June of 1969

Andromeda curled up against Ted's chest. His arm was draped comfortably across her back; his fingers toyed with the dark brown strands cascading over her shoulder. His other hand had found hers on the bit of seat cushion between them, and he had taken to running his thumb gently over the contours of her palm.

'I lied to them,' she said suddenly, tilting her head back to meet his eyes. 'I told Father I'd stopped seeing you.'

'It'll be true soon enough, 'Dromeda.' He kissed her forehead lightly, but his smile was tight and full of regret. 'Expect your dad won't let me near you now we've graduated, even if I ask…nicely.'

Her jaw was set obstinately as she settled back against him. 'Father can carve out his heart and eat it, for all I care. You make me happy. That's more important than Father's stupid misgivings any day.'

Ted laughed easily and squeezed her hand. The hiss of brakes and lethargic passing of barriers on the platform announced their too-soon arrival, and younger students lugging trunks flooded the corridor before the train had fully stopped, waiting.

Neither of them moved.

'Ted?'

'Yeah?'

'Let's elope,' Andromeda said. He grinned good-naturedly, but she sat up, shrugging off his arm with a little glow in her eyes. 'No, I mean it. Let's run away.'

He was quiet for a minute, his eyes searching her face. Had it been anyone else, he would have said that it was a bad idea, that she would regret leaving her family behind, that running away wouldn't solve anything. But it was Andromeda. And he didn't need to ask if she was sure. So he nodded slowly and said, 'Okay.'

She pushed up her sleeves and drew her wand. 'We'd best put Disillusionment Charms on ourselves, so my parents won't see us leave the platform.'

'And then what?'

She shrugged. 'We make it up as we go along.'

They slipped unnoticed through the crowd on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and past the barrier. On Platform Six, a Muggle woman waiting for the train blinked rapidly and stared as two lone trunks sidled out of King's Cross Station and into Muggle London.

That was the first time they ran away.

July of 1971

Ted was pacing. He began at the window and crossed the room to the table by the door, then to the floor lamp in the corner, around the sofa, and back to the window. Every few seconds his hand slipped back into his pocket to touch the small, silver ring reassuringly.

He shouldn't have bought it. Not when they were staying in Dirk Cresswell's flat in Brighton. Not when they were both working full-time Muggle jobs. Not when he had nothing to offer her but himself.

He glanced at the clock. She should have been back half an hour ago.

'Hey, Ted,' said Dirk, laying aside his newspaper, 'I'm going to the bar for a couple of drinks. You gonna be all right?'

'Yeah—yeah, of course.'

Dirk shook his head, but he was smiling. 'Whatever. Good luck, Ted.'

He left the flat. Ted was alone.

He walked around the sofa once purposefully, twice accidentally, and a third time dazedly before he forced himself to sit down. Again, his hand slipped into his pocket. Again, his eyes flickered to the clock.

CRACK!

BANG!

The door flew open, and Andromeda ran in. Her dark brown hair was tumbling out of its neat braid, and her wand was in her hand. 'Ted!' she shouted. 'Ted, you've got to get out, now!'

Ted leapt off the sofa. 'What the bloody hell—' She had already raced into Dirk's second bedroom. A broad sweep of her wand and a loud cry of 'PACK!' sent the few things Ted owned soaring into his old school trunk. He ran up behind her and seized her by the wrist as she turned. ''Dromeda, what's going on?'

'Bellatrix knows where we are,' Andromeda said frantically, pulling her wrist free. 'She's going to kill you! You have to run for it, NOW!'

'Damn,' Ted cursed, moving to help her with the trunk. 'We'll have to owl Dirk and tell him—wait. You aren't coming?'

She took a deep, shuddering breath and shook her head. 'I couldn't bear it if you got hurt because of me. I think…I think it's best if Bella takes me back.'

Ted took a step back disbelievingly. 'You want to go back?'

'No!' she shouted, angry now. 'But it's the only thing I can do!'

'But it isn't.' His heart was pounding desperately in his chest. Without thinking about what he was doing, he dropped to his knees at her feet and produced the silver ring in trembling hands. 'I love you, Andromeda Black. Will you…would you—oh hell, 'Drom, marry me?'

She blinked, bewildered, and then slowly plucked the ring from his fingers and turned it over in her palm. Finally, she said, 'Is this how Muggles become betrothed? What is the ring for, exactly?'

'It's symbolic of…something?' Ted hedged. He was almost afraid to look at her as he asked again, 'So, will you?'

She dropped to her knees too and kissed him. It was answer enough.

They Apparated out of the flat a minute later, hand-in-hand and clutching battered old trunks. Outside a dirty pub on the outskirts of London, a drunk swore incoherently as he imagined a couple materializing in the street, and proceeded to pass out on the sidewalk.

That was the second time they ran away.

August of 1978

Ted stumbled out of the kitchen fireplace and stopped guiltily on the hearthrug.

The kitchen table had been cleared, except for one perfectly set place on the left side of the square table. Andromeda was sitting in the opposite chair, Nymphadora in her lap and Tales of Beedle the Bard in front of her.

'Daddy!' Nymphadora wriggled out of Andromeda's arms and ran to Ted, who swept her up and kissed the top of her head, plastering on a smile for her sake. Her short, dark plaits had turned the same blonde colour as Ted's hair.

'Hey, 'Dora,' Ted mock-whispered as he pulled one of her braids, 'if you go get your pyjamas on now I'll play Exploding Snap with you before bedtime.'

'Promise?' she demanded, her eyes narrowed. It was a look she had learned from Andromeda, but she hadn't grown into it enough to make it intimidating.

'Promise,' he said tiredly, setting Nymphadora down. She hesitated, watching his face closely for a second, and then laughed and ran for the stairs.

'You're late,' Andromeda said.

'Oh, 'Dromeda—I'm so sorry.' Ted sank into the chair next to hers and rested his head in his hands. 'It's been such a horrible day.'

Andromeda slipped one of her hands into his. 'Ted, it's okay.'

'No,' he said, pulling his hand away. 'It's not okay. Crouch is working us all over-time, we've got a new law proposed to create a Muggle-born Register—a Muggle-born Register, 'Dromeda!—and everyone knows You-Know-Who's behind it, but he's got such a powerful lobby, and on top of it all I had to stay late again but clerks can't even affect policy! Sometimes I just get so sick of it all!'

She listened silently. When he was finished, she got up and made a cup of tea for him by hand. Neither of them spoke for a long time. At last, she said, 'I'm the one who's sorry, Ted. I didn't want it to be like this.'

'Oh, 'Dromeda,' Ted sighed quietly. He got up too and wrapped his arms around her.

They stood there for a long time—just holding each other in the middle of the kitchen—and it was quiet, except for the sounds of Nymphadora banging closed drawers upstairs. At last, Andromeda whispered, 'Ted, let's run away.'

'You've got to be kidding me,' Ted said.

'No,' she insisted, 'no, I'm not! Shrink the things we need, throw everything in a couple of bags, take 'Dora and go! We'll leave London, you can send in your resignation from the Ministry, we'll go to the country! Uncle Alphard left me a little, we can get a cottage with a garden and a pond…you could open up an antiques store, like your father had…oh, Ted, let's go, let's just go!'

Ted stared at her blankly, his brow furrowed.

Nymphadora chose that moment to run into the kitchen, wearing pink teddy bear pyjamas and clutching a deck of Exploding Snap cards. 'Daddy, I'm ready!'

''Dora,' said Ted slowly, disentangling himself from Andromeda, 'Could you put on your other clothes and pack everything in your bag? We're going on a little trip, but we can play Exploding Snap on the train.'

Half an hour later, they were walking to platform three with one-way tickets to Bagshot. The man behind the ticket counter gaped and stuttered, thinking almost for a minute that that skipping little girl's hair had suddenly gone from blonde to green, but that was of course impossible.

That was the last time they ran away together.

September of 1997

Hagrid had done considerable damage to the asphodel when he fell in the garden. It had taken Andromeda weeks to nurse it back to health. She tended them at dusk, kneeling in the earth, her face and clothes smeared with dirt and her hands muddy. When she had replanted the last one, she rose, brushed her hands together, and headed for the house to take a bath.

After her bath, she changed into some baggy pyjamas and combed out her long, wet hair. Ted was in the kitchen, reading a newspaper. He had put out a cup of tea and a bit of teacake for them both, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

'You're thinking about the Muggle-born Registration Commission,' she said, sipping her tea.

'Yeah,' he admitted, finally laying aside the newspaper. 'I won't register, 'Dromeda.'

'I know. They're in the area now, though, and they'll come for you soon enough.' She touched his cheek gently, looking sad. 'I'd follow you to Azkaban. I want you to know that.'

He leapt up and pulled her into a tight hug. 'You won't,' he said fiercely. 'I wouldn't ever want that for you. Besides,' he added, kissing the top of her head, 'surrender wasn't really an option.'

'I was hoping you'd say that.' She stepped back, smiling a little. 'Ted, let's run away.'

He bit his lip. 'Look, 'Dromeda,' he said slowly, not looking at her, 'There's a lot of stuff to think about. I need time to figure this out, okay?'

'All right,' she said, yawning a little. 'I think I'm turning in early. We'll talk in the morning.' She kissed his cheek and left the kitchen. When he came to bed at last, she was asleep.

When she woke up, he was gone.

Don't want you in danger, 'Dromeda. I love you too much for that. Can't tell you good-bye, 'cause if I look at you and try to say it, I'll never leave. Can't write it, 'cause then it sounds like we won't be together again soon. I'm coming back to you, 'Dromeda. I swear it.

-Ted

She pressed her lips to the place on the kitchen table where she had found the note, to the signature at the bottom, and to each crease as she refolded it for the tenth time and replaced it in her pocket.

She never cried. She didn't cry when her father disowned her. She didn't cry when Bellatrix was sent to Azkaban for life. She didn't cry when she found out Sirius was dead. She didn't cry when her little 'Dora wed the werewolf.

She wasn't about to start now.