DISCLAIMER: Same as the chapters before.

SUMMARY: Andromeda reads some shocking news, that is not so shocking and realizes something.

Andromeda Tonks knew Bellatrix Lestrange was a cruel woman. But she never believed her sister was cruel. Not really, anyway. Or so she told herself, time and again.

" Its hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember."

1983

Andromeda sat at the breakfast table, a newspaper laid out before her, scanning through the headlines. A man in his late twenties, with the first stages of a receding hairline, walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of milk. He yawned as he pulled a bowl out of the shelf and set it on the counter.

"Porridge, love?" he asked.

His wife didn't seem to pay any notice to his question. She was reading intently every word of an article, with a look in her eyes, that he couldn't quite place.

"Anything interesting?" he tossed casually.

She tore her eyes away from the paper and looked at him, "Hmmm?"

Ted chuckled and shook his head. "What's so interesting?"

Andromeda sighed and placed the paper aside. "They've finally caught the people who tortured the Longbottoms into insanity."

"Oh, dear. Well, that's good. It's such a horrible fate. Worse than death if you ask me," said Ted truthfully.

Andromeda nodded and closed her eyes.

"Well, who was it?"

She picked up the paper carefully, cleared her throat and read "The defendants who will be up for trial in a few days are as follows; Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodulphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Junior."

Ted who was stirring the porridge in the vessel, looked up slowly, and at his wife. She wasn't looking at him.

Ted was befuddled by his own shock. He knew what kind of a woman Bellatrix was. He had seen her at school, her insanity, her passion, her cruelty, her thirst for power, he had known she was purely evil, but he was still shocked.

"Oh," he croaked.

Just then, the door of their house creaked open, and a little girl came running in, her long blue hair flying behind her "Mummy, Mummy!"

"Yes?"

"Guess what?"

"What is it?"

"There's a woman in the paper. And she looks just like you. But she's a bad girl. She's going to Azkaban. What's Azkaban, mummy? Is it scary? Can we visit sometime? Is it near London? Do you think – "

"Dora, stop!" commanded her father.

The little girl looked up slightly confused at the outburst.

"Where did you get the paper?" he asked.

"I was over at Mrs. Burbages. I saw it there. She didn't let me read the whole thing, though."

"Dora, Azkaban is a horrible place for horrible people. When people do bad things, they get sent there. As a punishment, okay?"

"Who was the lady? And what did she do?"

"She's Bellatrix. She's my -"started Andromeda.

"Mad," amended Ted quickly "She did bad things to people."

"But can't the good people stop her?"

"Yes, yes they can. There are people called Aurors who try to catch the bad witches and wizards. And that's what they've done. They've caught her."

"Like the police?"

Ted nodded.

"I want to be an Auror."

Andromeda smiled proudly at her daughter and stroked her hair gently.

"Now off you go. Go take a shower, stinky," she teased.

The girl giggled and ran up the stairs to her room.

Andromeda looked at Ted and the atmosphere was tense again.

Ted tried to lighten up the mood. "Looks like your whole family is going to be in Azkaban."

Andromeda glared. " What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only a joke, love. You know first Sirius and then Bellatrix."

"Sirius hasn't done anything."

"What do you mean? He is the reason Harry Potter is an orphan."

Andromeda shook her head. " I know him. I do, I know he didn't do it."

"So you saying that the real traitor," he put this part in air quotes,"has got all the Aurors fooled?"

"I don't know. But I know Sirius didn't do it. He's a Black."

"Well that doesn't count for much," said Ted jokingly.

"I mean loyalty is one trait we will always possess," she said calmly though her eyes were furious. Ted didn't notice that.

"You ran away."

"Are you suggesting I shouldn't have?"

"All I'm saying is that there is no use defending Sirius, just because he was the only good person you had in your family."

"How DARE YOU?" roared Andromeda.

Ted looked shocked..

"They're not all bad people."

"They spat on me, Andy. Called me worthless, a mudblood. Kicked me out of your house. Sorry if they're not my favourite people."

"They're my family."

"I'm your family."

"They made me who I am," she said her voice shaking.

Ted shook his head "I don't know why you're getting so upset."

"Because they're my family. I lived with them for eighteen years. I hate them. But I don't. I can't. I wish...I wish I could. But I am them. When I'm upset, and I have no control, I let go. I told the shopkeeper that day, she was taking too long, and I told her she's a stupid Mudblood. Because that's who I am. That scares me, it does. But I can't help it."

Ted tried to intervene but it was of no use.

"I wish I could just let it go, but I love them. I love my sisters. I can't go one day without thinking about Cissy or Bella. Bella is a murderer, she is insane, she is cruel, she is evil, but I don't see her like that all the time. I see her as the girl who taught me how to tie my shoelace, who told me stories, who ran with me in the backyard, who protected me from my mother, who danced with me in the ball room. I will never forgive her for what she did to those innocent people. Especially the Lonbottoms. What she did to herself. You know, you're right. We Black, are bad people. Because when I was...when I read that headline, I was praying that Bella...Bella didn't get caught. She deserves it, but I didn't want it for her. And that disgusts me. What she did to the Longbottoms is beyond cruel, and yet...

"No," tried Ted.

"No, don't say anything please. It does. She deserves Azkaban and worse. But, I know, if I was given the chance to kill her, I wouldn't do it. I couldn't do it. Because under this garb, I'm a sophisticated, soft spoken, impassive, stoic, Black woman. And that's what I'll always be. Always. Because us Blacks, loyalty courses through our very blood."

"You're not like them. You're not evil. I'm not saying all of them are, but you're a better person. But I understand. You love them. I'm sorry for insulting them. They're your family. But you can't go back now. You can't."

Andromeda smiled wanly,"And I don't want to. I don't regret making the decisions I made, not one. I don't regret falling in love with you, never. I love you and Dora. But I miss them. I always will."

Ted smiled at her, and took her in his arms and she sobbed into his chest, trying to push the memories of her sisters to the back of her mind.

"Never regret anything, because at one time, it was exactly what you needed."

A/N: A review a day, keeps me hap-pay. Geddit? Excuse my immaturity and lack of ability to produce proper rhyming words. But please do review.

Also, check out norislilthief for a interesting fic called 'One hell of a Goffick Adventure' that I beta read! It would mean the world to her, and is really interesting! Thanks. (: