Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Ted Tonks
| Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character | |
| Ted Tonks | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Fair |
| Eye color | Unknown |
| Related Family | Wife Andromeda Tonks; daughter Nymphadora Tonks |
| Loyalty | Order of the Phoenix |
Overview
[edit | edit source]Ted Tonks is the father of Nymphadora Tonks and husband of Andromeda Tonks. He is a Muggle-born wizard whose house is Harry's destination during the flight from Privet Drive.
Role in the Books
[edit | edit source]It is mentioned that Andromeda Black was burned off the tapestry of the Black family tree because she married Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard. This made Andromeda a blood traitor.
When Harry Potter has to leave the Dursleys' house because the blood protection he received from his mother will end when he becomes of age, it is to Ted Tonks' house that he goes. He crashes unto a pond on the grounds of the house, and Ted heals his injuries.
When Remus Lupin follows Harry to Grimmauld Place, he is volunteering to travel with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, to give them any help he can. He says that he has left Tonks with Ted and Andromeda. Harry sends him back to take care of Dora and their unborn child.
Near the beginning of December, Harry, Hermione, and Ron use Extendable Ears to overhear a group of people who are travelling through the countryside, to escape the current Ministry edicts. Ted is among their number, and he passes on some information about the sword of Gryffindor.
Ron, when he returns to the group, brings a small wireless with him. This wireless will occasionally pick up a program called "Potterwatch", a pirate signal that tells the true news of what is going on. The one programme they receive, around the end of March, tells that Ted had been killed, along with two other members of the group that had been travelling with him.
Strengths
[edit | edit source]Since Ted manages to survive on the run for a while, this demonstrates at least some skill in evasive and concealment magic.
He is also able to heal light wounds, as demonstrated when he helps Harry recuperate in his home.
Weaknesses
[edit | edit source]As we see very little of Ted, it is difficult to divine if he has many weaknesses. At the very least, if he was killed along with two other members of his group, this may be an indication that he is not the best duellist.
Relationships with Other Characters
[edit | edit source]Ted is the husband of Andromeda and father of Nymphadora. He affectionately refers to them by pet names "Dromeda" and "Dora".
He has some alliances within the Wizarding World, including other wizards Dirk Cresswell and Dean, and even goblins Griphook and Gornuk; as a Muggle-born at risk, it is with this little group that he goes on the run.
While Ted does not appear to be a full-time member of the Order of the Phoenix, he is an ally thereof, and father to Nymphadora, a member. This indicates a degree of loyalty to Dumbledore and the Light.
Analysis
[edit | edit source]Ted is presented as a sympathetic character, with a warm personality, kind face, and relative skill with magic. After the dramatic, deadly battle Harry has just endured, Ted's presence provides some grounding to Harry.
The reader has seen, over the series, an increasing intolerance towards Muggle-borns, Squibs and others not of "blood status". Ted's flight into hiding and his subsequent murder, while sad, is another example of how common this has become under the new régime.
Questions
[edit | edit source]
- How do you think Ted met Andromeda, since he is a Muggle-born and she came from the pure-blood Black family?
- How close to the Order of the Phoenix might Ted be? Is he a member, or just an ally?
- Why did Ted feel like he needed to go on the run? Why was he later killed?
Greater Picture
[edit | edit source]It may be of note to mention that Teddy Lupin, Ted's grandson, is named after him. This is in alignment with naming children after family members, and since Teddy is born after Ted's death, in honour of his legacy.