Andromeda rose from her bed at the first cry. Teddy needed her. "Hush baby boy Grandma is here. Are you hungry little man?"

Teddy's mousey brown hair turned a bright electric blue as he smiled and reached his arms up towards his grandmother.

"Let's get those nappies changed and feed you!" Soon Teddy was dry and nursing on a warm bottle, snuggled sleepily in her arms.

So many people told her how lucky Teddy was to have her to raise him after Nymphadora and Remus had been killed. Looking down at her sweet boy, she knew she was the one who was lucky. If it was not for Teddy she would have given up.

Damn it, a woman her age was not supposed to be alone! Widow, what a vile and hateful word! Ted was just too young to die. They had just gotten Nymphadora started on her adult life. This was the years they were supposed to relax and spoil grandchildren. How could life be so cruel to rip half of her soul from her?

Andromeda noticed that Teddy had fallen back to sleep. Gently she laid him in the same baby bed her baby had slept in and kissed his sleep warmed head.

Her baby, her little girl, Nymphadora should be the one putting Teddy to bed. If losing Ted was cruel, having her daughter killed by Andromeda's own sister was unbearable.

Her thoughts went back to the night Teddy was born. Remus had worn a pattern in the carpet, pacing. He was as white as a vampire. He only stopped pacing when Nymphadora had needed him by her side. Andromeda had done what she could, wiping her brow, giving her ice chips. But damn she had felt useless. As any mother would, she wanted to take the pain away and leave the joy. Finally the mediwitch said Nymphadora could push. Andromeda sunk to a chair, suddenly unable to stand. Her whole body pushed with her child, willing her strength to flow to her daughter. First his little head had emerged. Andromeda caught sight of brown hair and a little scrunched up face.

Within minutes Teddy had been checked over, cleaned and was snuggled in his mother's arms. Remus had danced with joy!

The few short months Remus and Nymphadora had with their child were enchanted. Sure Remus still had order business to attend to, and the threat of Voldemort was just as real, but their home felt like a refuge in the storm. Remus could not sketch fast enough. His drawings were in a drawer in the nursery. Someday she would give them to Teddy.

Nymphadora, the child who tripped over a line drawn on the floor, was the most graceful and natural mother Andromeda had ever seen. Andromeda had dreamed of a future, rid of Voldemort and filled with grandchildren. She knew her daughter's marriage would last forever. They shared a love as strong as her and Ted's had been.

Those dreams had shattered that awful night. When Minerva and Harry had arrived at her door she knew. They had needed not to say a thing.

Parents were not supposed to out live their children! It was not the natural order of things!

Angrily wiping the tears from her eyes, she started down to the kitchen. She knew, from experience, that the early morning was the hardest. "No sense lying about and dwelling on things!" she said aloud "Harry is coming to tea today; I'll make a nice treacle tart!"

Getting to know Harry had been a joy. It did not take her long to understand why the children had made him Teddy's godfather. Sure he had been stiff and awkward at first. But he worked hard to learn how to care for a baby. Soon his reserve with Andromeda vanished. It was if she, who had so much taken from her, had been given a gift of a new son.

45 minuets later the smell of the baking tart was filling the warm kitchen as she sat cradling a warm mug of tea and watching the lightening of the sky.

This had been their time of the day. She had gotten up with Ted every work day of their married life. Smiling through her tears she remembered his "proposal". "Andie, it's just too dangerous living alone with You-know-who and his followers running things." She and Ted were sitting by the Lake at Hogwarts, it was their last afternoon at school.

"But Ted I won't be alone, I'm getting a flat with Mavis, we will be just fine!"

"No Andie! I'm serious! We are getting married and we are doing it tomorrow as soon as the train reaches London!" "Mavis and Sirius can be out witnesses!"

Andromeda murmured something in to his chest. "I'm sorry Andie I did not understand you."

Smiling up into his eyes she repeated "OK Ted what ever you say." When Ted told the story in the years that followed he always added "That was the last time I heard those words!"

Yes she missed his humor, his love and just having him here, but yet it was getting easier. Life does go on. It did help to think of the three of them together, watching and waiting.

Looking towards the raising sun she said "I'll do my best. I'll take good care of Teddy and when my chores here are done, I'll look forward to the day we can be together again."