For QL

Captain, Falmouth Falcons

Prompt: Write about a character talking their way out of a situation

Word Count: 1522

Teddy's cries wake her. For several moments, Andromeda lays in bed, sleep-heavy eyes fixed upon the brown water stain on the ceiling. Dora or Remus will tend to the boy. Everything will be okay.

Her eyes close for just a fraction of a second before opening again, and she bolts upright, the sleepy haze clearing from her mind. She remembers. The war is still waging, and Dora and Remus are dead; Andromeda is all that Teddy has left in this dark and strange world where evil is victorious.

With a groan, she climbs out of bed, wincing as her bare feet hit the cold floor. She pushes her hand through her dark, messy hair and makes her way to the nursery. It seems strange to be doing this again. Her child is–was, she reminds herself, and it hurts so bad–fully grown, and it's been well over two decades since Andromeda's tended to an infant. Still, she never complains. Teddy is her grandson and the last piece she has of her beloved Dora; for him, she would do anything.

The door to the nursery is already open, and Andromeda freezes, her heart beating painfully. Hand trembling, she raises her wand and moves forward.

"Hello, Andi."

That voice… Andromeda swallows dryly, trying to keep her composure. Seeing a known Death Eater holding her screaming grandson makes it difficult, but she gives it her all. "Rabastan," she says, and she's surprised by how calm she manages to sound.

His thin lips tug into a wicked grin, exposing yellowing teeth. "I hate to do this," he says, "but at least it's me and not your sister. Bellatrix would kill you on sight."

"Put the boy down, and we can talk," Andromeda pleads. "He's all that I have left."

Teddy screams, his face tear-stained and deep red. His hair shifts from color to color in his frantic confusion. Andromeda wishes she could save him, but Rabastan is using him as a shield. If she aims a spell at Rabastan, it could hit Teddy instead, and she isn't willing to take that risk.

"Talk?" Rabastan laughs, the sound dry and bitter. "Now you want to talk, Andi? Now that I am in control?"

"Be reasonable, Rabastan. He's just a child."

Silence hangs between them, broken only by Teddy's shrill wails. Andromeda's insides twist into painful knots, and she's afraid she might be sick. Still, somehow she manages to hold her head high. She may have been disowned, but she is still a Black, and she knows how to carry herself with dignity.

"Tea?" Rabastan asks.

Andromeda nods. "I'll put the kettle on."

…

She doesn't like this at all. Teddy's cries have finally died down now that Rabastan has returned him to his cot. At least he's safe; that's all that really matters.

And yet, Andromeda is still uneasy. It has been ages since she has been alone with Rabastan, though, once upon a time, they had been almost inseparable. The memory makes her chest tighten, and tears sting her eyes. She blinks them away rapidly and focuses her attention on the task at hand.

"No milk, two sugars," she says.

Rabastan chuckles. "You remember."

She fixes his cup, then her own. "Easy to remember," she says softly, walking to the table and setting his tea before him. "I know you." She takes a seat across from him, sipping her tea.

"You know me, and yet you chose another," he says. "I'm trying not to take that personally, but you broke my heart."

Her dark eyes flicker to his arm, to that wretched skull and serpent. Love hadn't been enough to keep him away from that life. Despite her feelings for him, Andromeda had been unable to follow him down that path. Seeing him take the Dark Mark had been her greatest heartache, and she's spent years blaming herself for not being enough.

"You wanted to talk," he says, folding his arms over his chest. "Talk."

"You don't want to do this, Rabastan," she says, setting her cup on the table. "I'm not just saying that because I don't want to be taken in. I know you."

This isn't the Rabastan she had fallen in love with. Her Rabastan had been kind and gentle and awkward. She remembers the boy who would sneak off to the Astronomy Tower with her and sit for hours, just talking and watching the stars.

The man that sits before her is Rodolphus' creation. The elder Lestrange has shaped Rabastan into something cruel, something monstrous. Of course, she imagines Azkaban has only made matters worse. All in all, though, he is a monster who wears a former lover's skin.

"You would never hurt a fly."

"I've killed people."

Andromeda shakes her head, her curls thumping against her face. "That's not you," she insists. "That's someone else."

Rabastan sighs and pushes a hand through his dark hair. "I'm running out of patience," he tells her. "Are you going to say anything worthwhile?"

This has never been her strong suit. Narcissa has always been able to talk her way out of any situation so easily with her charm and eloquence. Andromeda, on the other hand, has always been too soft, too quiet. She doesn't know the right words to say, or how to speak with conviction.

"Do you remember when we were five? You gave me my first kiss in my mother's garden." She chuckles, smiling fondly at the memory. "You told me it meant we had to get married, and I cried because I didn't want to marry anyone."

Rabastan's lips quirk ever so slightly. "Rodolphus yelled at me for making you cry."

"First year," she says. "When we were caught out of bed after curfew, you convinced Slughorn that I was sleepwalking. I always wondered if he actually believed us, or if he just didn't want to punish members of his own House."

Maybe she isn't eloquent like her younger sister, but Andromeda has another way to use her words. Memories can be a powerful weapon, and she intends to use them well.

"Do you remember our third year? It was our first Hogsmeade trip." She chuckles, lifting her cup and taking another sip of the warm, robust tea. "Your brother dared you to eat two Acid Pops. I thought you were going to die, honestly."

Rabastan slams his palm against the table, the impact rattling the cups. "Dammit, Andi! What are you getting at?" he demands, pale cheeks flushing an angry red. "You've wasted enough time. I have my orders, and I have to bring you in."

Andromeda shakes her head, heartbeat quickening. She refuses to accept failure. "We were happy once," she reminds him. "Don't you remember? Everyone just knew you and I would end up married."

She winces at her words. Maybe it isn't the best route to take, given that she married Ted. She doubts Rabastan will ever recover from that particular betrayal. Still, the words fall from her lips.

"You were my first kiss, my first date, my first everything." With trembling hands, she reaches out for him. "We were happy once, and I know we can be happy again."

She can see the shift in him. The angry red softens, and he blushes a light pink. The tension fades from his body, and he looks more like the boy she had known before this hell had begun. He takes her hand, his calloused thumb brushing over her knuckles.

"You could have let anyone else hunt me down, but you chose to take the job," she says. "Why?"

He doesn't answer, but she can guess. She knows him too well, even after all these years.

Andromeda closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to steady herself. She knows what she has to do. It feels like a betrayal to Ted, but she thinks he would understand. If it keeps her alive, he would be okay with it.

Her eyes open again, and she offers him her warmest smile. "We could do it, you know," she tells him. "We could be together. You're the only one who knows where I am, so they can't find you." She tightens her grip on his hand. "We could have the future we always dreamed of when we were younger."

Understanding seems to dawn on him. His dark eyes widen as they flicker to his Dark Mark. Could he possibly be considering it? Andromeda holds her breath, unable to believe this might actually be real, that she could actually talk him out of taking her in by reminiscing.

"If they find me," he says, slowly shifting his gaze to meet her eye, "they will kill all of us, your grandson included."

Andromeda sucks in a sharp inhale of breath. "I will not go down without a fight," she answers. "They will not touch a hair on Teddy's head."

Rabastan nods before picking up his teacup and lifting it for a toast. "To a future together," he says.

Andromeda lifts her own cup. "To new beginnings." She taps her cup against his.

For now, at least, her family is safe. Nothing else matters.