~O~

X

One Month Later

The Graphorn gave a loud, enraged cry.

Below it was the shape of a Border Collie, barking loudly. Mathilda watched from the sidelines, laughing with excited pleasure as Andy - in her Animagus form - tried to herd the large magic creature away from the nearby Hungarian village.

"Herd him, Andy!" she yelled, over its cries, "Herd him! To the cage!"

Andy gave another bark, snapping her teeth at the Graphorn's heels. Not enough to harm it, but to frighten it a little in moving. With its protective hide, most spells would never get through to do any damage, so now she had to improvise with her Animagus form the old fashioned way. As she had seen on the far with her family and sheep.

The tentacle appendages on the creature's face waved in another agitated snarl, but Andy's efforts seemed to work; it backed away slowly from the witch in dog form - very slowly - toward the silver and black cage nearby. The moment its hooves touched the metal, Andy snapped her teeth again, urging it back faster.

As soon as it was safely inside the cage, Mathilda waved her wand with a grand flourish and the door closed onto it. Andy shifted back and grinned, slapping her a high-five.

"Wow! That went surprisingly better than I thought!" Mathilda said.

Andy smiled, nodding. "Well, when you grow up on a farm, you learn a few things about herding." she told her. "My sister and I helped our parents with the sheep. So I guess I..."

Mathilda chuckled and patted Andy's shoulder with an almost rough swat. "So you larned a few tricks of the farmers, huh? See! I told you being my partner would be great!" She wandered to the cage now, studying the creature housed inside. "I've never seen one alive before," she mused, "I had assumed they were all extinct by now."

Andy wandered to the cage as well to look at the Graphorn. She reached inside to touch its thick, leathery hide. It snorted gruffly and Andy soothed it with a few pets.

"Sorry, big guy," she told the creature. "We're taking you to a preserve. It's for your own good. No hard feelings, okay?"

The Graphorn chuffed out again, pushing against her hand. Andy smiled brightly and ran her hand over its forehead.

"Yeah. You're gonna be okay."

It had been only a few months since she joined the Ministry's Beast Division. Andy had made the decision to leave the Prophet and it had saddened her at first. After all, she'd gone through so much in her life to be there. But Mathilda had told her that sometimes in life, it's the things you never tried for that you ended up being best at.

There were days that Andy didn't know much about where she was going in life. She hadn't heard from Miranda in the month that she'd left the Prophet. The gnawing silence had come back at her and she distracted herself from the lonliness with her postition with the Ministry.

The preserve for endangered magical creatures was open to the wizarding world long before Andy had joined with the Beast Division. She'd visited it more than once when she was younger and still at Hogwarts. Andy had always found them fascinating. Maybe that was where her knack for the type of job had started. Maybe that was why she was so good at it.

That morning, she had watched the Graphorn become acquainted with its new home; an enormous domain filled with all the proper necessities. People had passed behind her, talking and delighting themselves with the new exhibit.

"So this is where I must find you, these days."

Andy blinked, stunned to hear Miranda's voice behind her. She turned and saw her there, dressed in a set of white robes, wearing an orange scarf and white gloves. Her emerald earrings glinted with the light of the morning sun.

She looked beautiful, as always. Every time she encountered Andy, the sight of her stole the air from her lungs.

"Miranda!" Andy exclaimed, not at all prepared to see her. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Ah." Miranda glanced over her shoulder. A fleeting gesture. As if she'd forgotten something. "The girls expressed their interest in the preserve. I have them with Molly walking around while I..." She paused, a flicker of peculiar warmth crossing her eyes before it hid itself behind a veil of hardness, as if she'd been caught doing something untoward. "They're home for Easter."

"Oh." Andy nodded, licking her lips thoughtfully. "Right."

They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments. Andy looked around when the peculiar feeling returned to her; she started watching the passing wizards and witches as they went about their routines before she glanced up at Miranda.

"They...uh..." she began, rather uncomfortable. She cleared her throat to ease the heat building there and gestured with her thumb. "They recently...uh...bred an entire nest or two of Golden Snidgets. In the garden. Wanna take a look?"

Miranda chuckled quietly, staring at Andy. The sound sent a stab of heat in Andy's belly. Though her words sounded scathing, her eyes didn't match. They held a slight pleasure in them that she couldn't hide now. "What makes you think I'm interested in fat, yellow birds?"

Andy scoffed, half-amused, half-offended. "They're not fat! Come on!"

Miranda shook her head, still smiling as she followed the younger woman. Though she had no arguments to follow.

O

The Golden Snidget was completely round and fat.

The garden was filled with many exotic plants and flowers, held in an enormous hall for the delicate creatures to roam freely. A few witches tended to the plants, but departed once they saw Andy with Miranda beside her.

A single Snidget perched on Miranda's shoulder. Andy watched her with a bed of flowers between them and she couldn't resist her gentle laugh at the sight of Miranda staring down at the animal with an offended frown.

"Go away." she ordered. "I am not a tree."

"Aww. Look at that. I think you made a friend, Miranda." Andy joked, playfully.

Miranda huffed once and the animal fluttered away, as quick as a Golden Snitch. She watched it join a small flock of Snidgets and smiled a little; a thin smile that came and went as fast as the creatures flying around the two.

"So, I guess you know by now that I'm working with the Ministry," Andy wanted to make conversation. "We've been keeping up with the preserve lately. Fifteen new specimens were added here. Most of them were endangered."

"Hm." Miranda glanced down, nodding her head. "I can see you enjoy beast handling more than you ever had working with me."

For some reason, that felt like a finger pointed at her. Andy stopped walking and her smile faded slightly, feeling an icy sensation abruptly flood in her veins. She cleared her throat and spoke casually, trying not to let it show.

"Yeah, well...like I said. There are worse jobs to work for." she replied, with a shrug.

"It's always easy, isn't it?" Miranda's tone carried a thinly veiled shred of coldness behind it. "To walk away from what you know you're wanting."

Andy immediately stopped walking now. She faced Miranda from the other side of the plot of flowers - some kind of pink carnation - and gave Miranda a glare when she knew exactly what she was doing.

"You thought I really wanted to leave?" she asked, her voice quiet now. Almost hurt.

Miranda had stopped walking as well. She absently ran a fingertip over one of the flower petals. It was clear that she contemplated setting them ablaze. Andy read the look, knowing it all too well. Her glare hardened this time.

"If you set them on fire, so help me..." she warned.

Miranda actually chuckled, clearly not taking the threat seriously. "It would seem that leaving Wandmore has made you most bold, Andrea." she remarked, her green eyes glittering with a sort of spiteful glee. "Though tell me; is the life in the Ministry your true calling, or are you just not capable of knowing what it is you want in life?"

Andy scoffed now. The words were biting and she certainly felt the pinch of teeth. "I didn't bring you back here to fight with you."

"Then why did you?"

The question clearly caught Andy by surprise. She wavered somewhat, fumbling with words before she shook her head, determined to keep the upper hand in the conversation. No. No way was she letting Miranda win this.

"I left because I realized that whatever I did, I would eventually look in the mirror and realize that I was turning into you." she snapped, "I saw it ever day I left work. I was losing touch with my family. My friends. It made me sick."

"So you're saying that the thought of me curdles your insides?"

"No!" Andy's voice rose in volume. She slapped her hands down on the edge of the garden plot between them. Her features twisted angrily, her eyes burning. Miranda's words hurt, but damn she wasn't going to let her see that. "Goddamn it! Stop being obtuse and listen to me!"

"Oh, I am!" Miranda fired back with a strange intensity that Andy had never seen before. She showed her teeth with a vicious grin and jerked her chin high. "I heard you loud and clear the moment I turned and you were gone!"

"Yeah, because heaven forbid I make a choice of my own!"

"You? Chose for yourself?" The mere thought of it drew a bark of amusement from Miranda's lips. She sneered at Andy, all manner of calm gone from her face. "From the moment you stepped through my doors, all you've ever done was follow about like an aimless puppy! Yes, Andrea; you...the lost stray wandering to my very lap!"

Andy's eyes narrowed and she hissed out her words furiously. Shaking her head, she defied everything Miranda shot at her. "Don't turn this around on me."

But as soon as Miranda found the mark, she struck home, wandering around the garden to join Andy on her side.

"I told you that I saw myself in you, and I meant every word of it," Miranda said, her voice evening now to an icy, almost seductive drawl. "You can pretend to be the kind, benevolent zookeeper as often as it comforts you. But while your friends and family are fooled by this pernicious act, only I will be able to see who you truly are."

Andy's eyes were a fiery storm of anger. "You know what? Yeah, maybe I am kind, but at least I try. I don't have to hurt people around me to get what I want in life." she shot back, though her tone was calm and yet carried the weight of something wounded. "You thought turning by back on you in Paris was easy? You think that's what I wanted?"

"Your dithering is quite tiring, Andrea." Miranda continued to sneer. "Tell me what you want."

Andy stared at her silently now and her fortitude slowly began to crumble from her face. "I can't."

Much quieter now. Perhaps a confession behind it.

Miranda tilted her head and her eyes roved over Andy, perhaps looking for something. The frigid storm behind her eyes began to subside somewhat, but the lightning still crackled in the distance, the wind still whispered menacingly.

She had quietly cleared her throat - a very demur sound - and the frayed tone of her voice had smoothed out in the consistent, silken pitch as before. However, something else passed through that inscrutable expression; a new look that Andy had never seen before. It made heat pulse through her veins and her breathing stop.

Andy didn't know what she was doing, but she took a step forward. Miranda watched her curiously, her eyes darkening with something wistful. Andy had no idea how closer she'd gotten until Miranda's hands were on her cheeks. Their eyes met and confirmed every answer they'd ever needed.

A soft groan and she felt lips connect with hers and the rest of the world was gone.

O

Andy raised a hand to Miranda's shoulder, slowly working it toward the back of her neck, holding her closer until their bodies were pressed comfortably together - Miranda had her back against the wall and Andy held her there. A quiet note lifted from the back of Miranda's throat and that brought forth a visceral shudder from Andy.

Those gloriously warm, soft lips rolled so gently over hers and for a moment, she had forgotted where she was. She forgot the rest of her job, the fluttering birds around them and even the overpowering smell of flowers. Everything was forgotten except for the scent of Miranda's perfume, the feel of her hands on her cheeks, holding her so carefully, almost as if she were kissing a glass scuplture.

Andy's hands gently threaded through the perfectly styled white locks, teasing her scalp and tilting her head to deepen the kiss only a moment. Miranda's lips parted only a fraction to scrape her teeth along her lower lip and the entire room just felt hotter.

Finally, Miranda found the strength to snap back to reality; she pulled away only a fraction, releasing an explosion of breath she couldn't stop. Andy gave an equal sound in response, holding those hands to her cheeks. They stared at one another; Miranda's eyes were heavy, her cheeks slightly flushed and her brow slowly knotted, as if confused by what had just happened.

The odd sensation crept back into Andy's chest, along with her heart, which had decided to perform a hundred laps in her ribs. Miranda's kiss felt like an icy chill and a fiery blaze all at once. Her lips tickled from the sensation.

She blinked once. Twice.

"Please..." Andy found herself saying before she could stop.

"What?" Miranda's voice was softer, barely above a whisper.

"Don't stop."

Miranda's eyes widened at the plea on Andy's lips. Andy seemed to comprehend the severity of what she had just said and her own eyes widened. A small gasp escaped her lips and she leaned forward for another kiss.

The sounds of the twins' voices filled the air and the pair looked over to see the doors of the garden opening; Cassidy and Caroline were chatting impatiently with Molly and Miranda quickly pulled away from Andy, straightening a lock of hair that had somehow gotten out of place. She glanced at Andy, who awkwardly attempted to look as calm and impassive as possible.

"Mum, we were looking all over for you!" Cassidy protested.

Miranda cleared her throat, blinking rapidly to shake away the tingling sensation still lingering there against the surface of her skin.

"Ah, girls!" she said, a bit too hastily. "I thought Molly had taken you to see the Griffin."

"She did, but they had to transport it," Caroline replied, with a disappointed shrug. "It had an infected claw, I think."

Andy laughed a bit too loudly, struggling not to look at Miranda. "Oh! Yeah, I forgot, uh..." she stammered, daring only a fleeting glance in Miranda's direction. "He was scheduled to go to Scotland tonight and he...uh...won't be back until tomorrow!"

The twins looked disappointed, groaning loudly.

"We always miss the good stuff!" Caroline protested.

Cassidy looked at Andy with vague interest now, tilting her head. "What were you two doing in here?" she asked.

At that, Andy and Miranda glanced at one another; Miranda's chest swelled with a deep inhale and she tilted her chin, attempting to regain some semblance of pride back in her otherwise frazzled state. She looked down at her daughters firmly.

"Alright, both of you. We need to pick up your new robes at Twilfitt and Tatting's." she snapped, that edge returning. "Then, we need to get home for dinner. Your going to visit your father's and I don't want to hear any more about it."

"But Mum..." Cassidy protested.

"No 'buts'!" Miranda said, her voice strained - her tone was abrupt and not more arguments were heard from them as they left. "We are leaving!"

Andy watched as Miranda, the twins and House Elf started walking away. A few choice complaints from Miranda's daughters followed. Once they were out, it was Miranda who lingered in the doorway, looking over her shoulder for a moment. She tensed as Miranda gave her a quick, smoldering look before shutting the door behind her.

"Shit." Andy mumbled, eyes wide.

The severity of what had just happened crept up at her full force and she made her way back home, chanting "shit, shit, shit" the entire way. Once she was inside her house, she slammed the door behind her and slowly crumbled face-down onto the floor.

Magdalene chirped quietly and Andy groaned, a loud frustrated gesture.

"SHIT!" she cried, which was muffled in the carpeting. "What did I do?"

O

Visiting her family would distract her plenty.

Andy was getting ready for her trip back to America to visit her family farm for Easter dinner. She was almost ready to go when she heard a knock at the door. Andy straightened her Muggle shirt and licked her hand to run it through her hair before she approached.

Opening the door, she found Doug and Lily standing there.

"Oh." Andy said, surprised to see them instead of Miranda. She had expected to be tracked down after what had happened at the preserve.

"Well, don't look so happy to see us," Lily said, rather dryly.

Andy flinched. She hadn't meant to sound as rude as she did. But her mind was still racing a thousand miles a minute. "Oh God, I'm so sorry about that, guys. Come in!"

She stepped aside and held the door open, allowing them to pass the threshold. Lily and Doug stood in her living room, watching as Andy began to gather her jacket and slip it on.

"I was just about to leave for my parents' house," she told them, "If you guys are coming with me, I hope you have good Muggle clothes to wear. But, you know..." She grimaced, shaking her head after realizing how that sounded. "They don't have to be perfect. Doug? Just not your sweatpants. Mom hates those at the table."

Doug raised his eyebrows and feigned a wounded expression, patting his cheek with one hand. "And here I thought I worked anything well!"

"You know what I mean..."

Lily watched Andy curiously now, studying every bit of change she'd noticed in her the moment she walked into her house. She could sense how tense the other woman seemed. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, "You're looking a little stressed out."

Andy smiled a bit too widely, pausing what she had been doing. She looked guilty - like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. "Great! I am great, Lily!"

"Uh-huh." Lily didn't seem to buy it. She was quiet, continuing to watch her for a second before resting her hand on her hip. "Alright Andy. What did you do wrong?"

"Nothing!" Andy continued to grin, avoiding her stare now.

Lily walked up to her, watching as Andy suddenly gathered her things with a little more frantic effort. "Andy, you fidget a lot when you've done something wrong." she said, with a concerned frown now. "What's going on?"

Andy slipped on a necklace with a dog pendant on it - a gift from her grandmother. "Lily, I have NO idea what you're thinking, but there's nothing wrong. I mean, I haven't done anything wrong." she assured her. "I just want to see my parents for dinner. So please, when you get there, no magic."

She glanced up at Doug now. "And no weirdness."

Doug smiled innocently. "Why are you looking at me?"

Lily glanced back at him for a moment before she returned her gaze to Andy. She looked genuinely worried and Andy sighed, shutting her eyes briefly. She hung her head back, knowing full well that Lily wasn't going to let up until she talked to her. But this was just something she couldn't talk about. Not with any of them. Not yet.

"Lily, I'm FINE." she insisted. "Let's just go to dinner. Okay?"

Lily didn't seem like she wanted to argue any more. So, she sighed, shook her head and followed Andy out the front door when she was ready to go. Doug had no arguments either. It seemed like Andy was, in fact, hiding something from them. She was going to find out.

O

Linda Sachs met Andy on the front porch with a delighted smile.

She was wearing a pink button shirt, blue jeans and boots. Her long hair was tied in a bun and she had a necklace with little Easter egg charms around her neck. So much of her looked like Andy and it was easy to see how well she took after her.

Doug and Lily followed behind Andy as she walked up to her mother and quickly hugged her.

"Oh! Good to see you, Andy!" Linda sighed, smiling brightly. "I'm glad you brought your friends." She cast an eye toward Doug and Lily. "You guys hungry?"

Lily chuckled. "You bet, Miss. Sachs."

Doug nodded an affirmative. "Dude, I haven't eaten anything today. NOTHING compares to your Easter ham. I mean, nothing."

Linda sucked her teeth, waving him off with a deft flick of her hand. "Oh, get inside." she said, still grinning. "And take off your shoes."

The two did as she asked; they walked up the porch steps, through the screen door, leaving Andy alone with her mother. Linda patted her shoulder once, happy to see her daughter again.

"Andy, I'm glad you could make it," she told her.

"So am I. I missed everyone." Andy agreed, nodding. "It's just...the new job's been pretty hectic."

"I know." Linda looked at her with a maternal sort of warmth. "We've been worried, honey. But I'm glad you're not working for Miranda anymore." She noticed the visible tense and furrowed her brow. "Wait, you're not still with her, are you?"

"No, mom. I'm not." Andy hated how small her voice sounded.

"Okay. Just...maybe write to us a little more," Linda offered, "We worry."

The two walked inside and Andy was immediately welcomed by the smell of sweet potatoes. She took a deep inhale and smiled, contented.

"Oh my God, are you making what I think you're making?" she asked, casting a glance as her mother passed by.

"I am!" Linda told her, making her way to the kitchen. She yelled back at her. "Hey, your father's picking up some sugar and chocolate pieces for the pie! He should be back in a few minutes!"

Andy nodded. "Cool."

She followed her mother into the kitchen and decided to help clean up a mess on the counter; flour peppering almost every inch of the surface as well as a cutting board and rolling pin. Linda smiled, relieved to be getting help.

"Alright. Thank you, Andy," she said.

Andy acknowledged the gratitude with a quiet murmur. Linda caught the distracted look on her daughters' face as she cleaned up a dish.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing. I just...have a lot on my mind right now," Andy told her, reaching for a small roll of paper towels.

"Huh." Linda studied her curiously, but didn't push. "Hey, uh, you know who called last night?"

"Who?"

"Nate."

Andy managed an awkward chuckle. "Oh? Well, what did he have to say?"

"He's doing fine. I think he misses you."

"Mom..."

"I know! I know..." Linda sighed, shaking her head when she heard the small edge in Andy's voice, "It's just...I don't know what happened between you two. You never told me and I thought you were going to be together for a long time. I mean..."

She looked at Andy with worry. "Wait, you didn't tell him about - "

"Oh! Oh no. Nate didn't find out that I was a witch." Andy murmured. She made a face. "God, I can't imagine it would go well. If he knew his girlfriend could wield a wand and turn into a dog. Any Muggle would probably find that scary."

"Well, I mean, he just asked about you. I told him you were doing well, as far as I know." Linda's tone pushed for Andy to talk more.

"Mom. You don't have to worry," Andy assured her, smiling. She leaned her head against her shoulder. "I'm okay. Really?"

"Okay, baby." Linda patted her cheek. "I believe you."

She took a deep breath now and marveled at the oven, where two pies had been cooking. "So! What do you think? Pumpkin and apple okay?"

"Oh! Oh my GOD I missed your apple pies so much!" Andy groaned, savoring the memories, "You have no idea how hard it is to get used to wizard food."

Linda laughed. "Hey, maybe I can make a few extras for the road, yeah?"

"That would be great!"

For the rest of the night, dinner went as planned and everyone had gathered at the table for their meals. Andy was talking about her job, but in the back of her mind, the kiss she shared with Miranda was still burning hot in memory.

Returning home was going to be fun...