CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

PART THREE: END OF WEEK TWO

Andromeda awoke on Thursday morning to find she was not in bed with Teddy and Kingsley, the two people with whom she'd fallen asleep, but with Narcissa to her left and Hope between them. The child had the top of her head against her mother's hip and her feet pressing on her aunt's thigh. She was attempting to straighten out in her sleep, but doing so would push Andromeda from the bed entirely. Deciding it wasn't worth a fight, she got up and headed to the loo.

"This is my life," she muttered minutes later, as she stepped under the hot stream of the shower. She'd only started to wet her hair when the curtain parted and Teddy climbed in.

"The hell are you doing?" she asked.

"I want a shower," he said simply. He moved himself in front of her, under the water, pushing her back toward the wall. "Ow! Too hot."

"I like my showers hot." But she turned it cooler, to avoid burning him. She actually liked her showers more than hot - she liked them scalding. Kingsley asked her on more than one occasion if she was certain she didn't have ice water running through her veins, as he wasn't sure how she couldn't stand the temperature otherwise.

"I also like to shower alone," Andromeda said pointedly. The tiny boy blinked up at her. His hair went natural, as it always did during showers and baths, tumbling down to his shoulders in loose brown ringlets. (Like hers, it was curlier when wet.) "Teddy, you are too old to shower with me."

"Kingsley's older than me an' he showers with you."

She frowned. She hadn't realized he was aware of that.

"It's different with Kingsley."

"Why?"

"Because he's the Minister for Magic, that's why."

Teddy looked skeptical.

"You letted me take baths with you when I had the Pox."

"That was different." She scowled. She had goosebumps all up her arms and there was no way she could shave her legs with him standing here. "Those were baths, we wore bathing costumes, you were sick... And I like showering alone, in hot water."

"Kingsley leaved for work. I heard you come in here. Can you wash my hair?"

"Of course." Even when he took his own 'big boy' showers, either she or Kingsley washed and rinsed his hair. "Where did you sleep? I woke up without you."

"Hope comed in when it was morning, but still dark. She was crying. She climbed into bed next to me and Meow-Meow. Then Kingsley getted up to take a shower. Hope started sleeping but too close to me and she kicks so I getted up and went back to my bed. Auntie comed in looking for Hope. I think she sleeped on the couch, but when Kingsley comed out the shower and went downstairs for coffee I sat with him and then when he leaved for work I went in the sitting room to play with my dollhouse Therapy Cats and Auntie wasn't there anymore."

"We need to work on your mastery of the past tense, Teddy. I think your grammar's getting worse." Andromeda leaned past him for the shampoo. She lathered a little into his hair before doing her own and fought back a cold shiver.

"But you're my grammar and you're getting better!" He giggled. "Get it?"

"Teddy, that's a pun! Very clever!"

He beamed up at her, proudly. He liked being very clever.

"Auntie?"

Bloody hell. Now Hope was in the bathroom too.

"Auntie? I'm hungry. I want brekkie."

Andromeda stuck her head out through the curtain. "Tell your mother."

Hope rubbed her eyes. She was wearing purple one-piece pajamas with the feet sewn in. Her hair was pulled into two messy braided pigtails, as her mother had neglected to brush her hair out before bed.

"Want brekkie now."

"I said, tell your mother."

"Mummy's sleeeeeeping." Hope never woke her mother in the morning at home, nor her father either, though he was generally an early riser. If she needed something, she called for the house-elf. Unfortunately, Butters hadn't come with them to Auntie's.

"Wake her up, then. Tell her to cook you something."

"Mummy can't cook!"

"She'll learn."

Hope blinked her eyes rapidly, creating crocodile tears, then whimpered pathetically, and jutted out her lower lip. This was how she got her way at home, by being as needy and whiny and obnoxious as Narcissa had been at that age. The child didn't have Teddy-scale tantrums, but she was spoiled rotten and knew how to get her way via emotional manipulation, which worked on both her parents, but especially her father. Andromeda, on the other hand, was having none of it.

"Hope, hand to Merlin, if you-"

"Auunnnttttiiieee, I neeeeedd youuuu!" Two big fat tears made their way down her cheeks. "Plllleeeassssee! I'm huuuunnnggrryyy!"

"GET. OUT. NOW! If you're hungry, wake your bloody mother."

Hope wailed as if wounded and fled from the bathroom, leaving the door open, releasing the last of the little bit of steam that had managed to build up before Teddy made her turn down the heat. Lovely.

"And Kingsley thinks it might have been nice to have a child together," she muttered.

"What, Nana?"

"Nothing, love." She rinsed the shampoo from his hair first, then her own, feeling nothing but annoyed the entire time. She wanted her hot solo shower, she wanted to sleep comfortably in her own bed, and she wanted to enjoy officially living with her boyfriend without worrying about bumping into her sister and niece every five seconds. Plus, while she enjoyed cooking and didn't even mind cleaning, she was growing sick of tidying up after extra people and acting as personal chef for everyone.

Last Saturday, one day shy of one week after she asked Kingsley to move in, they ended up with their first unexpected house guest. Severus deposited Narcissa on the sitting room sofa Saturday afternoon, his face set in a grimace. She'd immediately hid her face in her hands, moaning about how ill she felt and how this was not fair.

"If she wants to drink, so be it, but I'll not raise my daughter with an alcoholic," he'd said harshly. "I will not let Hope grow up in the same situation in which I was unfortunate enough to..." He held Narcissa's face by the chin, forcing eye contact. "So you can stay here until you decide whether you'd like to be a wife and mother, or a woman-about-town."

He'd Flooed home immediately after, with no further explanation, and before she could answer any questions about the state in which she'd been brought to them, Narcissa passed out.

Andromeda had Kingsley carry Narcissa into their bedroom to sleep off whatever she'd consumed. The two of them shared the transfigured couch that night and Teddy, for a nice change, slept in his own room. Kingsley and Andromeda had fooled around a little, but the freedom of not having a child in bed with them was offset by the knowledge that her sister could interrupt at any time. (Though if both were being entirely honest, the realization that could easily get caught was a turn-on, and part of the reason it took no time at all for them to bring each other to completion without even getting completely undressed.)

Sunday morning, Kingsley took Teddy out for breakfast while Narcissa nursed a hangover and told her sister what happened.

"I told you I've been going to brunch regularly with Hermione's mother, Jean, and we drink mimosas."

"Yes," said Andromeda. She was frying eggs and making toast even though Cissy swore she'd never be able to eat (or hold her head up independently) ever again.

"Yesterday, we had more than usual. Her latest relationship - if it could be called a relationship - fell apart. We were commiserating."

"You were preemptively lamenting the destruction of yours?"

Narcissa shot her a dirty look. "I had too much champagne. When I returned home, Severus was waiting with a bottle of wine. Hope wasn't home. Hermione took her out at his request."

"Why was he waiting with wine?"

"He found it." Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose and winced. Her blonde hair hung limply around her face and yesterday's eye makeup made the bags under her eyes even darker and more pronounced than the drinking had. "I've been... sipping."

"Sipping?"

"Only a little here or there. I used to enjoy wine, remember? And I didn't always have a problem. I didn't have a problem until Lucius was executed." She glared at Andromeda, who was facing away from the stove, watching her. "Executed by the Ministry as run by your boyfriend, let us not forget."

"Let's not do this. We've been getting on so well." She turned back to the stove to flip the eggs.

"Severus found the bottle and told me he was going to pour it out, but Meda, it would have pained me to see it wasted! Since I only sip a little at a time, I want to enjoy it. I bought a bottle of Ashwinder Winery's finest elf-made red, two hundred galleons a bottle. When I told him the price, he tipped his cauldron. He said, 'Do you think I'm made from Malfoy money?' We had a massive row. Things were... said."

"Things?" She put two cups of coffee on the table. Though it wasn't her sister's preferred drink, it was better for a morning after too much alcohol than tea or juice. Andromeda went back to the stove.

"I was... ranting... and he interrupted to ask, 'What's wrong with you? Is it menopause or menstruation? I need to know so I can estimate when you'll be normal again.'"

"He didn't!"

"Oh, he did."

Andromeda checked the toast, then turned to face her.

"And what did you say?"

"I said, 'What's wrong with me is that I can't remember the last time I had an orgasm I didn't have to bring about completely on my own!'"

"You didn't!"

"Oh, I did."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing." Narcissa sniffled miserably, fingers splayed over her eyes, her elbows on the table so her hands could hold up her head. "He tossed the wine bottle on the couch beside me and stormed out. I drank myself stupid and when he returned I'd..." She winced at the memory. "I'd vomited and gone unconscious. He woke me with an Ennervate and brought me here. But first, he asked if I wanted him to have me committed the way Kingsley did you."

Andromeda, feeling testy about this, turned back to the stove as Narcissa continued.

"I told him I wouldn't have to drink if I were happy at home and we... we said a few more vicious things. We've never had a row like that before. Lucius and I never fought like that. I don't know what to make of it. Is it the end of our marriage? I don't want it to be the end of our marriage." Her nose twitched. "I love him."

Andromeda put two eggs on each plate and added toast, buttered for her, dry for Narcissa, who was trying to diet. She tossed some fruit in a bowl for them to share and set the dishes on the table. Narcissa nibbled at a berry. Andromeda reached for her coffee.

"You shouldn't be drinking, Cissy. I told you that."

"I thought I could manage."

"You can't." She took a sip. Disgusting. Needed sugar. "I've tried to be a casual drinker. I've been through this cycle more times than I care to count. I get sober, I forget what it was like to be an alcoholic, I convince myself a little won't hurt, I remind myself of what it was like when I was able to handle my intake, I start again, I keep under control for awhile, then I spiral and plummet to rock bottom and have to start over. My Healer and I spoke about this at length during my treatment, and I heard countless similar stories from other patients during group therapy. We all think we can manage, we can handle it, it won't be like that the next time... but it always ends the same way. And I won't do it again. Not after... not after this last year. I won't even use cooking sherry or breathe in deeply when I pass that alley where the Muggle kids smoke their marijuana. The fact is, no, we can't handle it. We can't manage. We are alcoholics and will always be, even when we're not drinking."

"But..."

"And I love you, Cissy, but if you're going to be drinking, I can't be around you. I'm sorry. It's too dangerous for me."

During her sessions with Kingsley, Healer Smelthwick made it a point to tell him that his alcohol consumption mattered too, and while he did not need to stay sober the rest of his life, he should abstain from doing it in her presence and especially in the home. He'd agreed.

"I'm not going to be drinking." Narcissa twirled a berry between her thumb and forefinger, squeezing out some of the juice. "I'm done with it. My head is throbbing. I can't recall the last time I had a hangover like... I... I'm never doing this again, I promise. I'm going to rest, get my head together, go home, and apologize to Severus."

"Good."

Now it was four mornings later, Thursday, and Narcissa still hadn't returned home.

She and Severus had spoken, tersely, twice, and agreed time apart would do them good. Because Narcissa couldn't take Hope to Malfoy Manor, where Draco was still down with the Pox, and because she couldn't bear to be apart from her for longer than a couple of nights, she'd asked him to bring the girl to her next door Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with the understanding Narcissa would return her to him on Thursday night.

"Or you could go home and he could sleep at Malfoy Manor," Andromeda had said. This had made Narcissa cry.

"I can't be alone, Meda, not in that house without him, not knowing he's sleeping in the home I shared with Lucius! I'll die!"

After their too-cold shower, Andromeda wrapped Teddy in a towel and sent him to his room to get dressed alone. She went into her own room wearing her dressing gown with her hair up in a towel, pointed her wand at Narcissa's face, and said, "Aquamenti."

Narcissa sputtered and flailed, then sat up reaching for her own wand. She gave up the search when she saw the person before her.

"Oh, it's you."

"Yes. It's me. Here, in my bedroom. My bedroom in my house. Where you're sleeping. In my bed. For fuck's sake, Cissy." Andromeda stalked to her wardrobe in search of her St. Mungo's uniform. She had to work 10-4 today.

"Have you made breakfast yet?" Narcissa disentangled herself from the sheets. "I'm hungry."

Andromeda silently counted to ten, eyes closed, facing the inside of her wardrobe rather than turning to stare down her sister.

"Not to force you out prematurely, Cissy, but when do you reckon you'll return home to Severus?"

"I was hoping tonight." Narcissa sounded anxious. "After we've shopped and eaten, I was hoping to leave Hope here for the night and go home to try to make it up to Severus with the aid of my purchases. And if that doesn't work..."

"You could also purchase something you can use on your own," said Andromeda. She found a clean uniform skirt and blouse. "When I was married, I relied heavily on-"

"With all due respect and love, Meda, I do not want a marriage like yours. I love Severus. He loves me. It's entirely different."

"I loved Ted!" Andromeda swiveled around, looking both upset and insulted. "Our relationship was not the ideal one you shared with Lucius, but I did love him, and he loved me, and I'll not have you disparaging my marriage. Understand?"

"I'm sorry." Narcissa fiddled with the hem of her borrowed nightgown. "I want with Severus what I had with Lucius, that's all."

"I think what you had with Lucius may be better in your head than it was in reality," Andromeda said gently. She sat on the edge of the bed, facing her sister. "He did have an affair, remember? And he's the reason your son became a Death Eater and risked his own life in an attempt to end Dumbledore's. Lucius attacked children in the Ministry and committed terrible crimes on You-Know-Who's command. I listen to you remember him fondly because I know how important he was to you, but he was a Death Eater and Death Eaters tortured me here in my home and threatened my husband, sending him on the run, and one murdered my daughter. Lucius was only perfect in your eyes, Narcissa, and you tend to look back with rose-tinted glasses."

"I don't know." Narcissa raked her fingers through a tangled mess of limp blonde hair.

"Does Severus love you?"

"Very much, I think."

"Is he a good father? Is he good to Hope?"

"He's an incredible father."

"And you - do you love him? Genuinely?"

"With my whole heart," she said softly, nodding. "I do not regret a single moment of our relationship, save for that... save for what happened on Saturday, and these days since. I want us to be happy together."

"A row isn't the end of the world, nor is it the end of your marriage." Andromeda kissed Narcissa's forehead and rose to finish getting ready for work. "Are we eating before or after shopping?"

"Before. Hermione and her mother are meeting us at the restaurant at four. We'll have tea and sandwiches, something small, then go."

"Her mother is coming?" She turned her back to Narcissa as she removed her sleep shirt and pulled on a bra and blouse. Narcissa cocked an eyebrow, never having seen the scars on her back before, but she said nothing about them.

"Is is alright if she comes"

"Fine with me. I invited someone too."

"The child prostitute?"

Andromeda about-faced, eyes flashing. "What the fuck did you call her?"

Narcissa looked taken aback. "I... the girl... the one you had playing governess for Draco and Hermione's dinner. I figured out... I..."

"Do not call her 'the child prostitute,' Narcissa."

"I'm sorry."

"Go start breakfast yourself. I have to get ready for work."

"You don't have to be there until ten! Can't you cook?" whined Narcissa, looking and sounding very much like her three-year-old daughter. "I don't know how!"

"Learn."

"Meeeedaaa!"

"Merlin's bloody ballsack, Narcissa, you heat up a pan, you crack eggs into it, you wait for the whites to stop being runny, and you flip them! Or, if that's too taxing, there's porridge. Toast. Fruit and yogurt. Beans on toast. Teddy knows how to make beans on toast."

"He can make breakfast?" she asked hopefully. "I miss Butters."

"Spoiled bitch." Andromeda picked up a pillow that had fallen to the floor and chucked it at Cissy, who ducked. "You're a stay-at-home mother who doesn't-"

"I know!" Narcissa threw the pillow back, but missed her sister by several inches. "Severus says Butters is getting old and needs a lighter workload. He thinks I should learn to cook and clean, do the food shopping and manage the laundry, like a Squib girl! He said, 'that's women's work. You're a woman!' I was highly insulted, as was Jean when I told her about it over brunch last week, but then she suggested I show him what 'women's work' can be by getting a 'real job,'" Narcissa put air quotes around both phrases. "And I nearly died! A real job? As if I could do what you do, sitting behind a desk, directing patients, wearing a hideous uniform, taking orders from those far beneath me in every other way! I reminded her, just as I reminded him, that the greatest benefit to having been born wealthy and raised wealthy and to have married wealthy is that I can leave the dull domestic tasks and dirty work to witches like y-..."

She immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Like... me?" Andromeda chuckled bitterly. "For your edification, dear sister, I cook and clean for Kingsley not because I have to, but because I enjoy it. And because he's rubbish at both. When I was married to Ted, we shared the domestic duties, in part because we both worked. We took turns cookings and cleaned up after ourselves and encouraged Nymphadora to do the same, though she was a mess from the time she could crawl. And we both worked because we had to, not because either of us had a passion for our work, but there are other witches and wizards - other women, all around the world - who work because they want to, because they take pride in what they do. It might not hurt you to get a job, Narcissa. To see what it's like to work for what you have. Look at the world of good it did Draco."

Narcissa gasped. "You cannot be serious. You're as bad as Jean! A job?"

"I most certainly am serious. We shall discuss this over dinner. I am certain accomplished potions-mistress Hermione and her pediatric dentist mother Jean will have a lot to say on the subject."

Narcissa threw herself backwards against the pillows and pouted up at the ceiling while Andromeda finished dressing, fixing her hair, and applying a little makeup. When they got downstairs, it was to find Teddy and Hope fighting over his cat family dolls.

"THEY ARE NOT TOYS!"

"I WANNA PLAY!"

"THEY ARE THERAPY CATS!"

"I WANNA PLAY CATS!"

"GIVE ME BACK MY HARRY POTTER CAT." Teddy tried to wrench it from Hope's hands.

"NO." Hope stomped on his foot. "I WANNA PLAY!"

Teddy screamed. Hope screamed. Teddy pushed Hope. She hit him in the head with Harry Potter Cat. He wrestled her for it and its head came off.

"HARRY POTTER CAT! YOU KILLED HIM, YOU BITCH!" Teddy jumped on her, knocking her to the floor on her back.

"THAT'S A INNA-POPE-IATE WORD!" she wailed as she struggled.

"YOU KILLED MY CAT!"

He smacked her arm. She pulled his hair. He bit her.

Headless Harry Potter Cat lay to the side. His head was still clutched in Hope's hand.

"MUUMMMYYYY!" Hope screeched, spotting them, at the same time Teddy hollered, "NAAANNNNAAA!"

Once the children were separated, sitting in Time Away, and stewing over the fact they'd both have to apologize to each other when the time ran down, Andromeda whispered to her sister, "You know, Kingsley told our Healer last week he sometimes fantasizes about having a child with me."

"Is he mad?" Narcissa murmured back out of the side of her mouth. They were standing in the center of the sitting room, back to back, staring at the two small children who wore identical pouts. "I cannot tell you how happy I am that the fertility measures Severus and I attempted a couple of months ago didn't take. How did Mother manage three of us in close succession?"

"It was easy for her," muttered Andromeda. "She drank."

They both sniggered.

Several hours later, after a work day that felt far too long, Andromeda changed quickly from her uniform to a bright green blouse over dark blue jeans, less her hair down, and hurried to meet her sister and the others for their evening out. When she reached the restaurant, it was to find Dorcas standing outside, hugging herself, wearing a tattered jumper to hide the revealing bodice of her imitation Victorian-style dress. She wore torn fishnets underneath, visible thanks to a high slit that was clearly created by shoddy knife work. Her lips were blood red, her eyes were heavily lined, and she wore too much rouge.

She didn't just look like a prostitute, she looked like the sort of prostitute who would have found herself murdered by Jack the Ripper.

"Come here," said Andromeda, pulling her into a nearby Muggle clothing store.

"But we'll be late!" Dorcas' eyes widened as if lateness meant certain death.

"Then we'll be late," said Andromeda. She dragged Dorcas to the clearance rack. "Summer attire is on sale. Here..." She held up a daffodil yellow sundress. "Get this. And..." She searched until she found a black long-sleeved top mixed in among the t-shirts and tanks. "This can go under the top, and under..." She brought her to wear they kept the tight patterned leggings. "Black and white under the yellow."

"Will these fit me?"

"If not, I can transfigure them to fit for now, and sew them tighter or let them out as needed later." Transfiguration charms on clothing were tricky, as they didn't typically last long, but she was confident they could manage the evening. Once Andromeda had paid (with Kingsley's Muggle money, admittedly) she sent Dorcas into the ladies' room to change and remove her makeup. Dorcas was smiling ear to ear when they left.

"I'm adorable!" she said, twirling in front of the mirror near the door.

"Yes, you're lovely, come along, little girl, we're late."

The others were already seated, (non-alcoholic) drinks in hand, when they reached the table.

"This is Dorcas," said Andromeda, nodding at her. She indicated each of the others as she introduced them. "You may remember her from the engagement party; she cared for the children. Dorcas, I'm sure you remember Narcissa and Jean, but I don't recall whether you met Hermione."

Dorcas, no longer smiling, whispered hello. Her arms were hugged around her upper body and her head was ducked as if looking any of them in the eye would be shameful. Andromeda bumped her with her hip.

"Relax."

They settled into the two empty chairs.

"So, Dorcas, how do you know Andromeda?" asked Jean. Narcissa and Hermione exchanged a glance and Andromeda knew they were both thinking that they should have warned her. Poor Dorcas began stuttering and stammering, but Andromeda quickly cut her off.

"I know Dorcas from the Facility. She's a sweet girl who had the misfortune of being born to a mother even worse than mine and she's terrified I'll tell you that in addition to her brief stint as governess, she's worked as a prostitute. She thinks that somehow makes her less of a person, or a terrible person, but she's not, she's a wonderful person and I am better for knowing her." Andromeda glanced sideways at Dorcas, whose eyes were huge and round. She did not appear to be breathing. "Oh, and she's allergic to oranges."

"That's odd," said Jean Granger, adding a lump of sugar to her tea. "All citrus, or only oranges?"

"All citrus," whispered Dorcas.

"I'm allergic to peaches," said Jean. ""Latex, actually, but the same component is naturally found in peaches. I didn't know until I was in dental school and had a reaction to the gloves. Previously, I thought everyone's lips and tongue tingled when they ate peaches. Do you experience anaphylaxis?"

"Er..." Dorcas looked to Andromeda.

"That means do you stop breathing if you accidentally ingest citrus."

"Oh. Yes."

The waitress arrived then to take their food order - they decided to share several small plates - and the conversation inevitably turned to men, much to the relief of Dorcas and the chagrin of Hermione, though the older women carried most of the conversation.

"Through therapy, I've come to realize that my first marriage was worse than I'd realized, which was tough to take as I truly did love Ted, and still do to some extent, but I think I'll have a greater chance for success with Kingsley thanks to the introspection. And I do want success with Kingsley. I have never experienced with anyone else what I do with him and he says it's mutual. We're sort of stupidly infatuated with each other."

...

"The end of my marriage came as no great shock. I'm sorry, Hermione - stop making that face - but it's true. Had my daughter not Obliviated us and sent us to Australia, we would have divorced much earlier, and we certainly wouldn't have had the twins. But I am grateful she did it. I don't know how I could have survived that year knowing she was off fighting a war while we were in hiding, and Ophelia and Orlando are my world, even though I wish their father would involve himself more."

...

"I cannot continue comparing Severus to Lucius. My marriage was idyllic with only a few bumps here and there, and it will always be important to me. But Lucius... he both put me on a pedestal, like a trophy, and kept himself above me, as head of the house, whereas I'm on equal footing with Severus and... it's taking some getting used to, especially now that Hope is a little older. I was grieving when we started seeing each other, and he'd never had a... a romance before... and we became pregnant so quickly, then wed the day she was born, after which we had all the trials of raising a baby, so now that things with her have settled, I suppose we're discovering each other as people..."

...

"Honestly, it's true! Everything with Draco is fine! Perfect, really. We're very happy. And no, I don't want to talk about... personal things. Except to say all is well. And that I find it disturbing that you lot spend more time talking about sex than my friends do. No offense, but you're... old. Ouch! Mum, don't pinch me, you said I shouldn't be afraid to be honest!"

...

"I've never really done it. I mean, I have, for... work. But I've never... never had a... a boyfriend... or... been on a date... or... held hands... or... anything... like... that."

Dorcas hid her face in her hands, causing her hair to fall across her like a curtain, which made her look very much like a little girl. Which, in Andromeda's opinion, was all she was. The child was barely twenty, but emotionally stunted despite having been forced to grow up too fast in a myriad of ways.

"Never?" asked Hermione.

Andromeda gently lowered Dorcas' hands.

"I've never even kissed a boy," she whispered. "They frighten me. What if I'm not good? What if... what if no one ever likes me? What if I'm not ever good enough for any boy? What if none will ever see... me... for me?"

She was immediately reassured by every woman at the table that someday some boy would like her for her, but Andromeda was quick to add, "Not that your self-worth should be wrapped up in whether some idiotic boy likes you."

After they'd finished their food and paid, they walked toward the shop, with Andromeda leading the way, armed looped through Cissy's with Jean to her other side, while Dorcas and Hermione followed.

Hermione, excited to learn Dorcas' intention to become a nurse like Madam Pomfrey and about her imminent return to Hogwarts, was talking without pause, telling the girl all of her favorite things about school and how she'd recently begun considering a career in Healing, as she couldn't be Severus Snape's potions brewing assistant and shop girl forever. Dorcas seemed to love the attention for a change, and was nodding and grinning and asking pertinent questions whenever Hermione paused to breathe.

Outside the Fuzzy Minx Erotic Emporium, Hermione stopped dead.

"We're going in there?" she asked, incredulous. "I can't go in there! Especially not with my mother! And my future mother-in-law! And..." She looked to Andromeda, who seemed amused by her reaction. "And you!"

"What's wrong with me? Is this because I'm old?"

Jean pinched Hermione's upper arm.

"Ouch, Mum! She said it, I didn't!"

"You said it earlier."

"I am not going."

"I told you Jean," said Narcissa. "I think she's sexually repressed, the poor dear."

"I can't understand why." The brunette sighed. "I tried to raise her to be independent and comfortable with her sexu-"

"I am comfortable with my sexuali-" Hermione cut herself off when she realized a group of teenage boys were walking by, looking at them. "With that! What I'm not comfortable is exploring it with the likes of all of you!"

"Would it help you if I stayed out here?" asked Jean with an expression of concern. "You don't have to tell me what you've bought."

"No, Mum, that does not help, but thanks for the offer." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco's going to die when I tell him about this."

"He's sexually repressed too, I suppose," said Andromeda, shaking her head in mock pity. "The poor dear. Maybe his mummy ought to sit him down and-"

"No, I don't believe he would like that," said Hermione quickly. "He doesn't need 'mummy' to give him advice. He's doing quite well, thank you."

"Good to hear." Jean patted Hermione's hand. "I just want the two of you to be happy."

"What am I supposed to buy here?" Dorcas whispered to Andromeda. "At the brothel, they supply us with-"

"Nothing for the brothel," Andromeda snapped, more harshly than she meant to. "Sorry. You're moving to Hogwarts over Christmas break, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Buy something to keep yourself occupied there, then. Actually..." She glanced toward the storefront. "There are books, see? They have all sorts of books, a huge room just full of books, including romance novels so sweet they'll have you heading to Jean to get your sugar-rotted teeth pulled. That's what we'll get for you. That's what you need. A few nice romance novels about brave, decent men who don't treat women and girls the way the ones you've known have treated you."

"Books?" Now Hermione, despite her reservations, looked curious.

"That's right. Books. You can take Dorcas into the bookshop. They also have tea there, and coffee, and little cakes, and you can spend the entire duration of this trip in there."

"I... I do like books. Fine You'll come with me, Dorcas." Hermione side-eyed her mother. "But Mother? I'm not showing you what I've bought. If I buy something."

"Fair enough."

And with that, they were entering the Fuzzy Minx Erotic Emporium.

Hermione tugged Dorcas by the hand, leading her toward the large sign that read BOOK ROOM with an arrow pointing to the right. Narcissa hovered not far from the door, perusing a blackboard.

"They teach couples classes," she said. "Look. Severus and I could take a... it says they're fully clothed, instructional courses, meant to teach couples how to expand their horizons and reach new heights together... No, that's silly, he'd never."

"I took one of those classes." Andromeda ran her finger down the board, seeking the one she'd tried. "Here it is."

101 How-To Tips for Women Who Love Women: a Lesbian Sex Class.

"You took a lesbian sex class?" Narcissa wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

"Because my marriage was such a mess I considered switching teams, but it's honestly more difficult to give up cock than it is to quit drinking."

Narcissa and Jean stared at her, open-mouthed and aghast.

"I'm not serious! For fuck's sake, calm down, you two." She snorted. "No, I took it because I knew Kingsley had a certain... fantasy... and for his birthday a couple of years ago I wanted to talk him through what it was he'd been fantasizing about. The class helped. Helped in more ways than one, as a matter of fact, but not until later." She winked at Narcissa, who knew about Amsterdam. But Narcissa stared back with a face of complete seriousness.

"How did you know his... his fantasies?"

"He told me."

"Ooh," said Jean, suddenly distracted by a woman arranging a display in the back corner opposite the book room. "Look, they have an entire line of Aphrodisiac chocolates and they are setting out free samples on that table. Excuse me, I have to indulge before Hermione catches me. I spent so much of her childhood lecturing her about the dangers of sugar and sweets she can't help pointing out my hypocrisy every time I take a bite of something that isn't a meat, fish, or vegetable. Excuse me." She hurried away.

Narcissa turned back to Andromeda.

"He told you? You asked him?"

"He told me in bed." Andromeda cocked an eyebrow. "Doesn't Severus tell you his fantasies?"

"I don't know if he has any."

"Have you told him any of yours?"

"I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"You... Narcissa! He can't - and you can't - the two of you... Merlin, Cissy, when you were married to Lucius, didn't you tell him your fantasies?"

"You don't understand." Narcissa tried to smile, but her nose twitches and her lower lip trembled. "Lucius was my fantasy. He still is. Anything he wanted, we did. I was happy to do... anything. Sometimes, too, because of my Legilimency and his lack of Occlumency, I could sense what he wanted and act on it, which he loved. Now, when I'm with Severus, I can't help but think of the things Lucius and I used to do... and I feel guilty, because..." She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on the bodice of her dress. "I've told him there are things I want, but not that they're fantasies, because I don't want him to know I'm thinking about things I did with Lucius. He'd be hurt. Not to mention that it's harder to be 'in the moment' in bed when you're focusing on utilizing Occlumency and on trying to use Legilimency despite his Occlumency at the same time." While they talked, they walked, eventually wandering into the Toys department.

"You two do that in bed? Occlumency, Legilimency, trying to invade each other's minds and keep each other out?" Andromeda could hardly fathom such a thing. "No wonder your sex life is suffering. Who wants to spend the entire time closing her mind so her partner won't know what she wants?"

"If he knew what I wanted, it would hurt him!"

"What about the dog collar? Isn't that something he wanted?" Andromeda was absentmindedly checking out all the shop had to offer in the Vibrators and Dildos section while they chatted, though Andromeda wasn't certain Cissy registered their surroundings. To remind her of their place, she picked up a rather large sparkly purple phallus with a curved attachment intended for "increased stimulation" and held it up to show Narcissa. "On sale."

"I thought he might like it because he likes the dog." Narcissa shrugged, reached for the dildo/vibrator combo, and placed it back on the shelf without checking the price or product particulars. "And he did, but he won't take it... farther. He won't choke me or tie me down or... anything. He says he's afraid to injure me, he doesn't want to be like his father. I don't understand. He wasn't like this before. Well, yes, he was, but not to this extreme. It's getting worse. He's becoming increasingly inhibited, gentler, more cautious."

"Is something the matter with him?"

"All he says is that he's afraid to hurt me and that he doesn't want to become his father. I feel sorry for him, having had a rotten childhood. Not like us."

Andromeda snorted. "Yes, ours was idyllic."

"It was!" Narcissa insisted. "We never wanted for anything. We had the newest dresses, the most expensive jewelry, the prettiest dolls. Mother loved putting us on display. Father found us utterly charming."

"Mother loved showing you off."

"Your perception of the past is skewed. We had a wonderful childhood, save for those rare occasions when Mother or Father had too much to drink and got cross. But they adored us."

"They adored you. Mother adored you and Father adored Bella. Nobody adored the middle child."

"I think time and bitterness have warped your perception." Narcissa took both of Andromeda's hands in hers. They faced each other. "Mother and Father loved us all. When you ran off, they were devastated. Mother called it a betrayal unlike any she's ever known, and Father cried. You only remember the negative parts of our childhood - and there were negatives, I won't pretend otherwise - but we had years of happiness too. Mother enjoyed taking us shopping, showing us off in our matching velvet dresses and hair ribbons. Father used to read to us at night, using a different voice for each character. Where do you think you learned that from?"

Andromeda had forgotten that, but her sister's words brought a memory flooding back.

"Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump!" Father's narrator voice was booming but not angry. His presence filled the whole room, making all three little girls giggle. "Speaking of Babbiby..." He reached onto Cissy's bed, where her stuffed rabbit lay on his usual place of honor: atop her pillow. "Here she is in her Animagus form! Babbity, can you tell us how you evaded the Witch-Hunters and their wild dogs?" He held the bunny up to his ear and nodded as if it replied. He held it out, facing the girls, and made it wave its paw. Cissy, age four, and Andromeda, six, waved back.

"What's that? I can't hear you, Babbity." He held the bunny to his ear again. "You can? You can share the story? Wonderful!" He made the bunny 'kiss' Bella's cheek. She smiled, but in that way children do when they think they're far too old for kid stuff.

"What's that?" Back to his ear. "Oh, you need me to tell the story? You're too shy? Well, that's fine. I would be happy to!"

He handed the stuffed bunny to a delighted Cissy, who held its mouth up to her ear as if hoping to hear a whisper like Daddy had. To either side of her, Andromeda and Bella were equally enraptured, and ready to be entertained. Daddy - no, Father - drew his wand. There were always special effects when he told a story.

"This is the tale of a clever witch, the world's first Animagus. A long, long time ago, before even the very first Blacks or Rosiers walked the earth, there lived a wicked and terrible Muggle king..."

"No one is evil all the time." Andromeda fought to keep from looking sullen, but the memory bothered her for a multitude of reasons, not least of which was that she truly had forgotten there were good times, and it almost hurt more to remember them than to believe it had never been anything but bad. "I'm certain even your Dark Lord had his positive traits, eh? Was he a particularly good knock-knock joke teller? Or an expert at bird origami?"

"Stop that." Narcissa slapped her hand in a scolding fashion. "You're picking a fight and I won't be dragged into it. Tell me more about Kingsley and his fantasies. You ask him straight out?"

Andromeda couldn't help being slightly sore at her sister for starting that conversation then refusing to continue it, but in the interest of getting along, she dropped the subject and answered the question. "Yes and no. It isn't as if I have him write me a list, but when we're together, we tell each other things. Things we want to do to each other or would want done to us. Things we've never done but would like to. Sometimes we pretend to be other people."

"People you know?"

"Not specific people. But he'll play Professor to my naughty student, or I'll be an Azkaban guard and he's my prisoner... We used to meet in Muggle pubs once in awhile, pretend to be strangers, make up entirely new personas, and leave together." Catching her sister's expression of disbelief, she added, "It's fun!"

Narcissa let out an uncharacteristically undignified snort. "Could you imagine if I asked Severus to play Professor to my naughty student?"

"Maybe he'd like it." Andromeda grinned. "Over the years, he probably had a number of naughty students deserving of spankings. You know, they sell costumes and props here... though for that one, an old Hogwarts uniform will do in a pinch."

"You don't!" Narcissa grabbed Andromeda's bicep, digging in her nails. "You're telling me you wear an old Hogwarts uniform when having sex with the Minister for Magic?"

Andromeda tried to twist away, but her sister's grip only tightened. She laughed. "What else would I wear? He especially likes the tie." She picked up another vibrator, this one pink. "This is called a Rabbit. It's waterproof." She handed it to Narcissa.

"What does it do?"

"What do you think?"

"It looks like a torture device. Why does it need twelve settings? Aside from 'off' and 'on,' I can't imagine-"

Andromeda swatted the back of her thigh playfully. "You need a better imagination, then, love."

"Can I help you find anything?" A salesgirl in a pink and purple blouse, open over a black tank paired with a stylish black skirt approached them. "Are you and your girlfriend considering the waterproof Rabbit? It's one of our more popular sellers."

"She's my sister," said Andromeda. "And we're considering purchasing anything that will get her off my couch and back home with her husband. Have you anything useful for struggling straight couples over fifty?"

"Neither he nor I have yet reached fifty, thank you," said Narcissa, shooting Andromeda a death glare. She turned back to the salesgirl. "But do you have... anything?"

"We have an entire section for couples looking to rekindle those fiery flames of passion! Right this way."

Andromeda sniggered immaturely at the description. She watched them go, checked the price on the pink Rabbit, and thought, 'Well, it's Kingsley's money I'm spending, so why not?' (While she resented what Narcissa had said about the joys of being too rich to work, she couldn't deny that it was nice shopping with money someone else earned... or inherited from wealthy parents.)

She had made her way to the Bondage & BDSM section and was perusing their selection of paddles and whips when she sensed someone standing behind her, staring, not speaking. She whipped around, unnerved, but thankfully it was only Dorcas.

"Hermione found me this," she whispered, holding out a book with a cover model who looked a lot like Dorcas had before Andromeda dragged her clothes shopping. "I think it will be too difficult to read but she's going to get the same one, plus extra copies for two of her friends, and we'll have a..." She dropped her voice even lower, as if what she was about to say was something quite scandalous. "Book club."

"The Third Son's Mistress," read Andromeda aloud. She turned it over to read the description on the back. 'Olivia Wilder has always been on the very edge of respectability, beautiful enough for parties with the aristocracy, but not the type a man would marry, but when the dying queen's third son takes her for a mistress, she is moved into the castle to..." She quickly gleaned over the rest. "Hermione's going to introduce you to her friends?"

"To Ginny Potter and Angelina Johnson and Luna Lovegood." Dorcas appeared terrified and somewhat sick. "They were in Dumbledore's Army. Ginny is married to famous Harry Potter. They all have... jobs. And... boys. And educations. What will we talk about? What if they hate me? What if they-"

"Why would they hate you?"

"Because they're war heroes and I'm noth-"

"If you call yourself 'nothing,' Dorcas, hand to Merlin I'll hex you from here to Hogwarts and back."

Dorcas blinked several times, looking very much like she wanted to argue but was too scared.

"Relax, Dorcas, I won't really hex you. And I think it would be wonderful for you to spend time with Hermione and her friends. They'll like you; just be yourself, and try not to look like you're afraid of them." Though she was not typically the type to show physical affection, especially not in public, she pulled the girl into a hug and spoke close to her ear. "I want you to have a better sense of self-worth than I do, and I want your life to be better than mine was. That's why you're going to school, right? You're going to study hard at Hogwarts and soak up all you can from Madam Pomfrey, and when you get to be my age you'll not be so broken."

"Sometimes I think about using again," Dorcas whispered into Andromeda's untamed hair. "I want to escape my situation so very badly, but I remind myself it's not much longer, only until Christmas, and then I'll be at Hogwarts, and once I leave I'm not going back."

"If you cannot safely stay there, you'll come stay with me, understand? I'll toss Narcissa off my couch so you can have it."

Dorcas giggled.

"I'm serious." Andromeda pulled back, holding the girl by her upper arms. "I told you before I don't want you stuck in a bad situation. You come straight to me if you need to."

"When I was at Hogwarts before, I used to pretend... in my head... that Bellatrix Lestrange was my mother." Dorcas bit her lip, hard, and glanced anywhere but at Andromeda's face before continuing. "Your Nymphadora was very lucky to have had you."

"Bella was a monster for what she did to me, and to my daughter, but I can't deny she did right by you." She caught the girl's face in both hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I think she would have been quite proud of you for returning to Hogwarts to study with Madam Pomfrey. Just as I am."

"I sampled too many chocolates and now I feel a tad queasy." Jean Granger was standing at the end of the aisle, looking vaguely green. She held up a pink and black paper shopping back. "I bought more to take home."

"Of the aphrodisiac chocolates?"

"No, these are the fruit-filled and alcohol-infused ones. But those were good too."

"Mum! You know those aren't good for your teeth!" Hermione joined them, appearing from the opposite end of the aisle, carrying a much larger paper shopping bag.

"What did you buy?" asked Jean.

"A book," answered Hermione.

"For giants?" asked Andromeda. "That bag is too big for-"

"A book and nothing else." Hermione tipped her chin up indignantly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be waiting outside."

"She also bought a red corset, a silver bullet, hot wax 'playtime' candles - whatever those are - and a silk blindfold," said Narcissa, stepping in front of Hermione from around the side of a wrist restraint display. "I used Legilimency on her while she was paying."

Hermione's face went a whole rainbow of colors, from mortified red to sickly green to furious purple, all in under two seconds.

Dorcas started to giggle.

She couldn't stop.

"I'm... so... sorry..." she gasped, hiding behind her hair, trying to keep her shoulders from shaking. "But... your... face..."

Andromeda started to laugh too, and Narcissa, and Jean, and, finally, Hermione.

"Fine!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing up her hand. "I admit it, I bought more than just a book!"

"That's nice, dear," said Jean, trying to compose herself.

The others paid for their purchases (Andromeda got the toy she'd already picked out, plus a small purple ostrich feather and mini flogger combination pack that she impulsively plucked off the end of the BDSM section shelf and a bottle of Salted Caramel Oral Pleasure lubricant) and they headed outside to say goodbye. They found a safe space from which to travel (Hermione and Jean by portkey, the others by apparating) and agreed to meet for dinner some time soon.

Back at home, where Teddy was just finishing up a session with his tutor - "Look, Nana! I can change my eyes to two different colors!" - Narcissa kissed Hope, told her she'd be spending another night with her cousin, and hurried to her own home.

"Severus will be home soon." She patted her Erotic Emporium bag. "I want to be ready when he arrives."

"So we'll have an extra child again tonight?" Kingsley asked. He kissed Andromeda's cheek and tried to peek into her bag, but she held it behind her back. They were standing in the kitchen, alone.

"An extra... or two."

"Two?"

"I told Dorcas she could stay here."

"Oh." He glanced toward the sitting room through the kitchen door. Dorcas was seated on the floor, saying Hello to each of Teddy's therapy cats in turn while Hope whined about not being allowed to touch them. "For how long?"

"Through... Christmas?" Andromeda looked up at him hopefully. As this was now his home too, it occurred to her she probably should have asked him before insisting the girl stay, but it was too late now.

"Andromeda..." He spoke in a warning tone.

"Please, Kingsley, she needs out of that brothel!"

"If she starts drinking-"

"Drinking's never been one of her vices! She doesn't even like it."

"Or using drugs-"

"She hasn't touched anything like that since before she entered the facility."

"I don't want her to threaten your sobriety, same as I said about Narcissa." He kissed her gently. "I worry about you."

"It's only through Christmas, love. Two months. Then it's the two of us. And Teddy. And your bastard baby, maybe, come April. I'm not sure."

His hand threaded up into the back of her hair, at the base of her neck. "What did you buy?"

"Can she stay?"

"Did you buy anything to benefit me?"

She smiled slyly up at him. "That depends. Can she stay?"

"No drugs."

"Of course not."

"Or prostitution. I do not want men in and-"

"Kingsley!"

"Well!"

She pressed her lips to his, briefly sucking his bottom lip into her mouth, running her tongue along it. His grip tightened on the back of her neck, but otherwise, he made no response.

"No men, no drugs, no alcohol. I promise. And she says she can help with Teddy, which will make life much easier now that I'm working again." She nuzzled against his neck. "So, can she stay?"

"She can stay. But she may not sleep in our bed. It's too crowded as it is."

Andromeda laughed, placed a quick kiss to his lips, and handed him the bag from behind her back. "I'll thank you later."

But later, after getting an anxious Dorcas settled in, reading several bedtime stories to a wide-awake Teddy, and cleaning the bed after Hope, who drank too much water after eight pm, had an 'accident,' all they could think about was falling asleep.

"You think this is fun," said Andromeda, snuggling up beside him under the blanket. "Wait until there's a baby in the mix."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Please don't let that child be mine."


A/N:

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 27! I hope you liked this longer, less drama-filled chapter. To answer clarasnotlikelys question, yes, we will see some of Teddy's therapy sessions. One was supposed to be in this chapter but it was just too long with too much going on, so it got bumped to 29. He's going to be working with those Therapy Cats.

Thanks times a thousand to those who reviewed C27: clarasnotlikely, somethingnew2016, PopularCats, FrancineHibiscus, Kat, lilikaco, AstoriaRedfern, sassanech, emrldapplejuice, and kalilje.

-AL

PS: If anyone is interested, I have two new fics going on at the moment. The first is a humor/romance/hurt/comfort called Someone Like You in which both Lucius and Draco are interested in Hermione (but Lucius is also hoping to reconcile with Narcissa and Hermione's just seeking a fling), and the second is a darker, more drama/angst-but-with-romance fic called Daughter of the Dark Lord, Or, the Corruption of Hermione Granger, which is a Bellatrix/Voldemort and Severus/Hermione story.