Hermione stepped into the floo feeling better than she had in a while. It was both Andromeda's enthralling presence as well as that her arm was not hurting anymore. Being pain-free, she didn't know how she managed to sit through her eighth year at Hogwarts and numerous strenuous Wizengamot meetings without completely giving in to the pain. She clutched the notebook close to her chest.

Seconds later, she stumbled out of the floo at Grimmauld Place. Slightly buzzed, she didn't make it out of the fireplace without spreading ash everywhere. Carefully, she wiped the notebook clean with her sleeve.

When she lifted her gaze, she was surprised to see Harry and Ginny sitting on the couch. They both greeted her with sleepy smiles. She sat down on the cushioned stool across from them and placed the notebook on the table. She gave them a sympathetic look. 'Is Teddy keeping you on your toes?'

Ginny yawned and stretched, then rested her head against Harry's shoulder. The wizard rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Ginny sighed heavily. 'When Harry came home, he slept for two hours, but then his fever went up again. Since then, he has been alternately sleeping and crying. I admire Andromeda. I don't think I could do it alone.'

Hermione agreed. Her thoughts drifted to Andromeda and how tired and vulnerable she looked without the glamour and how strong she seemed when she showed her the potion. The older witch performed a feat every single day. 'She is an incredible woman. I feel bad that I never supported her in this.'

Harry waved her off. 'Don't worry, she wouldn't have let you help anyway. She's way too proud to ask for help. It took me almost a year before she trusted me with Teddy.'

Hermione let his words sink in. She had remembered Andromeda as a proud woman, even a bit conceited. However, the woman Hermione got to meet today took her breath away, and she longed to know more about her. 'Did you know that she wore a glamour? And the clothes, what was that? At your place, Gin, she's always dressed to kill and seems so aloft.'

Harry leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. 'I suspected the glamour, but she's a formidable witch. I had no way to be sure. As for the clothes, she has some weird feud with Molly. She always needs to show off her finest robes just to spite her.'

Ginny snorted. 'Don't start me on that. Bill told me all hell broke loose when Charlie befriended Tonks. You'd think from blood traitor to blood traitor, they'd get along. If you ask me, they are just too stubborn to make up. I mean, mum always invites her, and Andie never misses a dinner. They are ridiculous!'

'Andromeda keeps up appearances like any proper pureblood witch would,' Harry quipped and playfully pated Ginny's hair. The young witch stuck out her tongue at him. He met Hermione's eyes. 'Did you have a good time, Mione?'

Hermione tried in vain to hide her radiant smile. 'It was amazing, look.' She moved closer to the table and pushed the sleeve of her cardigan back behind her elbow. 'I'm sure you've noticed the scar on her arm. It used to look like mine, but she managed to heal it. You can hardly spot it anymore. I feel like a new person.'

Ginny knelt next to the table to take a closer look. Carefully, she stroked the tender skin. 'I already knew she was brilliant, but this? Didn't all your healers in St. Mungo's almost despair of this?'

Hermione nodded and stretched her arm a little further so that Harry had a better view of it. 'I can hardly believe I'm finally out of pain. She gave me her potion recipe. If you don't mind, I'd like to head up to my room to study it.'

'Sure, Mione,' Harry said. 'Have fun.'

She grabbed the notebook and touched his arm on the way out. 'Let me know if I can help with Teddy, yeah?'

Upstairs in her room, she dropped onto the bed with a sigh. She opened the notebook at a random place and began to read.

As expected, the older witch's handwriting was impeccable. Not a single ink stain or spelling mistake could be spotted. Judging by the dates, all the notes stemmed from Andromeda's time as a young healer.

She had documented a mixture of trivial anecdotes and complicated entries, including spells in ancient runes or notes on potion work. Hermione flipped back and forth until one entry caught her attention. It was from June 5, 1980: Always ask the trainee who the patient is! She smirked, wondering what that was all about. She had to ask Andromeda. It sounded like a brilliant story.

She flipped back until she found the note about the sapphire-coloured potion. Like every other entry, this one was dated and numbered. Andromeda's thought process was written down in detail and thus easy to follow. She had come up with several recipes. Someone else had crossed out all but one recipe and added ingredients. The handwriting was the polar opposite to Andromeda's, and Hermione figured it had to be Ted's. Tonks had once told her that her father was a gifted potioneer. Suddenly, she realised what a precious object Andromeda had entrusted to her. The thought warmed her from the inside.

After skimming through Andromeda's notebook some more, she turned to the notes her parent's healer had sent her. He mentioned a book that almost got banned 50 years ago. Because of that, only a few copies were printed. To Hermione's dismay, the healer didn't have access to it. He suggested talking to members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight because their vast libraries held various rare books. Hermione frowned. While she now had a link to a member of said families, she'd never exploit Andromeda like that. Besides, she wasn't even sure if the older witch was on speaking terms with Narcissa or if she would ever be willing to face her again. Hermione felt the little hope she had carried in her chest falter.

With a queasy feeling in her stomach, she slipped beneath her sheets and fell into a restless sleep.

Several hours later, a sharp knock woke her.

An exasperated Harry was standing in the doorway with a wailing Teddy in his arms. The toddler's eyes were swollen and his cheek redder than a tomato. She shot both of them an empathetic glance. In a futile attempt to calm Teddy, Harry rocked him from side to side. 'Sorry, Mione, can you watch him for a while? I can barely keep my eyes open!'

Suddenly, Hermione felt wide awake. She took the toddler from his arms and began to rock him. 'Go to bed, Harry. I got him.'

She kissed Teddy's cerulean hair and paced up and down her room until his eyes fluttered shut, and he was fast asleep. She quickly transformed her desk into a baby cot and put him down on the makeshift mattress. For a second, she feared he would wake again, but he only stirred and stretched out his arms above his head. He gurgled and fully relaxed his face. When she was sure he was sound asleep, she crawled back into bed.

An unpleasant feeling of guilt stopped her from drifting off. She couldn't help but feel terrible about never visiting Teddy.

Harry had invited her on several occasions, but she had never found the courage and had put it off. There was always something else to do, catching up on her eight year at Hogwarts, working for Councilwoman Tatters and countless other things that all seemed insignificant now.

She huffed and turned to her side. 'All lies, you're just a coward,' she muttered.

It had been too gruelling for her to face the little orphan and his widowed grandmother. It was too painful to even think about the victims of this war, let alone visit them. At that moment, she could have beaten herself for the thought.

Her thoughts drifted back to Andromeda. Hope rose in her chest. The older witch had helped and cared for her and had eagerly agreed to see her again. Maybe it wasn't too late to strengthen the bond she had so carelessly neglected over the past two years. She was keen on earning her place in Andromeda's and Teddy's life. That the older witch was a beautiful, intriguing woman certainly made things easier.

A short time later, she fell asleep and fortunately, Teddy slept tight until morning.