Chapter Eleven:

Orion, as he promised his wife, went to try to visit his estranged daughter, Andromeda Tonks. He did not know where she lived but he knew where she worked. She worked in her husband's family's Psychiatric Counseling Center. Tonks & Tonks. It was located in the heart of London on this street called Galveston Lane. Both elder Tonks were psychiatrists, and though their son Ted did not become one, his wife, Andromeda did, as well as his brother Trevor Tonks. The family practice was doing very well pulling clients that were both muggle and magical. Orion, though he disapproved of his daughter very much, had to admit that she was doing extremely well for herself.

Upon arriving in an alleyway on Galveston Lane, Orion quickly threw on his invisibility cloak. He did not like muggles, not in the slightest, and they were especially happy this time of year celebrating Christmas. He did not want them speaking to him at all, not even to say, 'Happy Christmas'. It was very cold out but Orion was glad for the heavy snowfall, for they covered his footprints almost as soon as he made them. Quickly and quietly he made his way down the winding road.

He was going to speak to his first-born child. He hadn't spoken to Andromeda in decades. He didn't even know what his granddaughter looked like and she was decades old. He shook his head. He knew that he hadn't done right by his eldest child. He knew it deep in his heart and it had bothered him for a few years now. He had hoped for a chance to explain himself, to come up with some logical thing to say that would make right all the wrong that he'd did, but now that the opportunity had presented itself he really did not want to continue. Nothing, absolutely nothing he could say or do would make up for the way he and his wife had treated their daughter.

He wasn't going to back out however. No. He had too much pride. His wife was depending on him to make this right. He loved Talitha. He loved her with all his heart and soul, more than he had had ever loved any of his three children. Talitha was desperately ill now and he knew she wanted to see Andromeda before she got any worst. Talitha missed Andromeda, he could tell. She missed having a daughter. Bellatrix probably would never see the light of day again and Narcissa, well it wasn't the same with Narcissa. Talitha was ready to see and speak to her daughter again and it was up to him to bring her home. Besides, they had so many secrets, so many lies to account for. It was time. They were getting older. Andromeda and Narcissa were getting older. For Merlin's sake, Narcissa just had her third and fourth child. Yes, it was past time.

Orion found the bluish grey building resting on an acre of land. It was modest looking, and one would never expect two of the staff members to be a fully-grown witch and wizard, or that a quarter of the patients were disturbed witches and wizards.

He sighed. Well it was time. Slowly he made his up the three steps from the sidewalk and down the pavement that led to the front porch. The building looked like any other house on the block from the outside, with a large wrap around front porch with huge windows. The house itself gave no hint to the activities going on inside but the sign that sat in the yard did. In gold letters on a black sign it read, Tonks & Tonks: Family Psychiatric Consultants.

Taking a deep breath Orion slowly climbed the five steps up the porch. He had to take another deep breath at the door. He did not know why he felt so afraid. He'd never feared anything else in his seventy-eight years of living, but now he feared his own fifty-two and a half years old daughter. He quickly checked his reflection in the closed screen door.

I look like a damn fool, he thought miserably, as he took in his muggle suit, and trench coat. He wanted to show Andromeda that he no longer cared that she had married that stinking mudblood; that she was his daughter, his oldest child and he wanted her back in his life. And it was the truth. He never really noticed Andromeda as she grew up. He had been more focused on his heir, his second child. Andromeda was so quiet, so different, so saint like that she aggravated the hell out of him whenever she was around. She'd learned very early in life to steer clear of him and after she was sorted into Ravenclaw's house rather than Slytherin, he lost her altogether. She never came home for holidays and during the summer well, he didn't really know where she went or did.

Then she came home Christmas of her last year. It had been out of the blue. She had not written home in years and everyone had gotten used to not seeing or hearing anything from her for the entire year. She came to him on the first night back late after supper. She told him that she had been raped almost a month before. He didn't give her the time of day. Bella, his little princess, was so sick. She caught dragon pox from this little boy during a tea party. She had a fever. Talitha was so worried about her. He was the man of the house, he had to take care of his baby. Dragon pox is deadly in toddlers. Andromeda said she had been raped. He knew he should have believed her, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to deal with the aftermath of it. The young man she accused was the son of a very prominent man, the Minister of Magic who happened to be one of his closet friends. His son Charles, was the same age as Andromeda, and he'd crushed on her for nearly all his life. He knew Charles. He didn't believe Charles capable of attacking let alone raping Andromeda. He concluded that Andromeda had given herself to him and for what ever reason, decided to cry wolf. She told him he was the worst father in the world. She apparated away that night and hadn't spoken to him since. Still, with all he did, Talitha had still burnt her worst.

He sighed again as he removed his cloak and opened the door. There was a little chime as he entered and the receptionist behind the glass looked up.

"Welcome to Tonks & Tonks," she said. "I'm Sonya, how can I help you?"

"I need to see Andromeda Tonks," growled Orion in a low voice. He really despised muggles.

"Mrs. Tonks is currently busy with a client she should be available in about forty minutes."

"I need to see her now," growled Orion. "I would like for you to go and get her."

"I'm afraid that's out of the question," said the young red head named Sonya, folding her arms at him with purpose. "She's busy. You can sit and wait."

Orion drew himself to his full height. "Listen Ginger," he said. "I have never been told to wait in my life. I will not ask you again. Get off your ass and fetch Andromeda. "

"Okay sir," said Sonya glaring. "Now you're being belligerent," she picked up an equipment that Orion had never seen before and placed it to her ear.

"Mrs. Tonks," she said. "There's a man being belligerent, demanding to see you," she paused then winced. "Yes ma'am," she said, her tone sounding very apologetic now. "I know you're in a session ma'am, but he won't take no for an answer, what should I do? Should I call the police." There was a pause in which the woman listened again.

"What is your name sir," she said looking at Orion with hate in her eyes.

"Tell her that it is Orion Black and that it is an emergency," growled Orion, pleased that his daughter did have the ability to instill fear in others.

"He says his name is Orion Black and that it is an-," she paused. "Yes, okay ma'am." She replaced the device she was communicating with Andromeda on back on the base it came from, then looked up at Orion.

"Mrs. Tonks will be with you in a moment," she said adopting a generic smile.

A second or so later a middle-aged man came from down the hall into the waiting area. Orion knew immediately that he was a muggle. The muggle approached the receptionist window.

"Andie said to reschedule my session for tomorrow," he told the Sonya. "She seems very upset 'bout that phone call. Never ended a session early before."

Sonya nodded. "I'm sorry about that Mr. Grant," she said smiling softly. "It looks like Mrs. Tonks is open at two thirty tomorrow and four thirty tomorrow, which would you prefer?"

"Mr. Black," said a voice that Orion would recognize anywhere. He turned and saw his first-born child standing in the doorway that the man called Grant had come from. She was wearing a dark green muggle pants suit with a beige blouse, and beige heels. Her long, wild hair was pinned up in a tight bun. She was wearing glasses. She looked very sophisticated. She had her eyebrow raised at his muggle attire. "Follow me please."

She turned on her heel and marched down the hall. Orion, breathing deeply again, followed his daughter down the hall. It was quiet and all the doors he past were closed with an 'In Session' sign hanging on the knobs. The walls were a pale pink, and decorated with friendly pictures of landscapes with a motivational quote underneath it. Orion were amazed at how dull muggles lives really were. None of their pictures moved or talked. How astonishingly boring, he mused. He couldn't believe his daughter would betray the wizarding world in such a way as this. He sighed again, reminding himself that he was supposed to be trying to convince his daughter to rejoin the family.

Andromeda entered the last door, which was left opened. Her office was very spacious, and seemed way too big to fit in the building. She had a large oak wood desk in the center of the room, and behind the desk were two very large windows with heavy blue curtains. She a long black leather sofa pushed against the wall with a recliner sitting beside it. She also had a large forty galleon fish on the other wall with framed degrees from universities that he was unsure if she'd attended or not.

Andromeda did not speak but went and sat behind her desk after closing and locking the door. Resting her chin on her fist, she silently observed him. Orion took a seat on the edge of the leather recliner. A long silence passed between them with Andromeda just staring at him. He felt himself getting agitated. Andromeda seemed to notice his growing agitation and took out a notepad and began scribbling away.

"Stop analyzing me," growled Orion. "I am not here for your services. I'm here on family business."

"Really," asked Andromeda her eyebrow raised. "And what business might that be, seeing as we are not family?"

Orion took a deep breath. He deserved that and he knew it. He took deep breaths to tried calming himself. He would not lose his patience, this was too important.

"I know we did you extremely wrong," he told his daughter. "I know there is nothing that I can say that would make right all the pain, turmoil, and hurt we caused, but Andromeda we are still your parents and there is nothing you can do to change that."

"I believed that was changed nearly four decades ago when you disowned me so stop with the façade, what do you want? Why have you come to my job?" she demanded.

"Narcissa is dying," he said solemnly. "She went into premature labor yesterday evening with twins. Only one of them survived. Her lungs collapsed while the twins were being delivered," he paused as if waiting for Andromeda to respond. She didn't, so he continued.

"The healers have stabilized her, and they have managed to set up this system that is pumping air into her lungs for her. However, this is supposed to be a temporary solution. She must begin to breathe of her own accord again or she is going to die."

Andromeda appeared to be unfazed. She still neglected to respond. Orion took another deep breath.

"Andromeda please forgive us," he pleaded with her. "Your mother and I are so sorry for what we did to you. It has been bothering us for years that you are our best child, yet you were treated the worst."

Andromeda folded her arms and leaned back in her plush desk chair. She still did not speak.

"We miss you Andie," he whispered. "We want to make amends. We want to un-disown you. We want to meet your husband and daughter. Your mother is having health problems as well. None too serious, but still, Andromeda, we don't want to spend the rest of our lives without you. It's been thirty-five years."

Andromeda shook her head. "Its been forty-one years," she said. "Yeah officiallyit's been thirty-five, but you guys disowned me when I was eleven years old. "You've never been my parents. Professor Flitwick is my father and Professor McGonagall is my mother and that's how it's been from the moment I was sorted into Ravenclaw." She stood.

"It is unfortunate what has happened to Narcissa," she said. "She's so young. She has children, but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not that kind of doctor you see?"

"Doctor?" repeated Orion.

Andromeda chuckled. "Healer, I mean. Living in both worlds, sometimes I get mixed up." She turned her back on him and stared out her huge windows. "The point is Mr. Black," she said. "I cannot help Narcissa, and my being there wouldn't make the slightest difference to her. So, no, I will not return home. She needs a miracle, not me."

"So, your going to turn your back on her, your own daughter." said Orion angrily rising as well. "Narcissa can die at any moment. Do you think if it was you dying, that your mother and I wouldn't be at your bedside?"

"I should hope not," yelled Andromeda. "You and your wife are the last people I would want to see on my deathbed. As for Narcissa, she is not my daughter and you know it. Talitha needs to be at her daughter's bedside. She is nothing more than my little sister, and what's worst is that she hates me. She does not want me there while she dies. And I don't feel comfortable being there."

"Talitha is beginning to forget many things and one of those is what she did to acquire Narcissa." said Orion quietly. "She is forgetting a lot of things. Just a week ago she told Narcissa that she only had three children and that she was not her child. It comes and goes. She was in her right mind yesterday evening however."

"She has Alzheimer's Disease," asked Andromeda startled. Her husband, had just been telling her how purebloods were catching muggles diseases. She hadn't believed him.

"I believe the healers mentioned something that sounded like that. But it's so fuzzy. All I know is sometimes she knows what's going on and sometimes she doesn't," said Orion, reclaiming his seat.

Andromeda nodded and turned back to face the window. "Having Alzheimer's doesn't make up for anything," she declared. "In her mind or out of it, she is cruel and heartless and I will never forgive her." She turned back to face her father. "Or you, I will never forgive you either, Mr. Black. I hate you. You have never loved me. You never cared. I told you that Charles Benson attacked me, held me down and raped me and you told me I was lying; that you cared more about your friendship with that corrupted excuse of a Minister of Magic than your own child." She was not aware that she had begun to cry. She had not cried about her rape in many, many years. She had not cried about her parents and upbringing since her Hogwarts years. She didn't not know why she was crying, but figured it was because she had never confronted her parents before. She simply moved on. Now here he was, without warning, in her office.

"Your wife stole my child from me and then got you to disown me," she continued. "You raised my daughter to hate me; to hate good; to love evil." Andromeda sat back at her desk. "You made sure she married that trash. You've ruined her." she sighed and dried her tears. "Narcissa is a lost cause," she said after a moment. "I pray she gets well," she continued. "I do love her, but I have to focus on Hermione. She's my priority now. I can't go visit Narcissa, not with Hermione there."

Orion said nothing for a long moment. "I have wronged you greatly Andromeda," he said. "Please give us the chance to make it right."

"You can't," said Andromeda shaking her head. "You just can't. And like I said, I must think about my client. Hermione does not need all this instability right now. For me to make her aware that she is in fact my granddaughter would likely push her over the edge."

"What if we got the kids out the house for the day," said Orion eagerly. "There's a quidditch game in three days; England versus France over in Paris. Draco never misses a game when he can and we can get the girl to go with him. That would get them out of the house for at least two days. Can you please by then?"

Andromeda shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That house is so depressing. I haven't been there in years. I never had any intentions of returning when I left."

"Narcissa may die, Andromeda."

"Every time I see her, I see him," said Andromeda. "I don't know how you guys managed to pass her off as a Black. She looks like a Benson. She acts like a Benson. She passed his eyes on to Hermione."

"She's not him," said Orion. "She does not know, have never known him, and never will know him. She is Narcissa BlackMalfoy. She deserves to know the truth."

"Well it's not like I will be able to tell her if she's in a coma."

Orion stood. "I will trust you to make a good decision," he said. "You have always made good choices and I would hate for you to start making bad ones now." He looked around the room once more. "You and your family are invited to dinner on Christmas. That is the day of the match and it would be a lovely present to all of us if we could move forward from here, the right way. We want to be in our granddaughter's life from here on out. And you, you can be in your new granddaughter's, Miss Isis Malfoy, life." He turned and walked back to the door. "It was really good seeing you again Andromeda. I hope we see each other again." he left.

Andromeda closed and sealed her door with a wave of her wand that she kept inside her desk. She put her head in her hands. Her heart felt so heavy. Her mind was overloaded. She felt trapped. She had always wanted Narcissa to know the truth, to know that she was not her sister but her mother. She had always wanted her to know that Talitha was a monster, and that she stole Narcissa away from her. She wanted her to know who she greatly resembled. She wanted her to know how she was conceived.

She stood and went to her window. She was a coward. She knew it. How could she, for thirty years, convince abused women to face their fears, to confront them. And here now, she couldn't do it herself. Narcissa was the least of her worry. It was Talitha. It was the house. It was the elves. The serpents everywhere. She couldn't take it then and to be back in that house would be nothing but torture for her, her, husband and daughter.

She sat back down. Narcissa was dying. Her daughter was dying. Narcissa. She loved her. She wanted to hate her. She truly did, but she couldn't. It wasn't her fault that she had been born. She had been given the often to terminate the pregnancy at Hogwarts but she couldn't. She refused to become a murderer. She refused to allow Charles to turn her into one.

Narcissa was dying and her parents was using her condition to trap her into a dinner. They knew she loved Narcissa. She hated them, the both. Why couldn't they continue to pretend that she didn't exist? What scheme did they have her their sleeves? Why do they want her at the Black House so bad?

She stood and looked lout of her window again. Narcissa is dying. She felt the tears begin to fall from her eyes. Narcissa is dying.

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Andromeda arrived home that evening with a lot on her mind. She was glad that her husband was home from work as well as her daughter, Nymphadora. She needed to discuss Orion's visit with them both.

Dora, as he called her daughter, was preparing what smelt like a scrumptious dinner in the kitchen. She loved her daughter. She was extremely bright and friendly, and she lived perfectly in her half muggle, half magical world. She and Ted had decided to send Dora to a muggle elementary school as a child. She loved it and fitted in greatly. She had no qualms about being with muggles though she knew she was a witch. She interacted very well with Ted's parents. She could blend in perfectly fine in either world. She had muggle friends as well as magical ones. That was how she wished she could have raised Narcissa.

Sighing, she took off her thick traveling cloak and hung it on the hook behind the front door. She removed her glasses and sat it on the small table on the wall. She looked into the mirror on the wall above the little table. She looked how she felt, weary and tired.

She sighed again and continued her way through the house. She found her husband lounging in the front room watching television. She entered and sat down on the loveseat.

"Hey sweetheart," he said smiling at her. She smiled back weakly. "What's the matter babe?" he asked muting the television with a click of the remote control.

"I received a visit from Orion Black today," she told him.

He raised his eyebrow. "What did he want?"

"To tell me that Narcissa is dying," said Andromeda as she felt her eyes begin to water again.

Ted got up and sat beside his wife. He wrapped his arms around her. "Oh baby," he said. "That's terrible. What's the mater with Narcissa?"

At that moment Nymphadora entered the family room. She was wearing jeans with a yellow turtle neck, and knee -length high brown cowboy boots. Her hair was her favorite shade of bubble gum pink and she had it pulled up in a pony tail.

"What's going on?" she asked. "What's wrong Mom?"

Andromeda dried her eyes, took a deep breath and told her everything that was said in her and Orion's meeting. She was glad she had always been honest with her daughter. Nymphadora knew she had been raped at Hogwarts. She knew she had a half older sister that was being raised to believe she was Orion and Talitha's daughter. She knew that Andromeda had been disowned and why.

After she'd finish telling them everything, Andromeda turned to the other two. "I just don't know what to do," she said. "I want to see Narcissa. I want to tell her the truth, but I don't think I can take being in that house, being near them again." She sighed again deeply.

"I think we should go Mom," said Dora. "I would like to get to know Narcissa and her children. And if she does die, you will feel worst knowing she died without you saying goodbye; without even trying."

"I agree with Dora," said Ted. "We will be with you the entire time," he continued. "and the moment you feel like you can't take it any more, we will leave. Surely your parents know that it's going to take a while before you feel comfortable around them or the house."

Andromeda nodded then turned to her daughter. "I thought you were going to the Christmas game on Saturday?"

Dora shrugged. "This is more important," she said. "I can always go to the next game."

Andromeda smile. "Thank you for being so supportive you guys. I love you."

"Oh, mom please stop," said Dora laughing as she stood. "I made steak, gravy, mash potatoes, green beans, and sweet yams. Come eat."

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Christmas Day

Hermione crept down stairs in the wee hours of Christmas morning. She and Draco had been staying at the Black House for a week now and she hated it here. Professor Snape offered her the option to return to school or even to Spinner's End, but she couldn't leave. Narcissa still hadn't began breathing on her own. The entire week had been a depressing one. She and Draco were drinking daily. No one seemed to care. Everyone was busy with their own problems.

Professor Snape went back to Hogwarts. He was determined to catch Sirius Black. He figures Sirius had someone helping him from the inside of the castle since he managed to break in Gryffindor Tower on Halloween night, and escape without getting caught. Hermione suspected that He expected Black to try again during the holidays.

She entered the room Narcissa was in on the first floor. She sat on the edge of the bed and took her mother's hand. It was so cold.

"Happy Christmas," she said quietly squeezing Narcissa's hand. It hurt her heart to see her mother looking so pale and lifeless with a device attacked to her chest, pumping oxygen into her body. She felt her eyes water.

"Mom please start breathing," she cried. She had not spoken to Narcissa's body before. She felt so helpless. She didn't know what to do. All she could do was plead with her, beg her to breathe, to not leave her. "Please," she repeated. "I need you. Draco needs you. Isis needs you. She's so beautiful." He tears began to pour and she couldn't stop them. "I miss you. Mom please breathe. The healers and Professor Snape had this device pumping oxygen into your lungs, but kit will turn on you if you don't breathe on your own. You will die. I can't take that. Draco can't take that. Please Mom. I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, please try harder. Please mom. Please don't leave me."

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The Tonks family apparated outside the Black House at exactly six o'clock that evening. It was the exact time that the snitch was being released a couple hundred miles away in Paris, where Narcissa's two oldest were in attendance.

The Black house sat on two hundred acres of the greenest land in Lancaster. It was made of solely of black stones and granite. There were black statues and fountains scattered about the lawn, each darker than the last, with some carrying deadly curses.

He hesitated before walking up the steps unto the porch with the huge stone pillars on either side. The front door opened and Orion stepped out. He smiled at her.

I'm glad you could make it, Andromeda," he growled in his low voice.

Andromeda tried to reply but couldn't. Ted took up the slack. "Thanks for inviting us Orion," he said. "I'm Theodore Tonks, but everyone calls me Ted, and this is our daughter Nymphadora."

Orion grimaced at Orion and outstretched his hand to him. "I'm Orion," he said stiffly. He barely touched Ted's hand as they attempted to shake hands.

Orion then led them into the house. They entered the foyer and when the door closed they were immediately enveloped in darkness. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust and when they did, Andromeda looked around to find that nothing what so ever had changed in all the years she had been gone. Same black everything. Same serpents. Same elves' heads.

As they ventured forward, Andromeda was astonished to find that she was still in all the family portraits that she had been painted in all those years ago. Most of them were just of herself, her father, her mother and her younger brother Rigel Black, but she was also still in the one that was painted shortly after Bellatrix was born. She thought they would have cursed her out of them when she had been disowned. She paused at the portraits of just Bellatrix and Narcissa. Narcissa didn't look any older than three. She shook her head at Bella. Even at six she looked crazed and evil.

They continued through the house until the came to one of the first-floor guest room. The door stood a jar. Andromeda took a deep breath and entered followed closely behind by her husband, daughter and father.

Upon entering the room, the first thing Andromeda noticed was the very awake Narcissa trying to sit up in bed. Orion gasped and ran forward.

"Narcissa," he exclaimed. "You're awake."

"Narcissa nodded. She began trying again to remove the device from her so she could sit up properly. Andromeda stood frozen to the spot. She hadn't expected her to be awake. This dinner was just supposed to be with her parents. She didn't want to ace Narcissa. Not now. She slowly began to back out of the room as Orion was distracted by Narcissa. Ted noticed and motioned for Nymphadora to follow them.

Out in the hallway, Dora turned to her mother. "What's the problem," she demanded.

"I have to go," whispered Andromeda. "I can't do this. Not now. Not with her awake."

"But we're here now," said Dora. "And I missed the match for this."

"I'm sorry," said Andromeda turning in the direction of the sitting room where the floo network was connected. "I'm about to floo out of here." Before they could utter another word, she turned on her heel and marched away.

Arriving back in the safety of her home, Andromeda fell on the sofa and began to cry.

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Hermione's stalker watched her as she enjoyed herself during the match. She must have forgotten about me, he thought. How foolish of her to think that she is ever safe. That I was lying when I told her that I would make her pay all in good time. She's just as daft as her mother if she believes that. I will give her the rudest reminder I can think of, he mused as he continued to watch her and her spoilt brother cheer for England in the top most box of the match. I will show them both.