May 2, 1998

It had all happened so fast.

One minute they were standing together, holding hands as they watched Teddy fall asleep; the next minute Remus was pulling on his jacket, holding Dora tightly as they spoke in rapid whispers, kissing Teddy's forehead, walking out the door, and then apparating away without a second look. As though one glance back might make him stay for good.

Andromeda watched carefully as her daughter paced the living room afterwards, glancing out the window, wringing her hands, and caressing Teddy's hair as he slept in his bassinet. She didn't seem in any mood to talk or, Merlin forbid, sleep, but didn't refuse her mother's offer of tea.

But when Andromeda returned from the kitchen, she found her daughter fully dressed, wand in hand. She stopped short in the kitchen doorway.

"Absolutely not," she breathed.

Dora sighed and rubbed her temple, doing everything she could to avoid her mother's gaze.

"It's not your decision to make, Mum."

"That doesn't matter," she said, setting down the tea tray and going to stand between her daughter and the door. "I cannot believe you would even consider leaving."

"Don't, Mum, please don't."

"Don't what? Try to convince you to stay with your son?"

"Please, Mum…" Her voice wobbled ever so slightly.

"We don't even know what's actually happening…"

"Exactly!" cried Dora, looking even more distressed. Teddy stirred, but didn't wake. "I don't know what's happening and I don't know what to do. But the entire Order will be there, Mum. I have to help, I have to know, I have to… I just… I don't want him there alone."

Andromeda sighed.

"Remus can take care of himself, love."

"I know that, but-"

"It's too dangerous for you…"

Dora's eyes took on a steely edge.

"You think I can't handle myself? Mum, I'm a trained Auror…"

"So was Alastor," Andromeda bit back, a bit more harshly than she meant to.

Tonks didn't respond, but instead took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to move around to the door. Andromeda blocked her path.

"Think about Teddy," she pleaded, and she triumphantly noticed a waver in Dora's expression. "Think about Teddy, think about if something happened to you…"

"I am thinking about Teddy," said Dora, though her voice shook. "Teddy will be perfectly safe here, no matter what happens."

It's not Teddy's safety I'm worried about, Andromeda wanted to say. You don't understand. Your child isn't running off to a war zone.

"I see," she said instead. "You're choosing your husband over your son."

She almost regretted it. Almost. But she couldn't think of a blunter way to make her daughter stay.

Dora stared at her as though she'd been slapped. She was shaking slightly, and Andromeda noticed a tiny spark leap from her wand.

"How dare you?" she finally said, her voice rising. "How dare you say something like that? You know that's not fair-"

"War isn't fair! Nothing about this is fair! But you are a mother now! You have a child, and your responsibility is to that child!"

Dora's eyes were now swimming with tears. "Mum, I can't…I can't be here, doing nothing, when everyone else is fighting…"

"It's too dangerous!"

"It'll always be too dangerous as long as there's a war on!"

"I'll keep you here if I have to, Nymphadora-"

"No, you won't! I'm not fifteen years old anymore Mum! I'm an adult, I am a trained Auror! This is my job!"

"Dora, please, I'm asking you to be sensible!" said Andromeda, trying and failing to keep her voice from shaking. "You're exhausted; you're not thinking straight. There are plenty of fighters already there; the entire Order already, probably, and the Hogwarts staff…I'm sure they'll be okay without you…"

"That's not the point, Mum!"

"Then what is the point? Tell me why you think it's a better idea to run off to a war zone instead of stay home with your three-day-old son?"

For a second, Dora looked ready to relent. She stepped backward and took a deep, shaking breath, still avoiding her mother's gaze. She looked at Teddy, who was miraculously still asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling. She closed her eyes.

"I don't need you to tell me it's dangerous," she finally said. "I know perfectly well what could happen. But I made a promise to Dumbledore; I made a promise to the entire Order to do whatever it takes to take down You-Know-Who, and if I can do anything, anything at all to make this world better for Teddy, I have to help. I have to know what's happening."

Andromeda hadn't realized that she was tightly gripping her wand, just like her daughter. She knew that escalating the argument, at this point, probably wouldn't end well. At the very least, they could wake Teddy. Dora seemed to realize that as well, so she reached out and hugged her mother tightly.

"I know what I'm doing, Mum. I've survived all these years with the Aurors, haven't I? I'll be fine."

She tried to put on a cheerful façade, but Andromeda could see right through it as Dora picked up Teddy and held him close.

"I love you," she whispered, and Andromeda could hear her voice breaking. "I love you so much, my sweet boy. Be good for Nana, yeah? I'll see you soon."

She kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger as she whispered one last "I love you," before quickly handing Teddy back to her mother and heading for the door.

"Keep him safe for us, Mum, please? I'll be back. I love you."

And then, just like that, she was gone.

"I love you, too," whispered Andromeda to the empty silence. More than life. More than anything.

Andromeda didn't know what to do. Some aching, pounding feeling in her gut told her that something was missing. She should have said more, should have done something different…

I've already lost your father.

Teddy began to stir.

I can't lose you, too.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. They could probably hear it as far away as Hogwarts.

Please come back. Please don't leave me. Please, please…

"Please."

But the night didn't answer her. She heard nothing but roaring silence as the stars began to dim in the early morning light. With a shuddering breath, she sat down on the sofa and held Teddy close, rocking him slowly back and forth as he began to whimper.