Albus sat back in his chair, sighed tiredly and removed his glasses to rub his eyes when he heard the sharp rapping on his door. He had the very beginnings of a headache forming.

"Come in" he called, reluctantly putting his glasses back on to examine his visitor. He felt his head pound when he saw a very formidable Mrs Weasley march in. She threw a newspaper headline in front of him with a slap. He didn't need to look down to know what the particular headline was. He had read about it enough in her insistent owls; it appeared she had grown impatient with his non-responses.

"Where is she Albus?" very few people could intimidate Albus Dumbledore, the Weasley matriarch was one of them. It was why he had been postponing this conversation, and why he had never given her an answer via owl.

"I don't know Molly, they sent her away." The headache started to grow as she started to turn an angry shade of red.

"Well find her Albus. She needs us." She placed her hands on her hips indignantly.

"I wish it were so easy. The ministry sent her to the muggle world, to an orphanage, with a muggle alias." He sighed; he felt a pang of guilt as he took in the angry woman in front of him. It was his fault that the girl had left her care afterall.

"Well look at the records Albus." He felt every year as he gestured her to sit. She ignored him.

"They scrubbed the records Molly. I am afraid there is nothing we can do until she is ready to re-enter the muggle world, in four years."

Molly shook her head in angry denial, "there must be something we can do, she's all alone, in a world she doesn't understand."

Albus couldn't help the soft, sad smile that spread across his face as he looked at the woman across from him. She had only known the child for a few short weeks, and yet she had such a tremendous impact on the whole family.

"Even if we could find her Molly, you couldn't claim her. Only family can, its why they sent her away to begin with."

Molly wiped a tear, "Arthur mentioned that Ted Tonks has returned to work. If we could just convince his wife to—" She struggled for a word, "to just let her come with us." She finally finished.

Albus nodded, he had heard rumours that Andromeda and Ted Tonks had resurfaced, alive and with a very healthy girl.

"I'll see what I can do Molly. A meeting is in order at the very least." Albus said finally, "we'll be in touch."

Xxxx

Andromeda Tonks anxiously squeezed her husband's hand, and he gave her a sideways reassuring smile.

"It'll be alright 'Dromeda. We'll just see what he wants, we can leave whenever you want."

She nodded, a stray curl falling into her fact. "I don't want to burden your parents too much Ted, with Dora. She can be a bit of a handful." Ted smiled at his wife, and Andromeda paused, drinking in his face.

"I love you Ted Tonks."

His grin widened, "And I love you more Andromeda Tonks. We can get through anything together"

The knot that was tying itself in Andromeda's stomach loosened at his words, she wasn't alone in this, "Together." With a final squeeze they turn and entered the room.

Albus Dumbledore had requested their presence to talk about an important familial matter, but he had refused to elaborate any more on the matter by owl. Instead he suggested they speak in person, and that the Weasley's would also be present, as interested parties in this mystery matter.

So here they found themselves, entering a private dining room at the Leaky Cauldron pub in Diagon Alley. True to his word, Albus Dumbledore was seated next to two other wizards, both with bright ginger hair. Andromeda knew of the Weasleys by reputation, but had never spoken to them. Ted knew Arthur Weasley only in passing, from the ministry. The two men never really spoke but were friendly.

"Welcome Mr and Mrs Tonks, it is good to see you so well, for a while we had assumed the worst." Dumbledore rose from his chair to address the couple.

Andromeda nodded uncertainly, and Ted spoke, sensing his wife's discomfort. "We are as well as can be, and happy to be back in the wizarding world. And relieved our daughter will grow up in a peaceful world Professor."

Neither Ted nor Andromeda had ever really spoken to Albus Dumbledore. They never had reason to. Until now it seemed.

"Please, call me Albus" Dumbledore responded.

"Albus," it sounded ridiculous to her ears to address one of the world's most powerful wizards, her former headmaster, by his first name.

"You suggested this," she grimaced, "familial matter couldn't be discussed by owl." She wanted this meeting over as quickly as possible, knowing nothing good could ever come from her family.

"Ah, straight to the point then." He waved his wand and a pot of tea and five cups appeared as he gestured for the Tonks to have a seat at the table.

"I trust you know the Weasleys?" he asked politely.

The couple nodded, "in passing." Ted said kindly, smiling at Arthur.

"Molly and Arthur Weasley, Andromeda and Ted Tonks" Albus said helpfully, making himself a cup of tea. "This matter involves them just as much as yourselves," he paused, putting three sugars into his tea.

"Tea?" he offered kindly

"You are stalling Albus" Mrs Weasley scolded tersely.

"Ah-" Albus paused, delicately depositing his sugar spoon on his tea saucer. He was stalling. He had been stalling since Molly Weasley had burst into his office days ago, waving the paper detailing the Lestrange's sentence in front of him. He had been avoiding her for at least a week previous to that, when the Lestrange's were arrested. He told himself he was simply busy, with the end of the war, final loose ends to be tied up, and important matters to attend to. But he knew he was stalling because he was uncertain about the child's future, and because he felt guilty about his role in her unfortunate familial reunion. He was stalling because when he found out what they had done to her at the ministry, when he heard they had destroyed the paper trail, he legitimately feared the wrath of the Weasley matriarch. Alas, there was no more time to stall.

He turned to Andromeda, and said very seriously "it's about your sister's child Mrs Tonks."

There was a beat silence as everyone waited for Andromeda to process what Albus had said.

"What in the world—" she paused, "What does Narcissa's child have to do with me?" her head spun, she knew Lucius Malfoy was on trial, but Narcissa wasn't. Albus smiled at her sadly, and the knot in her stomach tightened with dread.

"Not Narcissa." Andromeda's mind raced, quickly taking in the implications of the statement, if not Cissy then that left…

"Bella." She sat back, stunned, slipping into her old nickname. Albus nodded, confirming her guess.

"You're telling me, Bellatrix" she swallowed thickly, "had a child?"

"A beautiful little girl, she'd be about eight years old now, or almost eight." It was Molly Weasley who spoke this time.

Ted looked at his wife in concern, she was grasping his hand painfully and he was beginning to lose feeling in his fingers. Andromeda paled as she looked between the Weasleys and Dumbledore in confusion.

"You know her child?" she asked weakly.

"The Weasleys rescued her when she ran away from her mother. Her name is Cassiopeia Meissa Lestrange." Albus said gently, frowning at Andromeda in concern. He pushed a cup of sugary tea across the table to her, which Ted picked up and place in his wife's free hand.

"Drink Dromeda, take your time."

She nodded, thinking. She never imagined Bellatrix being the motherly sort; she was always so wild, so free, and so ambitious. She bucked the system, and pressed the boundaries of the roles their parents expected them to place in society. Only Narcissa fit the mould of the perfect, beautiful, pure-blooded housewife. Bellatrix was always headstrong and outspoken and fiercely independent. Andromeda of course knew she had gotten married, but she always assumed it was a sham, to appease their parents. She couldn't believe that she had settled down enough to actually have a child. And what would such a child be like? Bellatrix had been fanatical, and her time with the Death Eaters fed her cruelty and sadism. She knew her crimes, she knew what she had done to that poor couple, and she wondered how any child of hers would be like.

"She ran away?" she asked finally, trying to figure out how the Weasleys, the most renowned blood traitors out there, ended up with the daughter of two of the most infamous Death Eaters.

"She was a stick, poor thing, terrified of everything and everyone. She bonded with our second oldest son, Charlie, he's the one who found her see" together the Weasleys recounted their experiences with the young Lestrange. Andromeda took it all in numbly, and she felt nauseous when she dwelled on the niggling feeling in the back of her head.

"What does this all have to do with me?" she finally asked, fearing the response.

Albus explained the situation with her current location, lost in the muggle world with no name. "But the day will come, in four years, when she will re-join the wizarding world. And when she does, she will need a guardian." Albus said seriously, "the Weasleys are willing to take her in if need be but they need familial consent. Mrs Malfoy must know about her niece, and we are worried that when she comes of age and re enters this world, that the Malfoy's will take immediate claim."

"Narcissa may be full of herself, but she would never harm a child." Andromeda said automatically, registering their insinuation.

"Its not Mrs Malfoy we are worried about, its ideologues like Lucius Malfoy we are worried about. She already has some very confusing views about magical supremacy, something that will only be exacerbated surely by her time in the muggle world. We want her to live in a loving and safe and friendly environment." Arthur Weasley said stiffly. Andromeda took a large sip of her rapidly cooling tea; she knew where this was headed.

"You want me to take her in." could she do it? Would she? Bellatrix was the reason why she had to go into hiding in the first place, and now they wanted her to raise her child? It was too much.

"Only if you want to take her in, otherwise we would like you to sign the paperwork so the Weasleys can take over legal guardianship." She nodded, beginning to understand what they wanted her to do.

"Can I at least think about it?" she asked, anxiety clawing at her chest, it was too much to process at once, and for such a big decision, "and talk to my husband about it?" she added, glancing at Ted, who nodded reassuringly at her.

"Of course, it is a few years away as of yet until the decision has to be made." Albus said as he gave her hand a quick re-assuring pat.

The meeting ended not long after that, with Ted and Andromeda making their excuses. They decided to take the long way to Ted's parents house, located in south London. They walked in silence. They sat on the underground in silence. Ted held his wife's hand the whole way, giving her space and time to process the whole situation.

"What do you think Ted?" he looked at his wife; she looked older than her years, and tired. He had been mulling over the issue himself, the whole journey.

"I think we should help her." He said finally.

Andromeda looked at him in confusion, "But her mother is the reason why we had to leave everything behind Ted. She vowed to hunt you down and kill you."

He nodded, "indeed. Her mother, 'Dromeda, not her. From what the Weasley's told us, it sounds like she is just as much victim of her mother as we were. She's been stuck with her for years, and now thrown into a world that is not her own, completely alone, lost, and without guidance." He shook his head, understanding quite keenly what types of pain the child must be currently suffering, being thrown in the muggle world without any experience.

"Everyone needs a family." He finished softly.

Andromeda stared at him in open shock, "she will have a family with the Weasley's Ted, you heard them." She said finally.

Ted smiled at his wife, "I think we should meet her, you should meet her, when the time comes, and decide for yourself. Either way, there is nothing we can do now, except wait." They stopped, a block away from his parents house.

Andromeda squeezed his hand briefly, the shock in her eyes turning slowly into adoration, "what would I do without you Ted?" she asked softly.

Ted simply smiled and responded slyly "you would be completely clueless about the magic of the muggle world, and all the pizza contained therein." She laughed, feeling immediately lighter. The decision would come, eventually, but not today. Today she could enjoy being with her husband, her daughter, in a safe world.