I loved this fic. I loved Andromeda as a beautiful girl and the nonsense that resulted from mistletoe. I loved the young Tonks, cheerful, blonde and determined, unobstrusively yet persistently playing chevalier servant to Andromeda. I loved the jump to thirty years later, with all that it implied of happiness together. Two images moved me most about their marriage: that she never regretted her choice and that he left chocolates for her more than once a week. There's a hint to another similar relationship, Rabastan and Melanie, which to me reinforces the general message of the fic: deep, committed love and the happiness it brings. The end shows Andromeda as a really strong woman, determined to go on even without her husband and daughter. But then, she is a Black and a Slytherin. They're not exactly weak as a rule, are they?

So, thanks a lot for this story. It was spot on, lovely and it had the ring of truth, all long.

Oh, and I thought Slughorn's reaction was so in character. You managed to get him just right in a few lines.