No, I don't own Harry Potter.
"He's coming back, mother, I promise," Draco said desperately, holding on to his shaking mother. "Father will come back. He is Lucius Malfoy, no one is going to get him stuck on the trial forever."
"No... no," Narcissa whimpered, trembling violently. "They will send him to jail... they will send Lucius to Azkaban!" The fear had once again slipped into her voice as she pulled away from Draco, curling into a ball on her bed.
Draco was about to reply that his father would be able to get out. After all, Narcissa Malfoy had saved Harry Potter's life. If she hadn't Voldemort would have won the war so technically, she saved the wizarding world to. She could plead guilty, they would have to allow, right? Come on, as much as Draco hated Harry Potter, he spoke up for his mother and himself, why couldn't he stand up for his father too?
"And Bella, dear old Bella... she used to be such a wonderful sister to us all. She attacked anyone who hurt us, cruelly but it was to protect us. Even... even Sirius, although he was a Gryffindor. That never used to matter to Bella, it was okay to be brave... she said... said it was not okay to be a blood traitor though... Then... then she murdered," Narcissa gulped as though she didn't want to believe it, "murdered Sirius... she murdered him... and then our... our niece... darling Andy's baby child... only child... I know what it is like to lose a child... never lost one, luckily... but the feeling... that time he... he stayed in the castle... I was afraid he wouldn't survive... what would have happened if he didn't?" She directed this question at Draco, not realizing who she was talking to. Draco felt his throat tighten.
"And Sirius... Sirius, we used to be so close until that time... I told him not to befriend that mudblood Evans... Lily Evans... Sirius slapped me... he never hit me, never raised his voice but... but he slapped me... never did it again because..." she hiccuped a little and her voice was oozing of pain when she continued, "never spoke to me again... I was wrong, of course... now I know... I didn't back then but... he... died, died before I could... apologise to him. I want to!" Her voice now tinted with remorse.
"Andy... poor Andy got blasted off the stupid wall... she... I... should not have listened to Bella... I should have kept contact with her... maybe... just maybe she wouldn't hate me. She should... she must... hate me... Alive but she doesn't need me... she won't want me around... ever..." her voice broke in continuous sob for a while. "I hate myself!" Draco thought that this was the end of her depressing rambles, it usually was but this time it continued. Turns out she found something new to be depressed about. Just great.
"Reggy... little Reggy, they published how he died, you know? To know he died that time was depressing. To know he actually realize he grew up before I did was sad. To... to know how he died," she grasped Draco hand and looked at him, but her eyes were glazed and far, far away, "such a terrible way... he was grabbed by... by inferies, dragged to the bottom of a black lake... to... to drown... he was such a good boy..." Narcissa's voice grew quieter and softer by moments and within minutes, she was fast asleep.
Draco sighed with relief. He loved his mother, he wanted to take care of her, really he did. But he had never seen her beyond the calm, cool exterior or the loving, caring, perhaps a little too overprotective mother. He didn't like to see his mother so broken down, it scared him a lot.
As much as he wanted to stay and help her return to her normal state, he couldn't always be here. He had to find a bloody lawyer who would be willing to help him, and they need a lot of convincing to even think about it. He couldn't spend every minute he had taking care of his mother. Plus, he needed a job, needed to earn money to feed his mother and himself too. Plus Astoria when they get married. He could see her practically asking him when he was going to pop the question at every single date. He can't do that now, it is too soon, his family was too unstable to have a new member right now. It wouldn't benefit anyone.
Draco sank onto the couch in his mother's bedroom. He would have to come up with a solution soon. He had about two to three hours before his mother come around but all those time would be put to waste if he slept. There was also no way he was going to a bloody interview or a talk with a lawyer at two in the morning. They would just be more annoyed than usual. This was the best time to find a solution for his mother.
He wished that his mother had more living relative. It was quite irritating that the stronger Aunt Bella chose this time to die out of all time she could have, Uncle Sirius and Regulus are dead too and although his mum hadn't contacted them in a long time, surely no one could say no to a half-crazed cousin, right? The Black were after all, known for their powerful magic and also their tightly knitted family.
If you told that to most wizards, most people won't believe it. Only the pureblood society knows how the Blacks were closely knitted. They were, in a way, rather like the Weasley's, only that they believed in blood purity. They mostly helped each other but they sometimes threw someone out. People would say that's not close but in a way, that is just an overreaction. The Weasley's did something similar to that Percy when he refused to listen too... Merlin, even his father wouldn't talk to him although both worked at the ministry.
That was it! Draco thought excitedly. Percy Weasley came round eventually, right? He helped them at the end of the war and everything was perfect. Maybe that could work for the two Black sister's too. True, there was no way Narcissa could change the war now (not that she hadn't help considering she saved Harry's life) but they were sisters and the feud was so far behing. They were the only ones among the 5 Black's remaining. Aunt Andromeda cannot possibly push her bonkers little sister away, right?
With that thought fresh in his mind, he hurriedly disapparated outside the Tonks' House, before his mind could use anything to counter-attack this idea. It wasn't anything like the Malfoy's Manor but it was rather big too. In a way, it was more like the... what was the Weasley's House called again? Instantly, he raised his hand and rapped on the door loudly.
Occasionally, Andy loved the baby, like when she was feeling happy and he was giggling, tugging at her hair and being an adorable bubbly little child. Yet there were times when she hated Teddy, like those times he would remind her so much of her darling daughter by tripping over staircase, being rude yet funny in a way and sometimes even simple things like having bubblegum pink hair too similar to the picture of her which Andy gave to Teddy.
The child was like a torture in a way, reminding her of her husband when he comforted her, reminding her of her daughter when he metaphor, reminding her of Sirius even when he pranked the house elf that Harry had so generously left at their house to help them (it was their dear old house elf, Kreacher, that reminded her of Sirius bullying it, Reggy pulling it to safety, Bella bribing it and Cissy giving extra treats after he completed Bella's difficult tasks all at the same time), reminding her of Bella when he did something naughty like pulling someone's ear in the playground and sometimes reminding her of Cissy and Reggy with his innocent babyish face.
The child was also a blessing. It was her grounding, keeping her alive because he needed someone to take care of him. It was something that Dora and in a way her husband had left her as a sort of parting gift. It was a depressing gift sometimes but still, it was a gift. She could not ruin the gift by killing herself, could she?
Teddy was being a sweetheart that night, sleeping instantly in her arms. She bounced him a little arm, holding her anchor safely to her. She would never let anything come to harm to her only relative left. She didn't like letting go off him at all. So much that he slept next to her on her big king-sized bed.
Perhaps it was instinct but something, something was making her stay awake, sitting on the couch. She could feel (Andy always had a bit of a seer power from great-great-great uncle or something like that) that something was about to happen that night but she wasn't sure what. She couldn't sleep and was just leaning against the couch waiting for that something to happen, praying that it wouldn't harm Teddy.
So it wasn't really that much of a surprise when the doorbell rang. Andy got up from the couch, still fully dressed and opened the door. It was a surprise though that she opened the door to 18-years-old Lucius Malfoy. She gasped in surprise.
Okay, clearly that wasn't 18-years-old Lucius Malfoy. She must be going senile to even think that. This must be his and Cissy's son, Draco Malfoy, her nephew. She scowled but before she could even open her mouth and screech out an insult, he spoke. "Can you please do me a favour, Mrs. Tonks? It is really important and it really is a special case. There is no one else who can help me."
Andy wanted to say no. Merlin, she should say no. She had every bloody rights to say no. She even had rights to slam that door into his face which was an exact imitation of Lucius Malfoy, the guy that stole her Cissy away and was Bella's best friend (yes that naturally equal he is evil). Instead she replied in a much too civil tone. "Black. I'm Andromeda Black now, I don't need to be reminded of my husband and daughter, thank you very much. They're dead, in case your mother forgot to mention. I have no husband. I'm Andromeda Black."
She took a long shaky breath. She really could have just said the first sentence but she just... lost herself and started rambling. "And..." she should say no, she was willing her willing herself to say no. "Come in, it is freezing outside." Merlin, she was terrible at being evil. Where did that genes come from? Even Sirius could be evil when he wanted to.
Draco visibly sighed in relief and took a step into the house. Andy gestured for him to settle down, even though it was just past two in the morning. "What is it?" she asked him. "What do you need?"
Draco looked taken aback. Clearly he had rehearsed a little speech and wasn't expecting her to be so direct. "I'm Draco, son of Lucius Malfoy and your sister..."
Andy snorted and Draco flinched. "I know who you are. You look exactly like him (she spat the last word out). What do you want?"
"I... My father is on trial. My mother... she's gone nuts and I can't take care of her," Draco replied as steadily as he could. Cissy must have been soft on him when giving the pureblood rule training stuff. Stuttering! Even she could do better than that! But then again it was totally like Cissy to be...wait, WHAT?
Andy's eyes finally snapped up and met his. "She... Cissy, she's crazy? Literally?" she asked in disbelief. Draco flinched and turn away, he didn't really like to think about it, not that he could avoid it much. On normal circumstances, she would've chased him out immediately but like he said... this was a special case.
Seeing that Andy's expression was still impassive, he continued. "She was rambling earlier about my dad going to Azkaban soon, about Bella taking care of all of you (Andy winced internally as she herself did remember it too), never being to apologise to Sirius after telling him to stay away from Lily Evans (Cissy had went crying to her after that slap), Reggy growing up so fast, so early, even before her (ah, yes, it was on the news recently when Harry revealed the news), and you. She said you should hate her."
"I should..." Andy began slowly. "But seeing is this is a special case, as you say it, and she is my younger sister after all, I... changed my mind. I'll follow you to the Malfoy Manor," she finally agreed. She held out her hand so that he could lead her. Draco smiled in relief. Before they left she spoke suddenly, "I should have thought of it, shouldn't I? I was so absorbed in my own misery I never thought that dear little sensitive Cissy would be so affected by this war..." Without thinking, she added, "Did she mention Dora?"
Draco nodded. "She mentioned it was cruel that Aunt Bella murdered her." Andy lips were slowly tugging into a smile and Draco thought that at least that lie was worth it. It wasn't really a lie though, his mom did mention Nymphadora Tonks but she only implied that it was cruel.