Early the next morning, Andromeda woke, confused at the warm body by her side, the strong arm wrapped around her, holding her possessively. She thought for a few fleeting seconds of Ted, but immediately pushed away the idea. She glanced up to the man sleeping beside her and couldn't decide whether to smirk or to cringe.
Andromeda scooted closer to him and leaned up, softly pressing her lips to his. She allowed her lips to linger on his until he stirred, his arms tightening around her. "Rab," she whispered against his cheek before pressing her face into his neck.
He shivered as her breath tickled him, and his hand slid down her back to rest on her thigh, pulling her closer to him. The man embraced her sleepily and she smiled slightly as he kissed her head. "Dromeda?" he murmured, his eyes flickering open. "Merlin, witch...you're so beautiful...come here."
The woman willingly leaned into his kiss as he pulled her firmly against him, his eyes shadowed from his mussed up hair. She was lying half on, half beside him as they kissed, but it wasn't long before Rabastan sat up and pushed Andromeda to lie on her back in his bed. "Rabastan," she groaned softly as she pulled him down to her.
"So willing now," he smirked slightly as he allowed his weight to press her into the bed. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she drew him closer. "Why did you wait so long?"
"Shhh," Andromeda smirked. "I'm pretending." She giggled when Rabastan leaned in to kiss her heatedly, returning his kisses with fervor. Andromeda gasped at his touch several minutes later, finally unable to ignore her desires. She pressed her hips against his and groaned at the feelings she received in return. "Please," she whispered when he finally took a breath between kisses.
Rabastan looked into her eyes, then kissed her softly before trailing his hand down her side. Andromeda writhed with the anticipation, and he smirked at the sound of longing that came from her lips. "Rab," she gasped, closing her eyes at the emotions racing through her. "Rab—"
He kissed her firmly, his hand caressing her intimately. "You found the best way to wake me up."
"Rabastan, I—I can't do this," Andromeda squeezed her eyes shut, unable to make the feelings stop, and helpless to tell him to leave her alone. "We can't." She wanted it more than anything, but she felt so shameful in the midst of her pleasure.
"I can," Rabastan told her, eyebrow raised. "And you like it, beautiful. I know I do. Now." He frowned down at her when she grasped his hand, pulling it away from her thigh.
"But...it doesn't mean anything." Andromeda lay back on the pillows, turning to look at her lover. "It's just a physical attraction. We don't care for each other."
"Then let's make this the last time for a couple days," Rabastan said convincingly. "We'll only allow it to go this far when we both feel like it. It doesn't have to be an every day thing."
Andromeda leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her hair hide her face. "I don't want to be used."
Rabastan sat up, frowning more deeply. "How can you feel used when you enjoyed and initiated it?" he demanded of her. "You wanted this to happen, Andromeda. You're the one who told me you were ready for sex, the one who kissed me awake."
She bowed her head. "I'm lonely."
He sighed. "I can't promise you love, Andromeda, but I can give you companionship and fill your physical needs. It's not being used if you want and allow it—I would never try to harm you, especially after you went mad on me last time."
"Promise?" Andromeda said, looking up and grasping his forearms.
"I'll do my best," Rabastan replied seriously, then allowed his eyes to glance over her naked body. Reaching out, he pushed her flat onto her back and leaned in to kiss her. "My very best," he smirked, and she giggled as she pulled him closer….
The two lay breathless with pleasure in each other's arms, Andromeda sighing in fulfillment as Rabastan stroked her back gently. "I don't understand how such a beautiful woman like you could fall for a Mudblood."
"Rab, it isn't how I look that made me love Ted," she sighed. "It was how caring, and loving he was to me. He was so gently, so kind—you couldn't understand. Beauty is deadly, anyway, and I'd honestly be better off without it."
"Ha," said Rabastan, allowing his eyes to sweep over her body again.
"Stop doing that!" she snapped at him, diving for her clothes.
He smirked as he watched her lazily from the bed. "Ah, but you didn't care about that a few minutes ago, Dromeda darling," he chuckled.
She turned from him, pulling her dress over her head, and was shocked to feel his hands tugging her dress down into place, lingering on her hips as he gave her a small smirk. "What's the plan for today?" he asked. Andromeda didn't reply, and Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't mean to stay in bed all day. I mean, I wouldn't mind—"
"Rabastan!" Andromeda exclaimed in indignation. "I can't do that. I need to go start breakfast right now."
"Shall I keep you company?" Rabastan asked her, sliding his arms around her from behind and holding her loosely.
"Yes," Andromeda said, then immediately said, "No."
"Oh, come on," Rabastan smirked, pressing a kiss to her neck as he glanced into the mirror. "Don't we look like a married couple?"
Andromeda shuddered. "Merlin, no. What a thought. I'd definitely be mad or probably dead by now. Can you imagine what that would be like?"
Rabastan grinned. "I'm glad we're not held to all those rules," he agreed. "Glad that no one knows."
She twisted in his arms, slipping one arm around his neck as she kissed him for a few moments. "Later," she murmured. "Though I don't know when."
He grinned and kissed her quickly. "Promise?" he teased.
Andromeda pouted at him, then darted out of his room before he could come after her and hurried down the hall. She was grateful, for once, to hear her grandson crying, and hurried off to the nursery, taking the child into her arms. She was turning to leave the room with him when she met Rodolphus in the doorway.
The man awkwardly looked from her to the child to the bottle in his own hand. "Here," he said, holding it out to her.
"Oh. Thank you," Andromeda said. "Why don't you take care of Teddy while I go start breakfast."
Rodolphus nodded and carefully took the baby from Andromeda, cradling the child close. Andromeda heard Teddy's hungry cries quiet as she left the room, half smirking at the image of Rodolphus Lestrange taking care of a baby. She hurried down to the kitchen and barely started the oatmeal when she felt someone's magic against the wards of the house.
Andromeda went to the front door to see who was coming toward the house and scowled to realise that it was Harry and Neville. She opened the door, frowning at them as she stood in the doorway. "What is your business here?" she asked them.
"Um, it's out, about Nymphadora's engagement," Harry muttered sheepishly. "And...there are protesters at the Ministry. We've come to escort her to work. Just to make sure nothing happens."
"We shall see if she desires your company," Andromeda said, allowing them into the house. Almost at that moment, Rodolphus came down the stairs and looked between the two Aurors before wandlessly vanishing the bottle he was holding.
"What's going on?" Rodolphus frowned at the three.
The witch turned to him. "They are here to escort Nymphadora to work, since there are protesters at the Ministry angry about her engagement to you. If you would go up and tell Dora that?"
Rodolphus turned and left them, heading up the stairs to do her bidding. Andromeda turned back to the boys. "Take a seat, and serve yourself breakfast if you're hungry. There's plenty to go around."
Rabastan entered the dining room moments later and looked around at them. "Potter, are you lost?"
"Yeah, got out at the wrong Floo again," Neville chuckled. He grunted as Harry elbowed him in the ribs.
"Oh, you're here about Nymphie," he chuckled. "She's fine. Probably still asleep, though. Likes to do things last minute."
"I sent your brother to wake her," Andromeda said with a frown. "She will be here shortly."
In a few minutes, Rodolphus and Nymphadora came down the stairs, the witch holding Teddy in her arms. Dora grinned at the two in Auror robes. "Hello, Neville, Harry," she said. "So why is it that I need an escort?"
"There's a more or less controlled riot going on at the Ministry," Neville told her. "Participants are protesting the news that came out in the Prophet this morning."
"They're lying in wait for you," Harry shrugged. "Thought you should know."
"Great," Dora sighed.
"This is just the beginning," Andromeda told her, and received a glare, as she had known she would. "Well, go on and eat your breakfast. The sooner you leave, the fewer people you'll have to deal with."
Nymphadora rolled her eyes and sat down to eat, handing her son off to Harry. "Here, hold your godson."
Harry looked shocked, and Neville laughed, beginning to tease him about not knowing how to hold a baby. "Shut up," Harry muttered, looking down at the child.
Teddy reached up and touched the scar on Harry's forehead, the older boy sighing. "Wonderful. Even Teddy knows who I am."
"Oh, he won't know what it means," Dora said immediately. "He probably just thinks it's a strange decoration for someone's forehead."
"Ha!" Rabastan laughed.
"Thanks, Tonks," Harry muttered.
Nymphadora couldn't help giggling and Andromeda hid a smirk as Teddy slapped his small fist against Harry's nose, receiving a yelp of surprise.
Andromeda looked away from them as Rodolphus pulled Nymphadora into his side for a moment before the two quickly finished eating. "Shall we go, then?" she asked the boys after a moment.
"Yeah," the two said together.
"Give Teddy to me," Andromeda told them, and the two boys continued to stare at Teddy awkwardly rather than watch Rodolphus and Nymphadora said goodbye. "I love you," Dora said, then got to her feet. "Bye. I'll be back." She winked at him, then led the way from the house, both younger Aurors following her.
Andromeda cradled Teddy as she heard the three disapparate, Rodolphus staring at the table once more. Rabastan looked to his brother, smirking. "The whole world will know by tonight," he chuckled. "You're really going to get it now."
The brown-haired witch glared at the younger Lestrange. "Leave him alone, Rabastan, or you'll regret it."
Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "I'd love to."
She got to her feet and waved her wand, clearing the table and started the dishes to washing. Rodolphus finally looked up at her and said, "I was supposed to tell you that Narcissa wants to see you, and that she'll possibly be visiting here soon."
"You spoke to her?" Andromeda said quickly. "When? What exactly did she say?"
"I went to Malfoy Manor last night to tell Narcissa and Lucius of my engagement to your daughter before they learned of it from the paper," Rodolphus answered. "Nymphadora invited Narcissa to your home a little while ago when the two bumped into each other. Narcissa said that she would visit, but wasn't sure when it would be."
Andromeda nodded, looking down at her blue-haired grandson. "Understood." She wondered if her sister had managed to convince Lucius that she wanted to talk to the only sister she had left. Andromeda walked from the room, heading up the stairs into the nursery. "Here," Andromeda said to the child, kissing his brightly-coloured hair. "Stay here for a moment."
The second Andromeda put the child down, he began to cry and reach out for her. "Teddy," she sighed, taking him up again. "Shhh," she shushed him, her lips against his cheek. "It's okay. I guess I'll keep you with me, then. Shhh, Teddy Bear."
Teddy quieted very quickly, wrapping one small arm around his grandmum's neck and looking around him. Andromeda sighed and sat down in the rocking chair in the nursery, holding the child in her arms. "I wish you would take a nap," she told him.
The door opened and Rabastan entered, immediately closing the door behind him. Andromeda looked up and frowned at him. "You should not be in here," she hissed. "What if your brother wanted to see Teddy and walked in here?"
"We are merely talking of going to the Burrow Friday," Rabastan informed her. "He will think nothing of it. He's naive, believe me."
"So what are we talking about?" Andromeda asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Well," Rabastan smirked, "I'm sure you thought otherwise, but I meant it about the Burrow."
Andromeda looked down at Teddy to hide her annoyance. "What about it? We'll probably eat outside, and there will be Weasleys everywhere. As well as a few of their friends, and maybe an in-law or two."
Rabastan nodded, leaning against the wall as he looked over at Andromeda and Teddy. "I really don't want to go."
"It's not you who will be under scrutiny," Andromeda told him. "It's Rodolphus and Nymphadora that are going to have the spotlight."
"It's always Rodolphus," Rabastan muttered.
"Not with me," Andromeda said, and the man looked up to see her smirking at him.
Rabastan raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk coming to his lips. "Good," he said softly.
Andromeda watched him for a moment, but he said nothing more. She sighed and continued to cuddle her grandson, saying after a moment, "Just stay silent if you can't keep calm." She gave him a small smile. "We shouldn't be there too long, just enough time for dinner. I doubt they'll want to keep us."
The man nodded. "I can't deny that I wish I weren't going."
She nodded in agreement. "It's not as peaceful as it used to be when we go over there," she said. "I guess that's what happens in war time. I was never close to them; it was Dora, because of the Order."
"Have they turned against you?" Rabastan asked her quietly.
"No...they think that Dora is out of her mind," Andromeda shook her head slightly. "That your brother is controlling her, or something equally as stupid."
"What do you think now that they're engaged?" Rabastan mused.
Andromeda looked at the man, then down at the floor. "I know it was their choice," she muttered. "I'm worried about Dora, but I told her to make her own decisions. If she has to get away from him, she can always come home to me, and I will protect her."
Rabastan nodded. "I can see you standing against my infuriated brother just fine."
She glared at him. "Thanks. I hope that never happens though. I want them to be happy with each other—I'm just concerned."
"And you should be," Rabastan said simply. "We are dangerous men."
"Ha!" Andromeda laughed at him, surprising Teddy. She patted the child's back, reassuring him. "I'm not afraid of either of you, Rabastan Lestrange."
"I'm glad," he chuckled, smirking at her as he walked toward her. "That would be unfortunate."
She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing as she watched him. He stood next to her chair for a moment, her dark eyes staring into his, before he placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her lips. Andromeda leaned into the kiss for a few moments, closing her eyes as she felt her magic crackle softly.
Rabastan kissed her more firmly, tangling his hand in her hair and allowing his magic to touch hers. Andromeda made a small sound of delight before she pulled away from him and turned her face away. "No, I can't," she said. "I have responsibilities. I've got to take care of Teddy." She wouldn't look at him.
After a few moments of silence, Rabastan left the room and Andromeda clutched her grandson to herself, fighting back her emotions. She didn't know why she felt that she shouldn't play around with Rabastan, but desperately wanted his attentions at the same time. She sniffed a little, blaming her feelings on her loneliness; she wished Ted was still with her.