(Liara Moon - PoV)

"Are these them, then?" the old man asks. Cold, hard eyes under thinning grey hair assess the twins, his hand gripping the head of his cane tightly.

Well, old for muggles at least. For wizards he should have a great many decades left. Should. His health certainly doesn't look great, however, given how heavily he leans on his cane as he stands in the doorway, watching the children. Rumors of his decline since the war's end appear to have been accurate.

"They are," I answer shortly.

I was quite hesitant to invite him here, Sirius was not fond of the man. Another old, nasty, brutal bigot. The king of the lot he always said. And it is true, this is the man who held the power of the Black family for the last near four decades.

If so, however...if so, then why exactly did I find out that Andromeda, while being publicly disowned, was not legally cast out of the family? My visit to the goblins raised many questions and only he had the answers.

A letter informing him of the twins, their parentage, and my intentions to foster them with Andromeda, and here we are.

"They are...talented?" he asks.

Of course, his first concern. The Blacks have no use for squibs or weaklings.

"Both have made multiple displays of magic. Honestly too many, one of the reasons I have spent so much time with Andromeda recently. I have had trouble keeping up with them due to my health, even if the decline is slow so far." It hurts to admit. Admit that I will never see them grow up, because of some foul foreign curse. But I will have to treasure what time with them I can, and set them up for the future as best I am able. Hence the meeting with the man in front of me.

"They have also shown some potential talent with my family's gifts," I say with pride.

"Indeed?" he looks at me.

That catches his interest, as expected. Seers are always prized, and the Black family has never had the talent.

He turns back to the children, as they construct a fort in the living room.

"Do contact Andromeda, if you will. I believe it is long past time we had a discussion."

I nod. "You know she will bring Ted, right? To spite you, if nothing else?"

He shrugs dismissively.

It should be fine for now I guess. Arcturus is not known for bursts of rage like so much of his family. Actually, Andromeda is the one far more likely to set my living room on fire...

I will have to double-check my wards before she arrives. Just in case.


The mood in the room is rather tense, at least for most of us.

Young Dora (as she insists on being called) was sent off to entertain the twins, while Andy and Ted take the couch across the table from Arcturus, with Andromeda glaring daggers at the man.

I sit in my usual chair, looking back and forth, rather unaware how to diffuse the tension. Tension that Arcturus admittedly does not seem to feel, given his indifferent and aloof expression.

"Edward," he breaks the silence by addressing the man first, to everyone's surprise. "Congratulations on your recent certification. It is good to see that you are continuing your training despite already being a fully qualified healer. So many simply rest on their laurels, having achieved the bare minimum."

We all stare at the man in shock. Starting by complimenting the muggle-born? Very much not how we expected this to go.

"I...was under the impression you hated me?" Ted hesitantly asks Arcturus.

"Hated you? Of course not, you are a wizard are you not? And healing is a very respectable profession. Now, I do believe you to be unworthy of my blood, unfortunately, but I do not hate you."

I blink at the...I am not even quite certain how to classify that comment. I don't believe the term backhanded compliment quite does it justice.

"There are those amongst us that do, of course. The more militant purebloods, such as...dearly departed Walburga. I never quite agreed with them but, I suppose we have rather gotten off-topic," he finishes, picking up his cup.

It seems that even the head of the family thought that woman was a menace.

"No," Andromeda insists. "This is important if we are to discuss anything else. What...what the hell were you thinking? With Ted, and me, and...everything?!"

She stands up, despite Ted grabbing her wrist.

"Years, Arcturus! For half of my damned life I have assumed I was completely exiled, no longer a Black! And I find out yesterday that you never went through with it?! That you half-assed it?! What are you playing at?!"

The Black patriarch calmly sips his tea, seemly unconcerned with the furious woman screaming at him across the table, despite her notorious reputation for violence, as with all the Black sisters.

Then again, this man lived with Waburga for years, so I suppose it makes sense.

He finishes his tea, placing the cup and saucer on the table.

"Do sit down girl. I did tell Liara to invite you here did I not?"

She glares at him defiantly for several moments before huffing and dropping onto the sofa. She smirks and smooches her husband while Arcturus watches.

"Petty until the end. As I said, while I did eventually allow the family to side with the Dark Lord and the more extreme view of the Purebloods, I did not share them myself, and was always rather...hesitant to go 'all in', as it were, with such an unstable element."

"Personally I have always felt the Muggleborns quite useful for our society, so long as they do make at least some attempt to adapt and adjust. A slow, careful influx of new blood and ideas. Alas, so many others refuse to accept them, which leads to them feeling outcast and marginalized. Outcasts tend to attempt to push back against society, which feeds into a vicious cycle as they are further discriminated against. The purebloods militant solution was an attempt to break said cycle. A rather vicious, unsuccessful and ultimately counterproductive attempt mind, but an attempt," he explains.

A simple explanation...I try to process the implications. From Andromeda's glare, I suspect she is ahead of me.

"So I was what, a bloody backup plan?"

He nods. "Essentially, yes. If the 'Dark' failed we would still have a foot in the 'Light', and the family would continue. It is always wise to have contingencies."

His words only seem to make her angrier.

"First off, fuck you. Secondly, if so, then why the hell have you never contacted me in all the years since your 'primary' plan fell through. And what about Sirius? Was he another 'contingency'?"

Arcturus sighs, about the first real emotion I have seen from the man.

"Sirius went about the same way at first. He was supposed to carry on our legacy but refused. As with you, I elected to allow him to act as another backup, another anchor on the other side. I...have no more idea what happened there than anyone else seems to, unless Ms. Moon has information to share?" he turns towards me.

I shake my head slightly.

"I don't believe the official story for a moment. There was absolutely no chance of him ever working for Voldemort, or betraying the Potters," I say. "What actually happened, however, I cannot say more than anyone else. I knew he was being hunted, and so kept my distance from him after our...liaison. I didn't want to risk the twins getting caught in the crossfire. As far as I know, he was never aware they existed."

The elder nods and returns his attention to his grandniece. "As for yourself, I wanted our family to continue. Marrying a muggleborn, while unbecoming and a terrible disappointment, does not inherently make one unfit to be a Black. We are known for our passions after all."

Arcturus locks his eye with Andromeda for the first time since he arrived and raises his voice slightly, his tone becoming far harsher.

"What does make one unfit, is to then do nothing. Look at the others. You may hate them for what they represented, but they represented. They took a side and they fought for it. What have you done, since you made your choice? Nothing. You made no attempt to fight for your ideals, to change the world, to make your place, or your name. You have done nothing worthy of our legacy."

He leans over to the table and refills his tea as if he didn't just essentially call the woman across from him worthless.

She blinks, shocked at the sudden diatribe when he has acted so, conciliatory, until this point. It does not last long.

"You old bastard, you really don't understand anything outside of your little circle at all do you?" her voice drips with venom. "Nothing, hah. We had nothing. I left with the clothes on my back, less even, considering Bella burned half of them off before I apparated away. We spent our time building our new life and taking care of our daughter. Building a family, not that you would know anything about how an actual normal, loving family operates you domineering asshole."

She stands again. Ted doesn't bother to try to hold her back this time.

"We moved past your damned power games and nonsense. I had to choose between playing politics and caring for my family, and they came first. I worked my ass off for everything we have, and I will not sit here and listen to you belittle it, not when you inherited most of the wealth you are so proud of!"

Arcturus once more sips his tea calmly throughout her diatribe...This was planned. He already has a rebuttal in mind, doesn't he? He is leading her around like a matador with a bull...

"Do you really think that I am unaware of that? That I would have lasted as long as I did and been as successful as I have in the snakepit of politics if I was unable to understand basic realities, my dear?"

He places his drink down with a sigh and gives Andy his full attention. She maintains her glare, but I can see the hesitation. She knows something is coming, but not what. Despite her bravado, and the many, many years that have passed she fears this man. More so than I realized...

"When you left the family? I was proud." He pauses, giving us time to process this statement.

...

What?

"P-proud? What?" Andy stutters.

"Indeed. Hard to believe is it not? Oh, I certainly did not like your choice, but the fact you were willing to make it? The fire I saw in your eyes? Your willingness to stand against all of us, to burn the entire world down around you? That is what made our family into the power that it is. Our drive to enforce our will upon to world, for good or for ill. That was what made me decide to support you, however little, against the rest. To ensure you had a spot should your way prove correct."

He almost smiles at the memory, a tiny, infinitesimal spark of light in his eyes, before it is all snuffed out in an instant as he returns to the moment.

"And that is why I have been so disappointed in the years since. You did nothing beyond the bare minimum to get by during the war, or even since the threat was gone. It is not easy, certainly, to establish oneself as an important figure with no support or resources, but it can be done. Housewives can be heroes too dear. But you, Andromeda? You did not even try. For all that you have a reputation for brashness, you let your damned fire die!"

His fist slams the arm of his chair as he shouts the last word, glaring.

Andy...glares sullenly back.

And here is the stubbornness...his words have gotten through sunk deep into her mind, but she won't admit it.

"Why are you here then, if I am so unworthy?"

She allows Ted to pull her back down onto the couch and wrap his arms around her but doesn't take her eyes off the patriarch across the table.

"Come now, you should have no problems working that out for yourself," he replies condescendingly.

I narrow my own eyes. Well, something to do with the twins obviously. Andromeda agreed to help take care of them, but how does that 'make up' for anything?

"I'm not," Andromeda says a moment later, still glaring. Then again, has she ever stopped? I would think that would get tiring eventually, but I suppose she has more practice than me. "As far as you are concerned, I am still not worthy, but by accepting the twins, and especially Coeus as the heir, I am going to be involved with the old crowd again, and all the politics. It will be another chance for me, and for you to decide if I should be brought back into the family fully, or truly cast out."

He nods. "Good, good. It seems your mind has not dulled with your fire. I was rather concerned, considering I have seen no academic progress from you, unlike your husband."

"Raising a child is a full-time job Arcturus, and I refuse to hire a sitter even if we could." she retorts.

"Please, you are more than intelligent enough for self-study. As I said, your drive to progress, to excel, to exceed, left you. Merely 'ok' and 'average' appear acceptable for you now. If you want to be a Black and to be worthy of those children? Do better. You are more than capable of it."

...

I expect another retort but hear only silence.

Andy is biting her lip. She continues to glare but...

"Good. As I said, despite my words I did not invite you to berate you."

Technically I invited her but...whatever. Also, this is my house, but I get the feeling it isn't worth bringing up.

"You have so much potential, and you know very well what the family can do for you and yours, even as far as we have fallen. For now? You have my blessing. I will ensure the adoption proceeds smoothly through the Ministry, and that there are no snags with vault access. Raise them well Andromeda, and find your spirit to fight, for whatever cause you deem worthy. Prove you are a true Black. There are so few of us left.

He rises from his seat, standing noticeably stronger than earlier.

"Ms. Moon, thank you for the tea and thank you more for giving me hope once more. After Sirius...well, I had given up on my family. Do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything you need."

He bows and makes his way from the house.

...

"Well...that was unexpected." Ted breaks the silence.

Andy laughs wildly and leans into him.

I sip my tea.

Blacks. If I thought it would save them I would have seriously(NO!) considered taking the twins and moving to the colonies. Alas, I am sure they will grow up just as...everything.


(Andromeda Tonks - PoV)

We finally arrive home after that...exhausting meeting.

"Nymphadora, put the broom back, you are not going out riding this late at night!" I tell my daughter.

"Don't call me that! And I haven't been outside all day!" she argues.

"Absolutely not! You can barely see and it is nearly your bedtime regardless! Head upstairs and wash up."

She grumbles defiantly but obeys.

I sigh. And soon I will have three of them. The twins have appeared less troublesome so far...on the other hand, twins.

Magical twins have a reputation for headaches.

I wait until I hear the water running, and know Nymphadora is occupied before I wrap my arms around Ted and sob into his shoulder.

"Wha...? Andy?"

"He was right Ted. He was so right. I...I never noticed..."

I can barely hold myself up, I feel so exhausted. Ted half carried me to the sofa, so we can rest.

"During the war...after the killings started to get so very bad...I lost it, Ted. I was scared. Scared for you, and Dora...scared for me. Damnit, when did I become a coward?"

I let out a choked laugh.

"A Black! A cowardly Black, whoever would have thought it possible? No wonder he never..."

"What!? No! That is nonsense Andy, Nonsense, don't even say that!" Ted tries to reassure me.

He doesn't understand. I love him so much, but he will never understand. I settle against him and rest my head. We will figure the rest out in the future.