: "What should we do? Thea seemed willing too, but I still don't understand why she won't agree?"

Tonks gently patted his wife's shoulder, comforting her: "It's okay. Since she's willing, she probably just wants to think about it carefully."

“Mr. Tonks is right, Andromeda, you can have faith in that child…”

Dumbledore suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a box of ice cream. Seeing the couple's surprised looks, Dumbledore enthusiastically recommended, "Would you like one? The ice cream at the corner store is pretty good."

After seeing the couple off, Thea slowly picked up the now-cooled hot cocoa from the table and stirred it idly.

The whispers and footsteps outside the door made Thea's already irritable mood even worse.

After a while, she threw the cup at the door in a fit of rage. The cup hit the door with a loud bang, and the dark brown liquid spilled all over the floor. The whispers outside the door finally stopped.

Thea collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. The overly warm scene had left her unsure whether it was reality or a dream, and a voice in her head kept screaming about injustice.

She changed her position, curling herself into a ball, wrapping herself up in a posture of severe insecurity, and tears uncontrollably soaked her pillow.

She admitted that she was a little homesick.