CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
PART THREE: END OF WEEK ELEVEN
THE HEARING
Hearings about non-criminal or minor offenses – such as custodial issues or most dealings with the performance of underage magic – were generally not held down in the dungeons of the Ministry of Magic. There was a similar, but less sinister, round chamber on the same floor as the Magical Law Enforcement offices to be used instead. This was just down the hall from the office Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, and Emmeline Vance had shared before and during the war, as Aurors. Though Kingsley was not keen on being just three doors down from Hestia's current headquarters, he was glad Teddy would not have to testify in the cold chamber where countless Death Eaters had been sentenced to execution after the war.
Teddy was sent to the children's playroom until it would be his turn to talk. Baby James Sirius was being minded there as well, as both of his parents had to be present for the duration of the hearing. Kingsley had cleared his entire afternoon, not knowing how long it would take (or how it would turn out) and Dorcas was scheduled to testify, as were Healers Adelaide Smelthwyck and Artemisia Bonham.
Spectators were not permitted.
As First Witch of the Wizengamot, teeny old Griselda Marchbanks handled the questioning, though other members were permitted to chime in without having to first ask permission. The woman hadn't wanted this to go before the partial Wizengamot. She'd asked both the Potters and Andromeda to settle outside the Ministry, but this was to no avail, thus, she had a job to do.
She started light.
"Mrs. Tonks, could you describe yourself for the record, please."
"Alright." Andromeda folded her hands in her lap. She wore her wedding ring today; the small diamond sparkled in the flickering light of the torches in sconces all around the walls. She wore a knee-length dark blue wool skirt paired with a light blue button-down blouse over a pink camisole, which she hoped gave her a soft, feminine look, but a professional one, too. She wore her glasses, kept makeup to a minimum, and straightened her hair, hoping to downplay her resemblance to her sister.
Even though she was upstairs and not down in the dungeons, this entire situation reminded her not only of the time she'd given testimony against Thorfinn Rowle, but of her own criminal trial when she was unjustly charged with inciting a riot several years prior, after the anti-execution demonstrations Hermione and Neville's group had orchestrated. That time, she was facing Azkaban.
This time, she was at great risk of losing her little boy.
She was much more fearful this time.
"Mrs. Tonks?" prodded Griselda gently, looking upon her empathetically
"My name is Andromeda Tonks. I was born in 1953 to Cygnus and Druella Black. I married my husband, Ted, in 1970. I'm a widow now."
"He was killed during the war, wasn't he?" asked Griselda. "He was Muggleborn?"
Andromeda nodded. "He was Muggleborn, yes, and marrying him was the reason my family disowned me when I was seventeen. After nearly twenty-eight years of marriage, he was murdered. By Snatchers. They never positively identified his killer, though it was suspected to have been Fenrir Greyback. They also never found most of his remains, but there was enough left to know it had been him."
Kingsley winced. This was something she almost never spoke about, and he hadn't realized she even knew that particular detail about Ted Tonks' murder. A darkness came into her eyes, one that unsettled him. She hadn't been well since her drunken night with Narcissa the week before. Too much darkness. Too much resurfaced self-loathing. Too much pain.
"The war was difficult for all of us," said Griselda, a look of sympathy on her aged face.
"Some more than others," said Andromeda, her eyes sweeping across the members of the Wizengamot. "Ted and I were visited by Death Eaters, once. They broke into our home. They made him watch while they tortured me. They did horrible things to me, while they taunted my husband because he couldn't protect me. I still have the scars. But neither of us would give them any of the information they sought, which included keeping from them the other safe house locations where Harry Potter might have been taken after he left our house the night Alastor Moody was murdered." She shot a sharp look in Harry's direction. "Would you like the particulars?"
"No, thank you," said Griselda, looking vaguely ill. "You had only the one child together?"
"Yes, one daughter, Nymphadora. She was killed too, along with her husband, in the Battle at Hogwarts five years ago. She was hit with the Killing Curse by my older sister, Bellatrix, with whom I was once very close."
"Nymphadora Tonks Lupin was the mother of your grandson, Edward, the minor whose custody is being decided today," said Griselda. She motioned to a young man with long hair who was taking notes. "For the record."
"Yes," said Andromeda. "My… partner… and I are raising Teddy together, and earlier this year we unofficially adopted an abused teenage girl, Dorcas. I…" The hardness in her expression abruptly dissipated. For just a second, she looked like she might cry, but she managed quickly to compose herself. "Is than sufficient?"
"Yes," said Griselda Marchbanks. "Thank you. And I believe I speak for the entire Wizengamot when I say we are sorry for your losses, and for the torment you endured at the hands of the Death Eaters."
"Fine," said Andromeda, not one to seek pity.
"What do you do for work?" asked one of the Wizengamot's youngest members, Blaise Zabini. Andromeda recognized him as the son of Zinnia, a fellow Slytherin and former friend of Narcissa. He was a handsome young man, but there was no kindness in his eyes.
"I was employed by St. Mungo's as a receptionist until earlier this year. Now I…" She glanced at Kingsley. "I care for the children. I'm educating them at home. And I keep the house. I cook. I clean. We have a cat."
"And your significant other lives with you?" asked Griselda, glancing at Kingsley.
"But you're not married?" asked a plump, gray-haired woman in the back. She tutted, already knowing the answer.
"Correct," said Andromeda. "And I know it bothers some people that we're not married, but I promise you, it means nothing. We're an average family. We take care of each other. Kingsley is the sole provider financially, but I support him in other ways. I send him to work with a packed lunch most days, I do his laundry and the shopping. Kingsley coaches Teddy's junior Quidditch team. We eat dinners together as a family, we play board games, read to the children, go on holiday when we can. We're quite… plain."
"When you're clean and sober, that is?" asked Jacqueline Morisot, the very rich, very well-connected mother of Euphemia Rowle. She looked to Andromeda with an expression of utter hatred.
Andromeda sighed.
"Yes," she said quietly. "When I'm clean and sober."
LAST SATURDAY
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" demanded Kingsley, staring furiously down at the hungover blonde half-asleep on his couch.
"Is Andromeda awake yet?" asked Narcissa, struggling to sit up. "I'm hungry. I want crepes."
"You're going home." He grabbed Narcissa roughly by the upper arm and marched her toward the fireplace. He tossed in the Floo Powder. "Now."
"Now?"
"Now."
She stepped into the fireplace and called out her home. He followed. By the time he stepped out into the Snape sitting room, she was already curling up on their couch, pulling a throw blanket over her.
"Narcissa?" called Severus from somewhere down the hall. "Is that you? Where have you been? We returned an hour ago. I expected to find you sleeping!" He entered the sitting room, but did not initially spot Kingsley. "I was worried."
THE HEARING
"Tell us more about Teddy," said Griselda. She smiled. She had a nice smile. Grandmotherly. Unassuming and kind.
"Teddy." Andromeda smiled too. She couldn't not. He'd been so cute that morning, dressing up in his little trousers, brand new trainers, and a moss green Christmas jumper. She wanted him to look his sweetest. He'd even agreed to take the stuffed bunny.
"Teddy is five. Six in April. He's a happy child, most of the time, and reasonably well-behaved, though like all children, he has his moments. He's affectionate, kind, and has a good sense of humor. He's not terribly coordinated, but neither was his mother – it's because he's a Metamorphmagus, like she was – and he's being tutored by a fellow Metamorph to learn to control his abilities. He's not the best speller but he's a bright boy. He's learning to write in both pencil and quill, but prefers crayons. He has several friends and an active imagination."
A dark-haired man with a curled goatee cleared his throat and held a finger in the air.
"Excuse me. According to the custodial petition filed by Harry Potter, the boy has emotional issues stemming from a traumatic childhood, the result of his grandmother's drinking and drug use. He has severe separate anxiety, he is afraid to sleep or shower alone, he has had a history of physical altercations with other children, and he sometimes takes out his aggression on toys, breaking or burning them. He sees an emotional Healer at least once per week. Is this true?"
"Well, he… uh…" Andromeda glanced at Kingsley. He mouthed 'be honest.' She nodded. "He can be a handful at times and he did go through a period during which he did not want to sleep alone, but we're past it now. The shower issue developed after Ginny Potter told him a story about a monster in the pipes at Hogwarts-"
"Don't blame his issues on her!" snapped Harry.
Griselda hushed him.
"You'll have your turn, Mr. Potter. Please continue, Mrs. Tonks."
"He has had some trauma in his childhood, yes, starting when his mother and father were brutally murdered within minutes of each other. He was often inconsolable as a baby and now that he's older, he's started asking more questions about who they were and how they died. It bothers him, I think, that he has no memories of them, and I'll be honest, it's difficult for me to tell him about his mother. I miss her. She was my…" Andromeda's voice cracked. She closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself, doing the same old exercise she was taught in the facility: Wizengamot seats in front of me, Kingsley to my right, the door to the left, a ring on my finger, enchanted windows behind…
"Are you alright, Mrs. Tonks?"
"He is afraid that the people he loves are going to die. Earlier this year, when I was hospitalized with Dragon Pox, he was worried I might not come home. It was shortly thereafter that we arranged for a Healer to begin one-on-one sessions. It's done wonders for him. He's much better now and it's not even been three months."
LAST SATURDAY
"Kingsley? What-"
Kingsley did not wait for Severus to finish his sentence.
"Your wife wanted to drink and have fun last night and she did not wish to do so alone, so she dragged her sister down with her. Tell him, Narcissa."
"Severus? I'm hungry. Where's Butters?"
"Tell him!" Kingsley again grabbed her by the upper arm, forcing her into an upright position. Severus rushed toward them.
"Unhand her!" He drew his wand.
"No need for that, Snape." Kingsley released her and backed away.
Severus lowered his wand, but did not slip it back up his sleeve.
"Andromeda spent half an hour sobbing with regret last night, Narcissa. When she awoke this morning, she told me you'd begged her to join you in the pub because you didn't want to go home, you didn't want to face a night alone. She said for two hours she didn't drink a damn drop while you got tipsy, but after two hours of hearing you assure her one wouldn't hurt, of hearing you tell her that you have 'just one' on occasion with no damage done, she thought she'd take one and nurse it all night to shut you up. She ended up pissed and she also had to drag your sorry knackered arse home on the Knight Bus, as you were too far gone to Floo or Apparate."
Narcissa pouted up at Severus, who was staring down upon her with dismay.
"Narcissa?" he asked.
"I missed you," she said. "I love you. I missed Hope. I didn't want to be home all alone in an empty house."
"Andromeda said you're considering a divorce."
"What?" Severus looked from Narcissa to Kingsley and back again, hurt evident on his pale face.
"We had that little row, Severus," Narcissa whined. "But I didn't mean it. I didn't! I love you. I just-"
"She wants to go out more. To throw lavish parties. To be social. The way she was with Lucius," explained Severus. "I reminded her I hate social engagements, lavish parties, going out. I told her she could go without me."
"And I did! Just as you said I shou-"
"You are quite possibly the most selfish, self-serving, self-absorbed person I have ever met, Narcissa Malfoy," said Kingsley, purposely using her former name. "I cannot possibly convey to you how furious I am. Do you have any idea how badly you've hurt her? She's home sobbing in the shower over how she stupidly threw away over thirty-four weeks of sobriety for nothing, an occurrence we hope will not come up in six days when we try to convince the Wizengamot she's a fit parent for Teddy!"
"I didn't think about that," said Narcissa, her voice small.
"It is clear you didn't think," said Kingsley. "Not about anyone beyond yourself, that is."
THE HEARING
"We'll hear from the child's Healer shortly," said Griselda Marchbanks, nodding at Artemisia Bonham. "But I would like you to address Harry Potter's signed claim that Teddy's separation anxiety and fear of losing his loved ones predates your Dragon Pox; he alleges that this started when the boy found you on the floor of your sitting room with a…" Griselda sucked her teeth. "With a needle in your arm, unresponsive."
Several mumbles and murmurs came from the Wizengamot at that.
"I don't think it's news to anyone in this room that I had a substance abuse problem," said Andromeda delicately. "I've been open about it, trying to decrease the stigma in an effort to help other addicts like me receive the help they need rather than seeing them vilified, publicly shamed, and treated like pariahs even by St. Mungo's Healers. But I don't use anymore. I swear it. I've been clean since April."
"Have you?" asked a woman in the second row. She had long curly blonde hair and wore cats-eye glasses. "According to our information, you had a relapse while a patient in the facility… a situation involving a male nurse…?"
"Oh, that." Andromeda bristled. "I'd forgotten. Yes, there was that… that one time. But I wasn't trying to… to get high. Then."
"A suicide attempt?" asked the woman, leaning forward curiously.
Andromeda, unable to speak, nodded.
"You sucked off that nurse in exchange for a syringe of Elven Herb, didn't you?" asked Blaise Zabini, regarding her like chewing gum on the bottom of his overpriced dragon skin boots. "Like a prostitute?"
"You have a history of committing acts that are just a shade away from prostitution, don't you?" asked Jacqueline, sneering. "Predating your marriage, even. My daughter says you had a reputation, even at Hogwarts."
"How many times have you attempted suicide?" asked the curious blonde in the second row. "Are you suicidal right now?"
Andromeda shook her head.
"How many times have you tried to die?" asked the man with the curled goatee. "And how many times have you traded sex for illegal substances?"
"What made you feel like you'd be better off dead?" asked the blonde. "Have you battled these issues for a long time, or are they recently formed?"
"Uh… I… well…"
"You shagged a nurse so he'd help you kill yourself," said Zabini, not waiting for her response. "So are you mental? Or just a slag?"
Andromeda dug her right fingernails into her left wrist, visualized that last needle she stuck in her arm, and wished she could disappear entirely. She didn't know which awful inquiry she should respond to first. After a moment, she opened her mouth to assure them she wasn't suicidal right now, though that wasn't entirely true, but a familiar voice piped up first.
"She doesn't owe you this," said Healer Adelaide Smelthwyck. "Your objective here is to determine whether she is, at the present, a fit parent for young Teddy, is it not? To do so, I hardly think you need to pick apart her experiences while in the facility, where one ought to be able to expect privacy and compassion. Her medical history is not available for your perusal."
"And you are…?" asked the blonde woman.
"Healer Adelaide Smelthwyck. I run the program at-"
"Healer Smelthwyck will be testifying as a character witness on Mrs. Tonks' behalf," interrupted Griselda. "You may question her then. For the time being, though, Healer, we ask that witnesses not make comments."
"Fine," said Adelaide. "I'll be respectful, but at the same time, I'll not let you cause further damage to my patient in the form of gratuitous, invasive questions meant to showcase her like a circus elephant rather than those necessary for fact gathering. If you want sensationalism, look to the Prophet. This is a custody hearing, not fodder for your Monday morning gossip fest."
The blonde ducked her head, looking sufficiently chastened, and the man with the goatee mumbled an apology. Several other members of the Partial Wizengamot also averted their eyes, or shuffled uncomfortably; clearly those who had been firing questions weren't the only ones hoping to learn more about her than they needed for the purpose of this hearing.
"Noted, Healer," said Griselda Marchbanks. "The Wizengamot will refrain from asking invasive personal questions about Mrs. Tonks' past drug use, facility stay, and mental state, except as they pertain to the minor Teddy Tonks and his care."
Andromeda sent Healer Smelthwyck a shaky smile. Though she wasn't a hugger, she wanted to throw her arms around the woman and thank her it felt good knowing someone was in her corner.
"I won't pretend to be perfect," said Andromeda. "But Teddy is my world and I am committed to being the best parent I can possibly be."
"Not to be… invasive…" said an olive-skinned older man who was twirling the end of his handlebar mustache. "But I do not understand what drives a person to… to do as you've done. Harry Potter experienced trauma during the war and look at him now, an Auror, married, baby. Healthy. No problems with alcohol or addition. How can we trust you won't…" He shifted uncomfortably. "How can we trust you won't go straight back to it?"
"My niece was disfigured by a werewolf during that battle," said a copper-eyed woman with her hair in a dozen small braids. "She has struggled with sobriety since. For some, the scars may not be as visible as hers, but the demons… those are on the inside. And it's not about 'how much' trauma a person experienced, but what a person went through, how they've processed it, and what help has been available to them since."
Andromeda nodded, encouraged. This must be Lavender Brown's aunt, Cecile. The girl had spoken about her in group sessions, but Andromeda had never met her before.
"I realize to many it may not seem that I suffered during the war. Not to the degree that some others did. And it may make me seem weak for having had the difficulties I did in dealing with it. I don't mind telling you a bit about the war… if that would be alright?"
Griselda gave permission. Andromeda took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She'd rehearsed this with Kingsley all week and hoped it would win some of them over just as her Quibbler column had countless readers.
"In 1997, my daughter volunteered to be part of the guard who would accompany Harry Potter away from his aunt and uncle's house shortly before his seventeenth birthday. She offered up our home as one of several safe houses where Potter and those disguised to look like him would hide upon escaping a delegation of Death Eaters and You Know Who himself. Ours was the home to which the real Potter was taken, and from that moment on, our family was even more of a target than we'd been during the first war.
"My older sister was You Know Who's staunchest supporter. She wanted me dead and she wanted my daughter dead. According to my younger sister, Bella referred to this as 'pruning the family tree.'"
"Bellatrix Lestrange," whispered a portly man under his breath. Her name evoked shivers from several Wizengamot members.
"That last year of the war, from the summer of 1997 through the Final Battle in 1998, I was constantly on edge. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I thought we might be killed any day. My daughter was recently married and pregnant. She could not apparate safely, nor could she Morph, which put her at increased danger. When they came to my home, thankfully, she was not there. But they tortured both me and my husband, as I said. I… I don't talk about that, much. Not even with Healer Smelthwyck. Shortly thereafter, my husband had to go on the run. I lived every day terrified the Death Eaters would return and I would be powerless against them, unable to protect myself or my daughter. I was afraid they would do to her what they'd done to me and make me watch as they made my husband watch. After Teddy was born, I helped Nymphadora care for him. We were both in a perpetual state of exhaustion. We slept in the same bed, she and I and the baby, whenever Remus was gone, which was often. She held her baby and I held mine – her – and we only half-slept, waiting anxiously for morning."
Kingsley nearly swore under his breath, but managed to swallow the word.
"My daughter shouldn't have gone to fight that night, the night of the Battle at Hogwarts, but she felt compelled to be with her husband, to do her job as an Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix. Just as she'd said when she insisted we let our home be a safe house, she told me we had to do all we could to help Harry Potter."
Andromeda looked directly at him as she spoke. She wanted him to know. She wanted him to know how much they sacrificed for him. Because of him.
"For a long time, I felt I did not do enough. I felt that I could have done more during the war. But I did what I could, and I did more than I had to. I did not have to allow my home to be used as a safe house. But I did. And, later, I could have given the Death Eaters the information they sought. I knew what they wanted to know but I used Occlumency and sheer will to keep them from that information. I kept my mouth closed until I went unconscious."
"Merlin," whispered Lavender's aunt Cecile, shaking her head.
"In the spring, I did not have the luxury of grieving for my murdered husband. We were not able to have a proper burial. They gave me his monogrammed handkerchief and his wedding band, which, they said, was still on his finger when they found it, detached from his hand. He was buried by strangers out in the woods."
Harry stared down at his lap. He didn't know this, he'd never known any of this. Ginny placed a hand on his knee. She hadn't known either.
"After the war, I buried both the handkerchief and the ring with Nymphadora. I was hardly able to grieve her, either, because I had a newborn to care for, alone. Once she was gone, he was often inconsolable, as I said. He wanted to nurse; there were nights I feared he'd starve to death because he didn't want the bottle, but I held him against my skin and sang the songs my Dora loved and told him a thousand times each day how loved he was. I alone fed him, changed him, bathed him, cared for him, rocked him to sleep. I toilet trained him, helped him learn to walk, taught him to talk. Gave him his baths and clipped his teeny fingernails and read his bedtime stories. I did that, me, alone. And, for a long time, I didn't have a single drink."
LAST SATURDAY
"You are no longer welcome in our home, Narcissa," said Kingsley. "You'll not visit while I'm at work and Andromeda will not be joining you and Jean for Sunday brunch. For the time being, until further notice, I don't want you near her."
"But she's my sister! You can't keep me away from my sister!"
"Your belief in blood purity kept you away from your sister for over twenty-five years. I don't think a few weeks – or months – will kill you."
"Weeks or months?" Narcissa looked panicked. "But you don't understand, Kingsley. Meda is my closest friend!"
"Andromeda doesn't need friends who hurt her. She's had enough people in her life willing to do that."
"Isn't this a bit extreme, Kingsley?" asked Severus. "I'm sure Narcissa feels awful for-"
"I don't give a bloody fuck how awful Narcissa feels," said Kingsley. "The only woman whose feelings matter to me at the moment is Andromeda."
THE HEARING
"Tell us what a typical day is like for Teddy," said Griselda Marchbanks, changing the subject.
"He wakes up early. He knows, if it's before the sun is up, he has to play quietly or look at books in his bed, unless he needs to use the toilet. Sometimes, though, he'll slip into bed with me for a couple of hours after Kingsley's gone to work. I enjoy cooking so I make breakfast every morning. On occasion he'll have porridge with fruit, but most days he asks for eggs, beans, toast, sausages."
Kingsley smiled. That morning, she'd been in no mood to cook and offered to take him and Dorcas out before going to the Ministry, but he'd insisted she make eggs instead because hers are better than what the "real chefs" make.
"After he helps with dishes, we dress for the day. He brushes his own teeth, but I supervise because he sometimes forgets the toothpaste or only does the front four. He and Dorcas both have academic workbooks, reading books, and magic that they're practicing; we do it together, generally, at the kitchen table so I can help them. Dorcas was not educated as a child. I don't want Teddy to struggle as she has. Too many children get to Hogwarts with only the most basic understanding of maths, English, and history."
Two middle-aged witches in the first row exchanged a look and nod at this. Andromeda recognized them as the Donovan sisters, two advocates for the organized primary education of wizarding children. She hoped she'd scored points with that.
"Each week, Teddy's Metamorph tutor gives him an assignment and he practices while Dorcas is working her way through the Standard Book of Spells. Being a child Metamorph is challenging, as I learned with Nymphadora. They have difficulty controlling their physical changes, which can cause problems when out in public in view of Muggles."
The man with the goatee "hmmed" at this, looking pensive.
"Unless the weather is truly foul, we spend time playing outside, even when it's cold, because Teddy needs fresh air and the opportunity to run around. We go to the shops a few times per week and his 'feeling Healer' – that's what he calls Healer Bonham – comes once per week, though sometimes she's able to add a second session. He likes to paint, so quiet free time is often spent doing that, and he plays with friends. His cousin Draco's fiancée, Hermione Granger, was working with him on reading, writing, and grammar, but her lessons made him more confused, so we've paused that for the time being. He takes a bath or shower once every other day unless he's gotten dirty outside, we eat dinner as a family, I read him stories before bed. As I said, we're typical. Average. Dull."
"Sounds normal to me," said the blonde in the second row. "But Harry Potter alleges-"
"Harry Potter's heart is in the right place," said Andromeda, though it pained her to do so. This had also been rehearsed. "He saw the anguish it caused Teddy over the twelve weeks we were apart, when I was in the facility. And it's true that Teddy suffered from seeing me in the state in which I was found that awful morning shortly before the fifth anniversary of my daughter's murder. Harry, as Teddy's godfather, wants what's best for him, and I appreciate that. I'm glad he loved Teddy and I am grateful for all of the time they've spent together, the wonderful relationship they have. But Harry seems unwilling, or, perhaps, unable, to recognize all of the work I've done since Kingsley had me committed. I won't ever again be the way I was before. I wish Harry could trust me on that."
LAST SATURDAY
Kingsley returned home still feeling absolutely furious with Narcissa and not all that happy with Severus, either, even though it wasn't the man's fault he didn't have any desire to go out or host parties.
He found Andromeda still in the shower where he'd left her, sitting on the floor, scrubbing her skin with unnecessary force. He stripped off his robe and pants and stepped in.
"Stand up," he said gently, reaching his hand down to help her. She took it.
"All these months, clean, sober. And I told myself 'just one' wouldn't hurt. That's how it always starts, Kingsley. 'Just one' sip during a toast. 'Just one' bottle of cooking sherry in the kitchen. 'Just one' syringe filled with-"
"This isn't the end of your sobriety, Andromeda. You're still clean. And we have no cooking sherry. And there won't be any champagne toasts. Yesterday, you were over thirty-four weeks sober. Today, you're one day sober. We restart the clock, that's all. But nothing's lost."
Andromeda stroked his cheek, rubbing her thumb over the soft, wet hair there.
"I don't understand how you love me, Kingsley Shacklebolt."
THE HEARING
Harry leaned close to the heavyset, blue-eyed man to his left and murmured something. The man nodded.
"But this was sent to Harry Potter via owl just days ago," said the man. He held a photograph out toward Griselda, who took it, looked it over, and raised her eyebrows. "Could Mrs. Tonks explain it, please. According to the note on the back, it was taken less than one week ago."
Andromeda's heart fell into her stomach.
Griselda handed her the photograph.
It was of Andromeda in the pub one day shy of one week prior, snogging that auburn-haired witch, a glass of firewhisky in her left hand, her right entangled in the woman's soft hair.
"One of my teammates was there," said Ginny almost apologetically. "She took the picture and sent it to us. She said you were drunk, Andromeda."
"I'm not perfect," said Andromeda quietly. It was an understatement and they all knew it. She sniffled. Fuck. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
After this, both Healers were given the opportunity to speak, and despite the revelation that she'd been drinking both said they thought keeping Teddy in her custody was for the best, though when asked, Healer Smelthwyck said she was not opposed to resuming Andromeda's outpatient therapy.
Then Ginny was questioned. She spoke of their loving, happy home, the way they were raising baby James Sirius, their jobs, their past, their relationship. She made no mention of the joints they were enjoying with their friends recently and when Kingsley demanded to know whether Elven Herb was ever smoked in their home, she looked surprised and said, "Why would we do that? We're parents!"
"But you have parties, don't you?" he asked. "And at these parties…"
"We're not drug abusers," Ginny had said testily. "Teddy is safe with us."
Kingsley was going to press the matter, as she hadn't technically answered the question, but Griselda Marchbanks reminded him that he was not permitted to ask questions, despite being a member of the Wizengamot by virtue of being Minister, because it was an obvious conflict of interest.
Kingsley was questioned too, of course, and described their lives and home much the same way Andromeda had. Typical. Average. Dull. He was asked how long he and Andromeda had been seeing each other and how long they'd been living together.
"I want to marry her," he said. "I would marry her tomorrow."
"According to the Prophet, you're quite possibly expecting a baby with Hestia Jones, your former assistant," said the goateed man. "While I appreciate that you love your… Mrs. Tonks… it is difficult to believe your relationship is as healthy as you claim, with that considered."
"That was a mistake," said Kingsley. "A momentary lapse in judgement."
"Oh," said the man. "A lapse in judgement. A mistake. Like her drinking just last week. Not meant to happen. I see."
Andromeda reached up as if scratching the back of her neck and pulled out three or four strands of hair, a habit she'd thought she'd left behind at the facility. By the time Kingsley's questioning was over, she was well on her way to forming a new small bald spot.
Dorcas was asked very few questions, mostly just to confirm what Kingsley and Andromeda had already said, and about her own drinking and drug use.
"I only drank that one time," said Dorcas. "At Harry and Ginny's house. Everyone was doing it. I wanted to fit in." She ducked her head, hiding behind her hair. "Andromeda said champagne makes women sick, though, so I'll never do it again. I won't drink anything again. I didn't like it."
"You were drinking at Harry and Ginny's house?" asked one of the Donovan sisters.
Dorcas nodded.
"They had a party. They're friends with Neville. He's my… my boyfriend."
"Does your boyfriend spend the night?" asked Jacqueline, Euphemia's mum.
"Never!" said Dorcas, looking scandalized, which almost made Andromeda chuckle, considering the girl's past. "Andromeda wants me to set a good example for Teddy, so I study and read and keep my room clean, and I'm home by curfew every night, and I don't drink – except that one night with the champagne. I'm in a book club, I'm learning basic spells, and I'm going back to Hogwarts soon, to study under Madam Pomfrey! Andromeda has been very good to me. She's the mother I always wanted. I want to be good for her. I want her to be proud of me."
Andromeda wanted to rush onto the dais and scoop the girl into her arms like as small child. Instead, she spoke softly.
"I am proud of you, Dorcas."
Harry was the last adult to testify.
LAST SATURDAY
"What happened last night?" asked Dorcas while she was helping Andromeda clean the kitchen. She'd never seen her surrogate mother in such a frenzy. The woman had taken everything out of every cabinet and was cleaning and organizing and rearranging as if her life depended on it.
Kingsley was sitting on the living room floor playing with Quidditch action figures with Teddy while Meow-meow watched from the arm of the couch.
"I got pissed, Dorcas." Andromeda couldn't look at her. "It never stops being a struggle, sobriety. But I have higher hopes for you than I've ever had for myself."
"Neville says he thinks Kingsley did the right thing, back in April. When he… when he put you in the facility without your permission. We… we talked about it, after… after I was through being grounded for that night at the party. He asked if I'd gone to the facility because someone forced me and I said no, I wanted to do it. I asked if he'd ever have me committed like Kingsley did you, and he said, 'If I thought it would save your life, in a heartbeat, I'd do it.' Do you think it was right for Kingsley…?"
"I think he did it because he loves me and he knew I was… I was lucky to wake up from that one." She put down a jar of pickled beets and turned to face Dorcas. "I was angry at the time but I'm glad he did it. If he hadn't, there's no doubt in my mind I wouldn't have survived through the summer."
THE HEARING
"I appreciate all Andromeda did for him as a baby. I know it can't have been easy raising him after all that happened. I feel for her, I really do." Harry looked upon her with pity. "But it's not about her. It's not about me. It's about Teddy. I grew up in a rotten home. I want better for my godson. And I know Remus and Tonks would have wanted better, too. I'm not trying to steal him away from her. She will always be his grandmother. But children need healthy parents, stable homes. They need to be safe and happy. They shouldn't go to bed at night afraid they'll wake in the morning to find their caregiver dead in front of the fireplace with a needle in her arm!"
"I hate him," Andromeda said in a voice so low only Kingsley, sitting beside her, could hear.
The only one left to take the stand, so to speak, was Teddy.
LAST SATURDAY
"Nana, we can go to the park?" Teddy bounded into the kitchen as Andromeda and Dorcas were putting away the last of the cans of boxes. "I want to swing."
"Is it alright with Kingsley?" she asked as he entered the room behind the boy, two empty Butterbeer bottles in hand. He placed them in the sink and kissed her cheek.
"You're not grounded, woman. If you want to go to the park, go."
"Will you go?" It was irrational, she knew, but a weird part of her felt like if she went out without a responsible adult, even if it was to take Teddy to play, she would be drunk before she returned.
"Let's go together. Dorcas?"
"Neville should be here any minute."
"We'll wait for Neville, then," decided Kingsley. "And we'll all go. Then we'll have dinner out, maybe the Indian place near the park. I'm in the mood for butter chicken."
"That would be nice," said Andromeda softly, smiling at him. She really had gotten lucky, landing the Minister for Magic. And it boggled her mind that he felt he'd gotten lucky for finding her, too.
"Teddy, come upstairs with me," said Dorcas, holding out her hand for him to take. "We need to look for your snowsuit."
THE HEARING
Teddy was too small for the chair. His feet swung back and forth, and he cuddled that bunny like a professional bunny cuddler. His hair was down to his shoulders in loose, dark ringlets, and, smiling, he waved at his Nana after Kingsley helped him up into the tall seat.
"Could you tell us your full name?" asked Griselda Marchbanks.
"Tedward Remus Lupin," he said.
"Edward," corrected Andromeda.
"TEDDY!" shouted Teddy, throwing up his hands and almost dropping the bunny. "Oops."
"Teddy, how old are you?"
"Five years and eight months and one week and… how many days, Nana?"
"Five years is fine for the record," said Griselda, smiling her grandmotherly smile. "Teddy, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?"
"Quidditch?" He looked at Andromeda. They'd practiced answers to a lot of questions, but "what do you like to do for fun" wasn't one of them.
"You play in the new Junior League?"
"Yes. We had one practice already plus again tomorrow. Kingsley is my coach!" He waved at Kingsley. "Hi, Kingsley."
"Hi, Teddy," said Kingsley, smiling back.
"Kingsley is the best coach," said Teddy.
"Teddy, do you know what happened to your mother and father?" asked Griselda gently. Teddy's smile melted away.
"They died. In the war. When I was a baby. I don't memember them."
"You were too small to remember him," she said. "Who do you live with?"
"My nana and my Kingsley. They love me the best. See, over there." He pointed at them. "I love them the best, too."
Several Wizengamot members awwwed. The kid could certainly be charming.
"Also in my house is Dorcas and Meow-meow. Meow-meow is my cat who says her own name because she says, 'Meow, meow!' when she wants food or her littler box is too dirty."
"Litter box?" asked Cecile Brown.
"Yeah, littler box. That's what I said." He looked at Griselda. "Do I have to be louder? Maybe they can't hear in the back."
"You're loud enough, dear." Griselda was hiding smile. Several of the Wizengamot members were smiling too. He was sweet.
Adorable.
Perfect.
"Are you happy where you live, Teddy?"
"Yes! Except when Hope comes. She's my cousin and she's small and obnoxious and she tries to kiss me on my cheeks and says we have to play wedding like Hermione and Draco. I don't want to play Draco. I don't want to marry stupid Hope. I want to play Quidditch and gobstones and Death Eater Order Battle."
"Ohhh," said Andromeda quietly. Perhaps that was why he'd been on an anti-Hope kick lately. Thanks to Narcissa's help planning Draco's upcoming nuptials, the toddler had developed a love of all things wedding and wanted her cousin for her betrothed.
"What's Death Eater Order Battle?" asked Blaise Zabini.
"I get to be the Order, my mum or Kingsley or Harry Potter, and Hope – or Orlando, when he's over – has to be the Death Eater like Bellatrix The Strange or Voldemort." (There were a couple of gasps at the Dark Lord's name, and one giggle at the butchering of Bella's.) "Then, we battle. And the Order always wins." Teddy swung his feet faster. "Hope does not like to play the Death Eater. Her daddy has the Dark Mark."
"What?" asked one of the Donovan sisters, looking concerned.
The blonde shook her head.
"Severus Snape," she explained. "Not a real Death Eater."
(Andromeda did not see the need to point out that he was, indeed, a real former Death Eater.)
"Teddy, your godfather Harry tells us you're afraid to sleep by yourself sometimes. Why is that?"
Teddy's swinging feet stilled. He hugged the bunny. "I don't know."
"Could you guess?" asked a young woman with an Afro who, thus far, hadn't asked any questions.
Teddy shrugged. "I like to sleep with Nana. I don't want her to go away."
"Are you worried about her going away?" asked the young woman.
Teddy shrugged again. "One time, she did."
"Tell us about that, Teddy," said Griselda. She glanced at Artemisia. "If you think it's alright."
"Teddy, Madam Marchbanks wants to know about the morning Nana was sick," said Healer Bonham. "Could you tell her what happened?"
"Oh." He hugged the bunny tighter. "I waked up and Nana was not in her bed. I goed downstairs. She was on the floor. She would not wake up. I tried to wake her up. I even called her Mummy because sometimes I pretend she's my mummy even though she's not my mummy." His little nose twitched. Andromeda squeezed Kingsley's hand. "But she did not wake up, so I goed to get Kingsley at the Ministry. I used the Floo Network. I'm a good Floo-er!" He tried to smile. "Kingsley came and said I saved my nana. He taked her to St. Mungo's and a lady stayed with me until Auntie Cissy came. Then Nana stayed a long time to a faculty and got better because she loves me."
"Facility," corrected Healer Bonham.
"Facility," echoed Teddy.
"How has life been since Nana came home?" asked Griselda. Teddy brightened.
"Good! Nana does not get sick like before when she used to wake up too slow or have a headache. I gived her Dragon Pox though and then she was sick but now she's better. Dragon Pox was itchy. I have a spot that didn't go away, see?" He tried to pull up the leg of his trousers so they could see the splotch above his knee, but Griselda told him they believed him.
"I really want a brother but I can't get a brother, so Dorcas is like a sister which is good too even though I want a brother more. And Nana gived me Meow-meow. We do school work that I don't like much but Nana says it's important to grow up smart and study hard. Nana reads the best bedtime stories. And Kingsley is a good not-dad."
"A good not-dad?"
"He's good but he says he's not my dad, not even if he marries Nana and I don't change my name, so he's a not-dad, but it's okay to pertend like with Therapy Cats and the baby cat that died and also it's okay to take a shower with him that one time 'cept mostly I'm too big and take my own shower with not my shirt on and he letted me sleep with him when Nana was sick with Dragon Pox so that is like a dad but not which means a not-dad. Plus, he's my Quidditch coach!"
"What?" asked the man with the goatee, who, apparently, didn't speak Five-Year-Old.
"That boy at football that one time said Kingsley can't be my dad so I beated him up and then they said I can't go back because we use our words but my feelings Healer said that was very wrong for him to bully even though it's not okay to kick kids in the face so I don't do that anymore 'cept last week when I fighted that boy Grayson at Quidditch because he said something about my nana but then we maked up after and now he's my third best friend."
"I honestly cannot make heads or tails of what the boy is saying," said the goateed man, sounding frustrated.
Healer Bonham offered to translate.
"Yeah," said Teddy, when she was through. "That's what I said!" He leaned close to Griselda and whispered, "Should I be louder?"
Ten minutes later, Griselda told Teddy she had just one more question for him.
"Would you rather live with the Potters, or with your grandmother?"
"Nana and Kingsley!" shouted Teddy, throwing the bunny up in the air. Griselda caught it and handed it back.
"Why Nana and Kingsley?" she asked.
"Because Harry Potter's just my godfather," said Teddy, as if it should be obvious. "Nana is my mummy."
Andromeda covered her face. She did not want to cry, not in front of all these people. And certainly not in front of Teddy.
And then the hearing was drawing to a close.
"Alright," said Madam Marchbanks. "As is custom, we'll put it to a vote. All those in favor of keeping the custody situation as is, which means leaving the boy with his grandmother, raise your hands.
Six… seven… eight people.
But no.
No, that couldn't be.
"All in favor of awarding full legal and physical custody of the minor Edward Lupin to his godfather, Harry Potter?"
Ten… eleven… twelve. Twelve people.
No.
"Then it's settled." Griselda shot an extremely apologetic and sorrowful look in Andromeda's direction. (She'd voted for him to remain.)
"The partial Wizengamot has spoken. From here out, Edward Remus 'Teddy' Lupin is the legal ward of Harry and Ginevra Potter. You have thirty days to appeal, Mrs. Tonks. If you don't, or if the appeal is denied, Harry and Ginny Potter may begin formal adoption proceedings after a period of six months has passed, starting from this date, the nineteenth of December, 2003."
"No," whispered Andromeda.
"Nana?" asked Teddy, looking to her with worry. He clutched the bunny as if for dear life. His hair went natural, mousy brown, and his nose twitched. "What's that mean, Nana?"
"Please, don't do this," said Andromeda softly, calmly. Much calmer than she felt.
"This hearing is adjourned. Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, you may take Teddy home now."
"What? No!" Teddy hopped down off the tall chair, landing badly and falling to his knees, but he scrambled to his feet quickly. "Nana?"
"Come on, Teddy." Without looking toward Andromeda, Harry lifted the boy onto his hip. "We're going home."
"Why?" asked Teddy, looking over Harry's shoulder at his grandmother.
"You're going to live with us now," said Ginny, smiling uneasily. Andromeda, as a Legilimens, knew the woman hadn't expected to win. Hadn't even wanted to. But she wasn't going to tell her husband as much. She'd thought the Wizengamot would do it for her. Apparently she was no longer the same Ginny Weasley who'd fought against Bellatrix Lestrange in the Final Battle. Apparently marriage – or, perhaps, motherhood – had made her a coward.
Andromeda had no use for cowards.
"Nana?" asked Teddy, sounding panicked. He started to cry. He reached toward her. "Nana!"
"Teddy!" Summoning up all the strength she had left, she hurried up from her seat. "Stop, please, Harry. Let me… let me say goodbye." It took everything that was in her not to scream, not to cry, not to hex that Boy Who Lived into oblivion. She cradled Teddy's tearstained face in her hands.
"Nana?" he whispered. "I want you."
"You're going to stay with Harry and Ginny awhile, my little love. They'll take good care of you. You'll have fun at Grimmauld Place, with baby James. Like having a little brother."
"I don't want a brother. I want you."
"Harry and Ginny will play Quidditch with you and read your bedtime stories and…" She almost added, "And let you sleep with them every single night!" just to be a bitch, but instead she said, "And love you very, very much." She kissed his nose.
"Come on, Teddy," said Harry, hugging him. "This is for the best, you'll see. And you can have supervised visits with your nana!"
"Supervised?" asked Kingsley, who'd joined them in the center of the room.
Most of the Wizengamot had filed out. Only Griselda Marchbanks, Lavender's aunt Cecile, and the Donovan sisters remained.
"It's better this way," said Harry. "Say goodbye to Nana, Teddy. We'll see her soon!"
"Nana?" Again, Teddy reached for her, grasping her hair. Andromeda had to pry his little fingers open and step back.
"You'll love your time with Harry and Ginny, Teddy," she said, hoping she sounded and looked considerably more positive than she felt. "I'll send over some of your toys and your clothes and your broom so you'll feel right at home. And I'll see you soon, I promise. It's going to be alright."
"We'll be in touch about a visit," said Harry, who was struggling to hold Teddy now that the boy was fighting to get down. "I'll send Kreacher for his things tomorrow morning."
Harry turned and headed for the door.
"We'll take good care of him," said Ginny quietly, before rushing to catch up with her husband.
"No!" shouted sobbing Teddy. "No, Nana! NANA!"
From the hall, he continued to scream her name. "NANA! NANA, I WANT YOU! NANA!"
"Kingsley," said Andromeda, her voice small. Weak. Her knees were weak, too. Her entire body suddenly felt weak. "I lost him, Kingsley. I want to die."
Her face crumpled and her knees gave out.
"I know." He wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kept his arms around her body; he was not going to let her fall. She was heartbroken, rightfully so, but he was furious. Livid. This should have gone in their favor. Had she not been drinking last week. Had they asked Ginny about the joint smoking at her home. Had he not knocked up Hestia. Had he bloody married her at some point, instead of just living together. Had he not had her committed in the first place. Had he gotten her help so much sooner.
He scooped despondent Andromeda into his arms. She clutched at the front of his robe and cried into his shoulder.
"Griselda?" He was going to tell the woman they were headed home and not to expect him back until Monday, but she spoke first.
"I'm sorry, Kingsley. I'm terribly sorry."
"As am I. We're going home. Come along, Dorcas." He began carrying Andromeda toward the far end of the room, where a door led to a small waiting room in which there was a fireplace connected only to the one in his office. They could Floo home from there.
"Kingsley!" Healer Smelthwyck had been engaged in hushed conversation with Healer Bonham, but she broke away to chase after him.
He waited for her.
"Tomorrow, I'd like to… to come by. I think she'll need help." She brushed back Andromeda's hair. "Is that alright, Andromeda? Tomorrow?"
Andromeda barely managed a nod.
"Alright," said Healer Smelthwyck.
"You can appeal," called Cecile Brown, the only other Wizengamot member still in the room. "Thirty days."
"Monday," said Griselda. "Do it then."
"Yes, thank you, Griselda, Cecile." Kingsley looked to Adelaide. "I need to get her home."
"Don't let her drink, Kingsley. She may want to – or worse. And you may want to. You both may feel sobriety is pointless, considering, but it's not the way to-"
"I know. We'll see you tomorrow." He stepped through the door into the waiting room.
Tomorrow.
Day eight of her sobriety.
Day one without Teddy.
A/N:
Welcome to new readers, including zrose! And thanks so much for letting me know your thoughts, KnowInsight, ulalumeterpsichore, Banglabou, FrancineHibiscus, sassanech, and Popular Cats. I appreciate everyone who is reading this fic! It's very personal and I love knowing that others are invested in Andromeda's situation. Only one week left until the end of Part Three (and Christmas).
-AL