Fic: Retrograde Trajectory (Andromeda/Neville)

[hpraremod]

Title: Retrograde Trajectory
Author/Artist: roseofthewest
Prompt: Number 186: Through each other, they exercise their personal demons.
Pairing(s): Neville/Andromeda
Word Count/Art Medium: 6831
Rating: R
Warning(s):
Disclaimer:Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Thank you to K for beta reading and to several other cheerleaders along the way.
Summary: When heavenly bodies are moving in the same direction, they're said to have a direct trajectory. When whey move apart, they're said to be in retrograde.



The Mudblood had always hated black. “You look so much prettier in colors,” he had always said. How he would loathe the fact that it was because of him that she had worn black whenever she had left the house lately. “Ah, but it's well over a year, now,” his voice chided her in the back of her head. “Wear your green dress robes.”

She pulled them out and looked at them. She'd worn them last at Bill Weasley's wedding. She was wearing them as the Death Eaters had arrived and as her hand had found and clasped the hand that always meant comfort to her. Moments later they were safe in their own home. Soon after that, those hands had undressed her. They had touched her in comfort and arousal, bringing her the bliss she had known countless times over twenty five years but would never know again after that night.

He had gotten up and started dressing before she awoke. She had expected him to do that and had raced downstairs to put some things together for him. He wouldn't starve the first night, at least. He had stood by the back door and pulled her close. “It will be over soon, and we'll be together again. It will come out all right. You'll see.”

There had been time for one last kiss, one last caress. “I love you, Mudblood. Look after yourself.”

He had smiled down at her. “I will if you will.”

* * * * *

Andromeda went to the first anniversary reception at Hogwarts in silvery gray dress robes that she'd worn to her daughter's wedding. She'd lost weight in the two years since, and now they hung from her. Had it really been two years? Teddy wriggled in her arms. He was over a year old now, and he probably wanted to get on the floor and walk all over the castle.

“Be still, you. We're only here so everyone can ooh and aah over you while your parents are honored.”

She very carefully didn't look in the one corner where they had brought her the year before. She had stepped over bits of rock and things she didn't want to think about as she had followed the boy. She was led to where Harry Potter had been kneeling between them.

“I'm so sorry. I didn't want them to die. I told him—”

“I know what you told him,” she had answered. Remus had come back that fall, full of apologies and promises to stay by his wife and child. In the end, the desire to be part of this battle had been too much to overcome, both for Remus and for Nymphadora. Andromeda had been left by them, by all of them.

“Andromeda?” Harry Potter's voice was so soft that it was almost possible to believe that they were simply continuing the conversation of a year ago.

She shook off her memories and looked at the serious young man. Good gracious, had he grown some more since she'd seen him in April? “Harry, it's good to see you.”

“I was wondering if I could take Teddy to see some people.”

“That would be fine. Just don't let him get lost.”

“I also wanted to introduce you to my friend Neville Longbottom. He told me that he wanted to meet you.”

Andromeda held out her hand. “I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Longbottom. I knew your parents for a while.”

He shook her hand as Harry and Teddy wandered away. “They have drinks over here. Would you like something?”

“Perhaps some tea,” said Andromeda. Tea would soothe her. She was never good in gatherings, and having something to hold in her hands always made it easier.

Neville stared at the witch by his side. He felt himself turning dark red. “I wasn't expecting you to be so young.”

Andromeda choked on her tea. It was embarrassing to pat a woman on the back, but after he'd said something so stupid it was the least he could do. “Pardon?” she wheezed.

“I shouldn't have said that. I've been thinking about Teddy Lupin this past year, about how he's going to grow up like me, without his parents.”

Her smile softened. “I see.”

“I guess the way I pictured it, his gran was exactly like mine.”

“Oh, I hope I'm not a disappointment,” she said with mischievous smile.

“Oh, no,” he answered seriously. “I had just gotten all ready to face one situation, but—” He shook his head and looked at her again. “Did anyone ever tell you that you look almost exactly like your sister?”

Some sort of imp passed over her features as she asked, “Which sister?” He looked again and saw a blonde streak slide over the top and back of her hair.

“Oh! Both I guess, now. How did you do that?”

“Have you ever met my daughter, Nymphadora?”

“Just for a minute or two, right before—” It would be better not to bring that up. “I've heard about her.”

“She inherited her Metamorphmagus abilities from me.”

“Does anyone else in your family do that?”

“Not really. Narcissa was able to do just enough to make that absurd attempt to fit into her husband's bleached existence, but that's about it.”

“Oh.” The moment became awkward. He should just make his suggestion and get on with it. “The thing is, Mrs. Tonks, I've been thinking about Teddy growing up with just his gran, and you seem to be as wonderful as mine is, but it must be lonely. So I wanted to ask if I could come over some times and help, in case he could use another person around.”

She looked at him kindly, and then with a truly friendly face that reminded him of his all-too-brief meeting with her daughter. “Why, yes,” answered Andromeda, “that would be lovely. Why don't you come around noon with Harry on Thursday afternoon? I'll give you your lunch and tea.”

Harry brought Teddy over. “They're going to start in just a minute. I hope I'm not cutting you short, Neville.”

“It's fine, Harry,” said Neville. “I'll be there, Mrs. Tonks.”

* * * * *

He wasn't sure what to expect when Harry brought him to the place—Blue Moon Cottage, he thought he heard Harry say. The front garden was glorious, with several shade trees. In rings around them were -shade-loving herbs that could be ornamental but were also quite useful. Along the walk there were hedges made up of roses of varieties that were often used in soothing emollients. But right around the door there was sunlight and a patch of daisies of a type that was useless except to look cheerful and lovely.

“Someone has put a lot of effort into this garden,” he murmured.

Harry looked around as if seeing it for the first time. “Oh, I suppose,” he said. “Andromeda's always out doing something with it.” He rang the bell.

A very natural-looking witch opened the door. Instead of being dressed in grand robes, she was wearing a pretty but relaxed-looking robe that was stained on one shoulder. “Hello, gentlemen. Come right in. I hope you don't mind me giving you lunch in the kitchen.”

They weren't in any position to argue, especially after they started eating. Andromeda knew they were still growing boys and laid out plenty of food. She washed up a few dishes as they ate and did something with a large kettle on the back of the stove.

“Teddy should be up from a nap in a few minutes. He's in his play yard in the lounge, Harry, and he's always delighted to see you. If you don't mind, I'll be looking after some bushes that need to be tied up before they take over the back garden.”

“All right, Andromeda,” replied Harry, “we'll get along fine. May we play with his trains?”

“Oh, you boys,” she said with a shake of her head and a laugh. “Mind you clear them up properly this time. It's a horrible thing to step on that track with a bare foot.”

She grabbed a woolen sweater and headed out a back door.

“Where is she going?” asked Neville.

Harry shrugged. “You heard her. Something about a shrub that she needs to tie up. Let's go look in on Teddy.”

It turned out that babies weren't that interesting when they were asleep. It was mildly amusing to see the child curled up with his diapered end sticking in the air, and the shades of blue and green mixing in his hair were definitely not normal, but beyond that, he just slept there.

“Do you mind if I go outside and see if Mrs. Tonks needs any help?” he asked Harry.

“Sure. I'll bring him out when he wakes up.” Harry sat down and pulled a scroll out of his pocket. Based upon the perfume that wafted up, Neville guessed it was from Ginny. He wouldn't be missed here, so he wandered toward the door Mrs. Tonks had gone out.

He found her a little way around a pond. She was struggling with a Tentacula bush that had gotten leggy. As he watched, she gently captured a cane and brought it close to a trellis that stood along the length of the garden bed. She held it fast with one hand while using the other to tap the trellis and plant with her wand. A tie formed and wound around, holding the Tentacula cane fast. She worked her way around the plant, tying it safely to the trellis.

As Neville walked closer, she moved to the next plant and reached for a cane. A frond reached mischievously for her skirt, but she slapped at it playfully with her gloved hand. “Not today, dear. I'm saving you for a special healing potion.” The frond pulled back.

“Why do you bother with that?” He asked. “Isn't it venomous?” He looked more closely. It was more green than red. “It's not Venomous Tentacula?”

“No, it's Climbing Tentacula, and it's useful in healing potions. The venomous form was the result of some unfortunate cross breeding and particularly spiteful Doxies. These ones are full of mischief, but they're all right. Unfortunately, I need to keep the canes tied up or the fronds get into the dittany. It will be a horrible tangle if I don't do this before the weather coming later today.”

“Can I help?”

“Do you know the tying spell?”

Neville nodded.

“Here, then.” Andromeda held a cane still with two hands and Neville took out his wand and tapped the spot where it should be tied. Then he held his breath, worried for the first time in years that he'd gotten a garden charm wrong.

Of course it came out just right. He let his breath out in relief as she smiled and moved to the next cane. He could hear her humming something under her breath as she did.

“What's that?” he asked.

She turned a little pink. “It's a nursery rhyme, actually. Tie them up, make a neat row, water them well, watch them grow... It seems to keep them from being too troublesome, but maybe it just relaxes me so that I work more efficiently.”

“Will you teach me, Mrs. Tonks?”

She smiled conspiratorially. “As long as you don't tell anyone that the Widow Tonks spends her time in the back garden mumbling nursery rhymes. I don't care to develop that sort of reputation for a very long while, yet.”

He stood up straight and looked her in the eye. “Of course not.” Then he realized she was laughing.

“I think we're going to be good friends, Neville. Why don't you call me Andromeda?”

* * * * *

She decided that the boy knew what he was doing. After a few tying spells, which were perfect, he went to her shed and got some gloves for his own hands. He started working at the other end of the row, and they were done by the time Harry came out with Teddy.

She gave the boys their tea as promised and then they left. The house was entirely too quiet afterward, but she was happy enough to have a respite from the commotion and the fretting she had done before they arrived. Teddy ate his dinner and, after a bath and his night time bottle, he went fast asleep.

Andromeda puttered around the house, making sure the doors were properly shut and sealed against intruders. She looked over her preparations for breakfast and picked up stray toys around the house. Her own bedtime finally came. As she always did, she brushed her hair and wore a pretty nightgown. Then she snuggled up to Ted's old pillow, which she kept sideways on the bed. “I've made a new friend, my love,” she said. “He's going to come once a week to play with Teddy and maybe help me in the garden. He knows what he's doing out there and promised to bring a seed catalog next week. He has some ideas about that bare patch by the pond where nothing grows.”

Ted-in-her-head seemed to approve. That voice had always complained that she was too young to spend her life tucked away in her house with just the baby for company. She was altogether too close to becoming a crazy widow humming stray tunes to herself in the back garden. It would be good to have young people around, bringing energy and excitement into the house.

She went to sleep thinking that the hurts of her life were a little bit comforted, now.

* * * * *

Neville went once a week to Blue Moon Cottage. He took Teddy outside and played out there as much as possible. They hunted for frogs in the cattails near the pond, and they dug endless holes just to scoop dirt into pails and then dump them out. Teddy loved that and crowed with joy when he watched the dirt tumble out.

When Teddy went down for his afternoon nap, Neville and Andromeda sat in the kitchen and looked over seed catalogs together. For the first few weeks, they discussed gardening and the benefits of certain plants compared to the work and expense of growing them. Finally one week, the conversation got a bit more personal.

Neville shyly said one afternoon, “It never occurred to me that a Slytherin could like or be good at Herbology. I always figured my love of the subject proved I should have been a Hufflepuff.”

Andromeda shrugged. “Herbology and Potions were always my favorite subjects. I don't think it's necessarily attached to any house.”

“Potions was my worst subject,” said Neville.

“How do you know which plants are most useful, then?”

“Oh, I keep track of what the plants do.”

“But if you don't experience making actual potions from the actual plants, how do you know how your growing techniques affect the finished product?”

Neville felt his face getting pink. Andromeda smiled and patted his hand. “Never mind. Why don't you help me with a few potions and you'll see what I mean?”

“My potions only come out when Hermione helps me. Do you know her?”

“She's come with Harry a few times. She's very smart, isn't she?” Andromeda laughed. “Well, I wasn't the smartest witch in my year, but I think we can make a go of it. Why don't we go to the still room and see what's in there?”

Andromeda's still room was fragrant and colorful. Bunches of herbs hung drying and there was a cauldron of something on a counter. Andromeda lifted the cover and peeked in. “It's a soothing lotion for bruises that just needs to thicken a little more,” she smiled.

She turned to another counter where recent cuttings lay in baskets. “Why don't you help me put these up?”

They spent the rest of the afternoon tying and hanging herbs while crushing or cutting others and putting them in well-labeled jars. Neville felt that it was an afternoon well spent.

* * * * *

Neville got quite good at making some simple preparations. Andromeda sighed to herself that while Severus Snape's teaching techniques were effective, a student such as this one would be unnecessarily humiliated to the detriment of learning the art. Neville wasn't going to set the world on fire with his potions, but he could do an adequate job, and even reported with pride one week that his gran thought the liniment they made was better than the one the apothecary gave her.

“You're almost better than my apprentice training,” he said.

“Thank you, I think,” she laughed. It was odd, how she found herself laughing much more these days.

“I'm sorry I compared you to your sister, before.”

“You're not the first one who ever noticed the similarity.” Mother and Father had noted it since she could remember, telling her time and again that she would never be as pretty nor as powerful.

“I always hated her, for what she did to my parents.”

“I don't blame you. She killed my daughter and—many other people.”

“My life was changed forever because of what she and the others did.”

“I know. I'm so sorry.” Andromeda felt tears springing to her eyes, and she put down a jar of chopped rose hips to hug him close. “I regret everything my family has done to yours.”

He pulled back shyly. “I don't feel as upset about it as I used to. I used to get so angry when I thought of it, even when they were in Azkaban, but now, I think of how much I've learned from you and how nice you are, and I know it was just them.”

She turned her head away, thinking of all the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens in her own life. “I think you've been good for me, too, Neville.”

* * * * *

It was a hot summer day when he next came to Blue Moon Cottage. No one was in the house when he went in, so he went through and found Andromeda at the clothes line, putting laundry up. Teddy was in a sort of play yard she had rigged, trying to figure out how to escape. She waved and called, “A bit of toddler magic has gone awry and I had to redo the washing. I'm almost done.”

She leaned over to pick something up out of the basket and Neville's breath caught in his throat. She was silhouetted against the light and for the first time, he could see her actual figure. She wasn't exactly as slender and nubile as the girls his own age, but he could make out shapely breasts and hips. He remembered the feel of her as she had hugged him.

As he got closer, he realized that the top buttons of her dress were undone. The soft skin underneath bore witness to the effectiveness of the lotions she made in her still room, and the tiniest bit of cleavage he saw made him want to look for more.

“Neville? Are you all right?”

“Uh... yes,” he responded, looking anywhere but at her. His glance happened to hit upon something lacy and creamy-colored hanging from the line. Immediately his mind pictured the lace against that soft skin, and he had to turn away again. “What shall I do with Teddy, today?

“It's so warm today that I think he'd like to wade in the pond and play with his cups. I have it all laid out. Would you mind?”

“N-not at all.” It would be good to get away from her for a while. Neville reached down and picked up Teddy, who immediately wanted to get down and walk. Hand-in-hand they went to a spot the family called “the beach.” It was the shallow end of the pond, and Ted Tonks had long ago transformed a section of earth into a little sandy patch. Teddy loved to use his toy cups to dribble the water or sand from one to another.

Neville played with the boy and then claimed he had something to do for his gran when it was nap time. He went home and started turning over a bit of the back garden that he'd left fallow. As he did, he tried to turn over the thoughts in his mind.

Andromeda was someone's gran, but she was also a beautiful woman. She was probably about forty-five, he guessed from when she said she'd been at Hogwarts. Was that too old for him? The part of his body that he'd been fighting all day to control said that was definitely not the case.

Somehow she'd given him confidence with potions, something his master said he would need if he wanted to become a master Herbologist himself. He wondered if she could give him confidence with women, too. His first experience, if you could call it that, wasn't so great.

Ginny came crying into the Room of Requirement. “Harry's been killed!”

Neville pulled her close. “Who says?”

“The Carrows both came to me to make sure I knew about it. Neville, I don't know what I'll do if it's true!”

“I don't think it can be true. If it was, more than the Carrows would be talking about it.”

He consoled her that it couldn't be true, but she refused to be convinced. She burrowed further and further into his chest until he wondered if she'd climbed into his pockets. When she finally talked herself out, she lifted her face and kissed him.

He'd never kissed a girl, and before he got used to the idea, she was clasping his hand, drawing it up under her sweater. When he tried to pull away, she had whispered that she needed him, asking him to comfort her some more. His body was more than willing to comply, and they lay on the bed that appeared in the room just in time for them to use it.

He'd experienced release but no passion, and Ginny hadn't really looked at him again since that day. He'd found it empty and meaningless and had since wished that the witch he'd first been with had been different. He imagined what it would be like with Andromeda. His attachment with her was completely different from the one he had with Ginny, who was always some other bloke's girl. After today he would always see Andromeda as a woman. There wouldn't be mindless flailing around. She would guide and teach him, as she had with the potions.

Would that be right, just to have an affair with Andromeda? He thought it over carefully for several nights as his body recalled the shape of hers. No, he didn't want that. He wanted to be with Andromeda forever, he decided. He surreptitiously looked in some of Gran's medical books. Forty-five wasn't that old, after all. There was probably even time for the great-grandchildren Gran was always hinting about.

She was still mourning her husband, though. He would have to carefully work the subject around until she would be willing to take him seriously. It wouldn't be hard. He'd already taken over most of her husband's jobs around the garden. He would show her that he was ready to be the man of the house.

* * * * *

For the life of her, Andromeda wasn't sure what had gotten into Neville lately. He stared at her a little too much, and he laughed a little too quickly at her foolish jokes. On the other hand, she was all too ready to cede the heavy autumn jobs of digging and pruning to him.

All in all, it was a good summer, and helped her heal from the hole that had been ripped into her heart the morning Ted had left her. As autumn set in, they spent the late afternoons sipping mulled cider and going over gardening plans for the following spring. It was so nice to have someone who liked to discuss it.

They could talk about just about anything. Neville asked her. “Are you going to the Halloween gala?”

Andromeda shook her head. “I don't think so. I'm not sure I'm ready for fancy dress and dancing.”

“It's very important to me that you be there. My parents are going to be honored that night.”

They went back and forth for several moments, but finally Andromeda swallowed. He must have wanted her to be a sort of fill-in for Alice. “I'll see if Molly is going. If not, maybe she'll take Teddy.”

“Will you wear something pretty? I'd really like everyone to see how beautiful you are.” Andromeda turned pink. He really did sound like a young man who was proud of his mum.

She'd been to a fancy dress party years before. She still had the dress she had worn. It was a golden kirtle that shimmered in the evening lights. Like this year, it was a Halloween ball. She had gone as Helga Hufflepuff. Ted had loved that costume.

Andromeda looked at herself in the mirror and thought the outfit was fine. Staring hard at her hair, she concentrated until it was a strawberry blonde color instead of her usual brown.

Neville met her at the door of the Ministry atrium with a broad smile on his face. “You're so beautiful,” he said. He kissed her cheek, making her blush. He guided her into the courtroom that had been transformed into a ballroom for the evening and then led her into the dancing.

After a couple of songs, Andromeda begged for mercy and went over to get a drink while Neville went to dance with a girl who looked daggers at Andromeda. She sat down and relaxed, thinking how fine the boy looked with his partner, who was a cute blonde girl about his age.

“Congratulations on your conquest, dear sister.”

Andromeda turned and saw Lucius Malfoy. “You haven't spoken to me since I left Hogwarts, and now you greet me so strangely. What could you possibly mean?”

“The lad there is obviously smitten by you. Even now he's looking daggers at me. You'll be well set up in that family. Augusta is a dragon, of course, but there's a bit of money to pad the Black inheritance that reverted to you upon dear Bella's death.”

“This conversation is getting stranger and stranger, Lucius. What could you possibly be going on about?”

“Do you mean to just be his mistress, then? I thought you were too prim for that. Perhaps I picked the wrong sister.”

Andromeda stood up. “Lucius! I never!”

“Of course if you get knocked up this time, it will be pure blood, so there won't be nearly as much scandal...”

This conversation was finally beginning to make sense. “Do you mean to imply that Neville, and I... are lovers?” She fell back into her seat.

“Don't be ashamed, dear sister. I believe they even have a name for women like you. 'Cougar' is so deliciously predatory.”

“I've never...”

“Never? Oh, but you will. It's obvious from the look in the eyes of the boy as he dances with his friend and ponders how to kill me.”

“Why would he want to kill you?”

“Because he's certain that I would lift you on this table and push your skirts over your head to have my way with you. He knows it absolutely. He's as sure of it as I am sure that you would never let me.”

She hissed at him. “But you wouldn't—”

“Oh, I would, dear sister, in a heartbeat. You're a woman ready for a man tonight, dressed as the one founder who inspires lust in any man. More than that, your cheeks are flushed deliciously, and it goes right down your neck and into your cleavage. That dress does nothing to hide your shape, and the smell you're giving off is pure invitation. Just give me a smile, dear sister, and I'll try to satisfy your desires.”

“Stop it! Stop!” She was suddenly quite annoyed. She silently cast a body-bind at her brother-in-law and glanced at Neville, who was indeed paying more attention to her than to his dance partner. Had Andromeda been sending some sort of signal to Neville? Had she inadvertently indicated that she wanted him?

* * * * *

Neville watched across the ballroom as Andromeda went to get her drink and sit down. She looked so beautiful tonight, and other wizards noticed her, too. She smiled and nodded to several people she knew until her brother-in-law surprised her. He watched in growing anger as Malfoy accosted Neville's witch. She looked bewildered until she looked surprised and then horrified.

Harry started to speak then, and Neville could only catch glimpses of Andromeda. She looked fondly at Harry and smiled as he mentioned Neville's parents. Then Harry started discussing a prophecy concerning himself and Voldemort, and she started to look pale. Neville was called to the podium, where he was fortunately not expected to do much more than smile and wave before he went to find Andromeda.

She was sitting at the same table, her arms folded around herself and breathing deeply as she bent her head over her knees. Her face was somewhat green. Malfoy was still there, smirking.

“I can't believe you never figured it out. Why do you think we hastened Draco's birth almost a month early? Did you really think it was just sisterly jealousy?” Malfoy looked reflective. “Of course you did. She was certainly capable of it, and Dumbledore would have let the two of you think it was nothing more.”

Andromeda suddenly stood up. “I have to go home.”

Neville stood with her. “I'll see you there.”

She shook her head and patted his hand. “No, I have to be alone. I'd be terrible company now.”

“But I was hoping to talk to you...”

“I'm sorry, Neville, but it will have to wait.” She looked back over at Malfoy. “It's been... ungh.” She shook her head and walked away.

* * * * *

He had looked so much like Ted as she had walked away from him. He had almost the same build, and he had all of the same endearing foolishness of the Mudblood she had first married. After Lucius's disgusting accusations, she needed to admit it. She was a little bit in love with Neville Longbottom.

She imagined him touching her, uncertainly at first but with greater assurance as her sighs and moans made him bolder. He would unwrap her, delighting in every part of her body that he uncovered, from her collar bone to her knees. They would come together and be as much in tune as they were in her garden...

Her body betrayed her at the thought. She did indeed want it. She wanted every bit of it. As she thought to herself, she considered what Neville might have wanted to discuss. Perhaps it was marriage, or perhaps it was a different sort of arrangement. As she combed out her hair, willing it back to its normal color, she was very much inclined to take whatever he offered. She went to sleep that night imagining his hands on her body.

She went to the fancy-dress ball with Ted, and they giggled like children, delighted to be away from Nymphadora for the night. Molly and Arthur had kept her for them, since Molly was still recovering from the birth of little Ronald.

At Ted's urging, she had gotten the golden costume. He was openly appreciative as she finished her preparations and his hands wandered as they had danced all night. When they came home, he handed her a vial with golden liquid in it.

“Felix Felicis?” she asked.

“I thought maybe, just maybe, if you're willing to try one more time...”

She smiled and removed stopper, sipping half of the potion before giving it back to her husband. “Yes, my love, yes.”

“Ah, Dromeda, I love you so much...”

He finished the contents of the vial, and then she shook it over the bed, in case there were any stray drops that could fall out and add to their fortune. Then he knelt at her feet and practically worshiped her. Their lovemaking had seemed particularly full of enchantment that night.

Several weeks later, Andromeda whispered to her husband that their wildest dreams had taken life. Ted was beside himself with joy. Andromeda was no less happy. They spent the next months planning and looking at a happier future than they had before. They laughed and kissed and watched their daughter grow, grateful that what they had wanted for so long would finally be theirs.

Andromeda woke in tears. There were a great many thoughts in her head, the foremost of which was that she couldn't do it. Neville was very much like Ted had been all those years ago, but Andromeda was a long way from being that witch. She didn't have the patience to teach him everything she and Ted had taught each other over the years, and she didn't think she could go back to living with a man who didn't know those things yet. She didn't think she could match the passion of a twenty-year old boy.

It would be better for him if he were to marry a sweet girl who was as eager to please as he was. She could already guess who that girl would be. Together they would learn how to love and share passion. Together they would grow up and develop into the sort of couple that others admire. Together they would grow old in a world without a Dark Lord. They wouldn't know the pain of losing the one they loved above all else.

Andromeda was lonelier than ever.

* * * * *

Hannah was there when Neville came for his weekly visit. Andromeda twisted her hands as she spoke too quickly. “I thought the two of you could play with Teddy together today. I'm just going to putter around in my still room.”

Hannah smiled in a way that made Neville feel happy. She'd seemed a bit put out with him the last few times he'd seen her, but today she was all smiles. He really liked the way she lit up a room whenever he walked into it. They played with Teddy for a while, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

It was six months after his friendship with Andromeda had begun, and Teddy seemed almost like a different child. He chattered quite a bit, and some of his words made sense. He was more steady on his feet, now, and he was much more interested in playing. Watching a child grow was an amazing experience.

Hannah was enchanted by the little boy and kept looking at Neville in happiness. He didn't know why, but while he shared her enjoyment, it also rankled. After half an hour, he went to find Andromeda.

She was looking out one of the windows of her still room. One arm was wrapped around her body while the other hand was pressed against her throat. She was motionless except that her mouth kept opening and closing as if she was trying to think of something to say.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

He startled her. She turned, and he was struck by how fragile she looked, and—although he hated to admit it—old.

“I don't think there's anything to say, Neville,” she responded.

“I wanted to ask you—”

“Don't. I don't think you'll ask that question more than once, and you should ask the witch who'll say yes.”

She'd managed to pull the rug out from under him. He tried to get the conversation back on track. “But you must know how I feel.”

“I'm sure it's a passing fancy, and it's not worthy of either of us to dwell upon it.”

“But, Andromeda, I want—”

She shook her head and patted his arm again. “Not really. Not at all, really. You'll see.”

She went out to the kitchen. He knew she was getting tea, and that it would be his last in that house.

* * * * *

It wasn't until he'd gotten home that he realized she had slipped a photograph into his pocket. He looked at it and then took it to Gran. “Are these people who I think they are?”

Gran looked and smiled. “Yes, that's your parents, and Harry Potter's parents, and Andromeda with her husband, Ted. They were all at a party for someone's wedding.”

Neville looked more carefully at the picture. All three men were beaming with adoration at the women, who were all heavily pregnant. It must have been when his mother was pregnant with him and Harry's mum was pregnant with Harry, but Tonks was too old to be the baby Andromeda was expecting.

“Did Andromeda have a baby around the time I was born?” It was a funny thought, when he'd imagined having a child with her. He thought with a pang of loss that it wasn't to be.

“Oh, the poor dear. Little Nymphadora was finally going to get a brother. You'd never seen a witch so happy as Andromeda or so delighted as Ted. All three of you babies were due in late July. Then, it was all up with Andromeda. We never knew exactly how it was done, but we all knew it was Bellatrix. Everyone thought she was just being a vindictive bitch because she couldn't have children of her own and her sister could. Now that Harry has described the prophecy, we know why she must have done it.”

It explained so much, and yet did nothing to heal his heart. “Do you think she was using me to replace her lost son?”

“Were you using her to replace your mother?”

“No, I was just glad to have a new friend who understood the love I have for Herbology.”

“So she does, lad. I think she was just as glad to have exactly that sort of friend.”

“We're not—I won't be going over to her house any more. I'm going to miss her.”

“I'm sure she'll miss you, too.”

* * * * *

Now that Andromeda was wearing colors again, it was actually harder to figure out what to wear. The Mudblood's voice in her head urged her to wear the green dress robes. After all, she'd last worn them to a wedding. Reluctantly, she pulled them over her head and then sat down to work on her hair.

She sat near the back at the wedding, determined to see this day through even if everything inside her was screaming to leave. This was her most important gift to the bride, to make merry and dance at this wedding so that no one would think there'd ever been anything between herself and the groom. She thought with satisfaction of certain discomforts her brother-in-law would be feeling for a while. If she was to suffer through this, then he would suffer for the way he'd spoken to her at that gala. She knew enough of Potions to ensure that.

She sat and watched as the couple was bonded, touched by a memory of her own happy wedding day. She ate, drank, and danced when called upon to do so, and yet was consumed by a feeling of detachment. There had been moments of late when she'd thought there was much more to tie her to the world of beyond than the world she was in. From time to time she thought to herself that it must be possible to just let go. She'd float away and be with the Mudblood forever.

Then she'd look at Teddy and hear her husband's voice in her head chiding her as it so often did. Those who'd gone on needed her to stay and look after their unfinished business. She watched as Harry and Ginny danced with the “unfinished business” right then in a lopsided trio. She couldn't resist a smile.

“I've been asking myself why you're sitting here, looking all abandoned as if you were the Princess Andromeda, chained to her rock. I decided to ask you.”

Andromeda turned and took in the face of the wizard who just sat next to her. She turned back to watch her grandson. “I don't know. I guess I'm waiting.”

“Is there some reason you need a hero? Is there some monster you need slain?”

She shrugged and smiled in memory. “I had a hero, a bright and shining wizard, back in the days when I dreamed of a dark, brooding prince.”

There was a chuckle beside her. “That's a bit ironic in this conversation,” he said.

She looked again and saw the joke. She smiled naturally for the first time in months and laughed along with him. Perhaps she should expand her orbit and live in the world again.