"I appreciate your willingness to see me," Andromeda said as soon as she entered the parlour.
Hermione blinked in confusion. Harry had encouraged her to give her family a chance, and reaching out to Andromeda had seemed like an easy way to accomplish that. She already knew Andromeda—had already established a relationship with her—it seemed much easier than speaking to her... her brother, or her parents.
"We're always happy to have you and Teddy over for a visit," Hermione said cautiously. "I know that being a godfather is very important to Harry."
"No, I meant…," Andromeda sat down in a wingback chair and frowned. "Well, with everything, I assumed that you… I wanted to give you a chance to ask me any questions you might have."
This was not the reaction that Hermione had expected from Andromeda at all. She had expected some awkwardness and subtle changes in their relationship. She had not expected the guilt that Andromeda seemed to be showing.
"Andromeda," Hermione began slowly and then paused. "What questions would you be able to answer?"
Suddenly, Andromeda became utterly still.
"Have you not spoken to Narcissa?" Andromeda asked.
"No," Hermione replied. She frowned at Andromeda. "The only Malfoy that has dared to approach Grimmauld Place has been Draco."
"Oh." Andromeda shifted in her chair and moved as though she were about to stand. "Perhaps I should come back."
"Sit," Hermione said in a cold voice that Andromeda obeyed automatically. "What, exactly, do you think I need to know, Aunt Andromeda?" She asked stressing their relationship deliberately
Andromeda flinched and grimaced slightly.
"It is quite clear that Cousin Colomba had a hand in raising you," Andromeda muttered.
"What?" Hermione whispered the word, but it seemed to echo in the room between them.
Never had Hermione ever expected anyone to know who her grand-mère was. In all the time that she had known him, Harry had never once asked why her family spent every summer in France. She never spoke about the French half of her family to anyone, and no one had ever asked. How did Andromeda know her grand-mère?
"Regulus was going to be your godfather," Andromeda stated with a slightly sad smile. "Did you know?"
"R-Regulus?" Hermione repeated with wide eyes.
"He and Cissy were quite close," Andromeda explained. "He was so excited that Lucius and Cissy were trusting him with the firstborn Malfoy. It was a great honour." She wrinkled her nose. "I wasn't up for consideration, as you might have guessed."
"What does my grande-mèrehave to do with anything?" Hermione demanded, frustrated with the way Andromeda's conversation seemed to bounce around.
"When my sister owled me—you could have knocked me over with a feather," Andromeda continued, seemingly ignoring Hermione's comment. "I never expected to hear from her again, you see. I went to see her, of course. Cissy was the baby of the family. Everyone adored her."
"I'm sure," Hermione said stiffly growing more irritated by the moment.
"When I arrived at Malfoy Manor, she was practically hysterical. She was ranting about how Voldemort was destroying wizarding Britain and that he had corrupted his magical soul," Andromeda said with an air of dogged determination.
"What was that?" Hermione asked sharply. Grand-mère could wait for a moment. This was, unfortunately, more important than grand-mère.
"It was awful," Andromeda said with a shake of her head. "She was weeping and tugging at her hair. I had to give her a calming draught before I could even get her to—"
"No," Hermione interrupted her. "You said that Voldemort had corrupted his magical soul."
"Yes, that's what Cissy said," Andromeda agreed.
"My m—Narcissa talked about Voldemort corrupting his magical soul," Hermione repeated.
"Apparently that's what Regulus had told her," Andromeda offered with a helpless shrug. "He had just died and so had Cousin Orion, so everyone was a little upset. That's why Narcissa asked me to help her."
"Help her do what?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"Hide you," Andromeda replied quietly.
"Hide me?" Hermione sat back in her chair and stared at Andromeda.
"She knew that… well, she was right, wasn't she? Her worst fears were realized in Draco," Andromeda explained. "Any child of theirs would be offered up to Voldemort. She was so terrified of that. She must have gone round the twist when they Marked Draco. It was the last thing she'd ever wanted. She sacrificed so much to make sure that would never happen to you."
"And you helped her," Hermione stated slowly.
"I… yes, I did." Andromeda lifted her chin defiantly. "I knew what would happen. Cissy wasn't wrong."
"So you helped them hide me," Hermione said. She shook her head. "Why didn't they hide Draco?"
"No," Andromeda corrected Hermione. "Just Cissy. Abraxas Malfoy would never have allowed a child of his House to have their freedom. If Abraxas had discovered her secret, he would have had the legal right to torture and kill my sister for separating him from his rightful heirs." Andromeda's lip curled. "If she could have smuggled Draco out, believe me—she would have done so."
"What?" Hermione's eyes went damp with unshed tears. "Who does that?"
Just when she thought her family couldn't possibly be any more horrible, any more depraved, she was proven wrong. Self-loathing and disgust filled her.
"Abraxas would have been most displeased to learn that a valuable familial asset had been lost. He could have traded you for political leverage, prestige, or to gain a favour," Andromeda explained flatly. A bitter smile twisted her lips. "My own father was furious when I ran away — he had already begun negotiations with the House of Nott. My consent was not required."
"So… so Lucius—" Hermione had paled dramatically and looked distinctly green around the edges. Andromeda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I beg your pardon, Hermione," Andromeda said. "This is not easy for me to talk about and I think I've done a poor job of it. Lucius and Narcissa were incredibly rare in our world. Lucius managed make Cissy fall head over heels for him by the time they were married. Theirs was an arranged match that morphed into a love match."
"But," Hermione swallowed. "She didn't trust her husband enough to tell him that… she didn't think that Lucius would try to protect me." Her voice broke on the last word.
"It wasn't that," Andromeda protested. She laughed and shook her head. "Merlin help me, I'm defending Lucius Malfoy of all people. It's not that she didn't think that he would try to save you. It's… look, a paterfamilias has total control of the family. By that time, Lucius was bound by oaths of loyalty to Abraxas, and most likely to Voldemort."
Horror flickered across Hermione's face. "That doesn't help."
"Hermione," Andromeda sighed. "Lucius was a child. Abraxas had him take the Mark as soon as he graduated. He was seventeen years old and all he knew was what his father had told him."
"And then he turned around and did the same thing to Draco," Hermione said in disgust.
"He had nothing to do with that," Andromeda protested. "He was in Azkaban at the time!"
"So you helped Narcissa Malfoy smuggle her child out of Malfoy Manor and… what?" Hermione demanded crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you call my grand-mère ,"cousin"?"
"Colomba Delenoir married Raymond deVissac," Andromeda recited as if by rote. She paused and glanced at a pale, still Hermione.
"Delenoir." Hermione stared at Andromeda with wide eyes.
"Colomba was the youngest daughter of Marius Black, who took the name Delenoir when he fled to the Continent after he was disowned," Andromeda said. "When I was disowned, he reached out to me and introduced me to his daughter, Colomba."
"But…," Hermione protested shaking her head. "I don't understand. What are you saying? My parents weren't Muggles?"
Andromeda winced. "I can't speak for your foster father," Andromeda said carefully. "Colomba and Elaine would be considered squibs in our world. In fact, Elaine was raised with no knowledge of the wizarding world at all."
"Why did you alter their memories?" Hermione demanded. "What was the point?"
"Everything was done to protect you," Andromeda replied. She cleared her throat. "Colomba and Marius were worried about repercussions. They asked me to… to make sure that the Grangers wouldn't be able to accidentally reveal your true identity. It was critical that who you really were remained a secret. No one could know."
"Not even my own family," Hermione muttered.
"Especially not your family," Andromeda countered. She shook her head. "What do you think my sister… what Bellatrix would have done, if she found out? She would have handed you to Voldemort wrapped up like a gift."
"This is ridiculous!" Hermione stood up, her hands clenched into fists.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Andromeda snapped. She took a deep breath, visibly struggling for control. "I beg your pardon. I promised myself that I would stay calm through this."
Hermione sat back down and frowned at her lap.
"Did Tonks know?" Hermione asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer.
"No." Andromeda shook her head. "If she had known, she would have told Sirius, and if he had known… he probably would have named you his Heir or something equally rash and foolish and Dumbledore would have chewed you up and spit you out in his machinations."
"I thought you were an Order member," Hermione observed quietly.
"Nymphadora joined against my express wishes," Andromeda sighed. Grief shone in her eyes for a moment. "I couldn't just let her wander off on whatever idiotic adventure Dumbledore suggested. I wanted to make sure I could help her, if she needed me."
"I'm so sorry," Hermione murmured.
The fact that Tonks—funny, effervescent Tonks—had been her cousin, and that neither one of them had ever known it saddened Hermione. Having Tonks as part of her life would have probably changed her in immeasurable ways. Who would she have been? How would it have been different?
"No, I'm sorry," Andromeda countered. "I—we took everything from you. I can say that it was to protect you, and it was, but it doesn't change what we did. I would understand if you were upset."
"Upset?" Hermione repeated incredulously. A startled laugh escaped her. "Upset? I'm bloody furious. I'm so angry that I can barely see straight. Do you know what it's like to wake up and find that out you are not who you thought you were? No, you're actually directly related to people who have raped and murdered and tortured other human beings because they were different."
"I do, actually," Andromeda corrected Hermione. Her lips tightened and her expression became neutral. "After I married Ted, Bellatrix went on a… a spree. She made sure to… let's just say that she made sure that I knew what she had done, and that she was responsible."
Bile rose in Hermione's throat and she swallowed.
"I knew that my family was conservative and traditional," Andromeda added evenly. "I knew that Ted wouldn't be welcome in my parents' home, but I never… I didn't believe that—"
"It was a shock," Hermione suggested.
"Yes," Andromeda agreed with a nod. "It was a shock."
"Is that why?" Hermione asked hesitantly, unwilling to upset Andromeda. My aunt, she reminded herself. When Andromeda tilted her head slightly, Hermione continued. "I mean, is that why you offered to help Nar—my mother?"
Andromeda's breath hitched and she blinked rapidly for a moment.
"Yes," Andromeda agreed. "Cissy had always been protected and cossetted. She understood that it was dangerous in an academic sense, but she really had no idea what she was attempting to do. I know that Lucius kept most of his work for Voldemort from her even after they married. I think her innocence was a solace for him."
"Surely she knew what they were doing," Hermione protested. "How could she not be aware? Everyone knows what went on at revels!"
"I think she didn't want to know," Andromeda explained. "You must realize… as Pureblood girls, our world was very small. We only knew certain families. As children, we played together. We attended school together. These were boys that had pulled on her plaits at parties. These were boys who blushed and stumbled over themselves to ask her to Hogsmeade. These were her cousins and friends."
"And she didn't want to think badly of them," Hermione guessed.
"I didn't want to believe that Evan or Regulus would join," Andromeda admitted. "I was older than all of them and they still seemed like boys to me. They used to beg me to steal biscuits from the kitchen at Yule parties. I cried when I saw Evan's obituary in the Daily Prophet. Not for who he became, but for that little boy with the sweet smile."
"I honestly can't imagine that Draco was ever a sweet little boy who begged for biscuits," Hermione muttered.
"Well," Andromeda sighed. "He probably wasn't. Unfortunately, as the paterfamilias, Abraxas would have dictated Draco's early education, and it undoubtedly left its mark."
The idea of Abraxas Malfoy, who from all reports was a devoted follower of Voldemort, having such an important role in a young Draco's life was frankly horrific. It took a minute for Hermione to absorb that knowledge, and wonder how that may or may not have affected her brother.
"Do you think he's irredeemable?" Hermione asked gravely.
"I didn't say that." Andromeda shook her head. "I'm not trying to excuse him or apologize for him. I'm saying that… if you… if you want to build a relationship with Draco, it may be challenging and frustrating. He's going to have to overcome years of prejudice and bigotry. There are things that he won't even realize he needs to work on until you try to take him to see a Muggle movie or to a Muggle market."
"You're speaking from experience?" Hermione watched a dull flush color her aunt's cheeks.
"I thought I was so much better than the rest of my family," Andromeda said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I mean, I had married a Muggleborn, for Merlin's sake. We lived in a Muggle neighborhood. I spoke to my Muggle neighbours when I saw them on the street. I was so very, very progressive."
"What happened?" Hermione asked.
"We took Nymphadora to a museum," Andromeda replied. "The sort of thing that a lot of Muggle parents do. I found myself looking at the exhibits and thinking they really are rather clever, for Muggles. I was so embarrassed and angry with myself, but it wasn't about me. It was supposed to be a fun day for Dora."
"I see," Hermione murmured and sat back in her chair.
If she chose to acknowledge the Malfoy family—if she was willing to let them be a part of her life—she would most likely have countless experiences like that. She would constantly have to educate, and probably reeducate her parents and her brother about their ingrained prejudices. It was exhausting, just thinking about it.
Would it even be worth it? Would creating a relationship with people who hated who and what she had been her entire life be worth the effort of dealing with their ignorance and casual prejudice?
"You should know that your mother loved you so much," Andromeda said. She folded her hands in her lap just so, and Hermione wondered if that was a tell of some sort. "She… she was so determined to keep you safe, to protect you. She would have willingly died to make sure that Abraxas never got near you."
What could Hermione say to that? She looked down and realized that her hands were folded in lap… just like her aunt's. She sighed and closed her eyes.