Lunch was served, and Draco took the seat on Hermione's right, whilst Potter was directly across from him, with his Aunt Andromeda across from Hermione, holding his baby cousin within her embrace. Teddy Lupin was sucking eagerly on his formula, his large eyes weighing heavily as he finally succumbed to slumber.

Andromeda silently removed the bottle before setting it down, then gingerly placing Teddy over her left shoulder to burb him. She turned in her chair and placed the infant in the weathered day-crib behind and to her left, while Potter waved his wand and cast a silencing charm. When she turned to face the table again, Draco took a moment to really consider the woman who'd he'd only ever heard about in passing, and never complimentary. At least, not until recently. He knew on some level how much of a concession it'd been for his Mum to contact her estranged sister, on his behalf, but never in his wildest dreams did he think his Aunt would be so welcoming to him after everything she'd lost during the war.

It saddened Draco to know that his little cousin would never know the love and safety of having his own parents close by. Never remember spending a single birthday, receiving a single present, nor even have a solitary memory of being held by his own Mum and Dad.

The thought was a sobering one, which made him feel simultaneously extremely sad and profoundly guilty.

His Aunt however, simply looked tired. It was clear she was bearing the majority of the responsibility for Teddy, despite Potter being the baby boy's Godfather. Draco couldn't imagine how challenging it would be at seventeen, for all intents and purposes, a Father.

When he glanced over at Potter, the Chosen One was eyeing him speculatively, his famous green eyes devoid of much of their usual emotion.

Taking another bite of his lunch, Draco hummed politely at the offering.

"This is very good, Andi."

"Thank you, Draco."

Hermione smiled softly, "Meda's always been an excellent cook."

"Well, I'm no Molly Weasley, but I do get by."

Harry grinned, while Draco's brow furrowed in confusion. "Meda?"

Andromeda huffed a small laugh. "When I was a young girl, my family called me Dromeda mostly, sometimes Andi. My late husband Ted however, preferred Meda."

"Ah," Draco nodded in feigned understanding, "do you have a preferred name?"

"Meda is the one I'm most familiar with, but Andi is fine, Draco. I've never been precious about my name, and even though I kept the Black Family tradition with my own daughter, she detested her birth name."

Both Harry and Hermione smiled ruefully at that truth.

"Her name was Nymphadora, correct?"

"Yes," Andromeda replied sadly, "She went by Dora or Tonks. She was a metamorphmagus."

Draco's eyes widened. "They're really rare."

"They are," Andromeda agreed, "Teddy inherited it."

"Wow, really?!"

Harry chuckled and nodded enthusiastically, "Oh yes! He's a chip off the old block."

Draco's head whipped over to Potter, and the clear look of confusion had everyone snickering. Draco then rolled his eyes in faux disgust.

"Muggle phrase, I take it?"

"Yes." Hermione piped in, "I'm sure in time, you'll learn a few more, yes?"

"Oh joy!" Draco deadpanned, but his lifted smirk took a bit of the heat out of his reply.

"I must admit," Andromeda began, "I was surprised when I learned about the betrothal, more so on Hermione's end, but now that I know the truth, a few things I've always wondered about, began to make a bit more sense."

"Such as?"

The question had come from Harry.

Stark grey eyes, so much like his own leveled a brief glance his way, before settling on Hermione.

"Dumbledore made a few off-handed comments once to both Sirius and myself during your fifth year, at the Order meeting right after you both went back Hogwarts that summer. Sirius was concerned with Harry's safety, and by extension yours, Hermione. Dumbledore had let the Order know about Umbridge, and her placement at Hogwarts at the request of Fudge. She was rather well known for her hatred towards Muggleborns and magical creatures, werewolves in particular."

"Remus?"

Andromeda sighed, but nodded. "She made it her mission after Remus lycanthropy was publicly outed, to lobby the Ministry into changing some of their more stringent laws, and it only worsened during Voldemort's occupation at the Ministry." Both Harry and Hermione scowled, while Draco averted his gaze in shame. "But at that time, Dumbledore assured Sirius that Harry was safe at Hogwarts, and by extension you were as well. Sirius might've expressed his own reticence, especially after asking if Hermione's parents had been afforded any additional protections."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Can't imagine how Dumbledore managed to skirt around that one?"

"Not convincingly enough." Andromeda admitted slyly, "Sirius took to wandering into Muggle London to check in on the Granger's from time to time. Even added a few wards to their home, discreetly of course."

Hermione glanced over at Harry, and noticed him smiling softly.

"Padfoot always adored you, Hermione—called you kitten, even when you'd chastise him about Kreacher."

The young witch's lips pulled into a grimace at some of those memories. She'd adored Padfoot, but there were times he really challenged her patience. He was more child than grown man, but she'd assumed being in Azkaban for twelve years, might've had something to do with Sirius penchant for rash behavior. Now a few years later, she could better understand where some of Sirius manic personality stemmed from, but it didn't make it any easier to think about.

"He took it upon himself to check inside the home, didn't he?" Hermione asked softly, and Andromeda nodded knowingly.

"You've always been more clever than anyone's ever given you credit for, Hermione—but yes, Sirius did."

Draco gazed at Granger in confusion, asking, "Why would that matter?"

Hermione bit her trembling lip, and felt Draco's hand on her knee. When her cinnamon eyes lifted, he could see stark remorse there.

"I obliviated the Granger's before we disappeared. I knew they'd be targets, and they are technically family. Kingsley still hasn't located them in Australia, but there were pictures inside the home of the times I'd spent with them growing up. However, there were a few which included my Mum, Angelique." Hermione then turned to Andromeda and asked, "He recognized her, didn't he?"

"He must've, because he became very cagey after winter Hols that year. I think he discovered the truth, and I think at some point, he confronted Dumbledore too."

"Shite." Harry mumbled, while Draco sat back and pondered this new information. He'd never known his cousin, and his only source of information about his Black side of the family had come from his mother and Bellatrix, who in defense of her insanity and penchant for utter despotic cruelty, wasn't likely the best source.

She'd killed her own niece, after all.

That thought made Draco wince internally.

Merlin, his family was all kinds of screwed up!

He was so engrossed in his own demons, he didn't immediately notice his Aunt had asked him a question. Then he felt Hermione's hand on his knee, and his head whipped in her direction. He didn't know what kind of expression was on his face, but whatever it was, it was enough for Hermione to flinch back as she went to remove her hand.

He grabbed it gently, and shook his head in silent apology.

"You okay?" She whispered, and he sighed but nodded.

"Sorry," he murmured, then turned to Andromeda, who was watching him closely, while Potter seemed rather tense at the exchange, "just in my own head for a moment."

"Understandable," Andromeda offered kindly, "I've found myself these last few months doing the same."

Draco bowed his head in gratitude, deciding to try and offer something to their conversation.

"I wanted to thank you, Andi—for your kindness in responding to Mother when she contacted you. I can't imagine it was an easy decision to make after all this time?"

Andromeda's features stiffened slightly, but her voice was gentle when she responded with, "It was a surprise, and I can't imagine it was an easy choice for her to make, but one thing I do know about my sister, Draco—is she loves you more than anything, and would do whatever she could to help you."

Draco felt Hermione's hand squeezing his own, and he cleared the emotion from his throat a bit awkwardly, but surprisingly it was Potter who spoke up in his mother's favor.

"She lied to Voldemort to save me, which I'm very grateful for, but even I know she did it solely to get back into the castle cause that's where you were, Malfoy. I know from my own experience, that a mother's love is very powerful magic."

Hermione smiled softly at Potter, while Draco just nodded in commiseration. He'd been brutish in the past, referring to Harry's Mum rather unkindly. Sixth year on the train, before he broke Harry's nose was the first thing that came to mind, but there'd been other times when he'd been just as much of a git.

Just as bigoted and mean-spirited.

"Well, I for one am not surprised." Andromeda spoke up, noticing her nephew's discomfort. Slytherin's weren't known for being openly demonstrative with their emotions, and she could tell enough just in the few hours of forming Draco's acquaintance, he was quite proficient in Occlumency. Something his own mother, herself and even Bellatrix, with her unhinged nature, was quite proficient at. It was taught in the Black family from a very young age. It was likely what saved Sirius mind spending twelve years within the walls of Azkaban. Well that, and his animagus form.

"Narcissa was always the best of us when it came to Occlumency."

Draco's eyebrow lifted, and Andromeda smirked knowingly. A gesture he mimicked in kind a second later, the unspoken commiseration something only a Black would understand.

"Merlin!" Harry snickered amused, "Is that a Black family trait? Sirius had that same look when he was pleased with something."

Draco tilted his head down, a half-lifted smile on his lips, while Andromeda chuckled lightly, teasing with affection, "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to, Harry."

Light laughter filled the kitchen, and Draco side-eyed Hermione, who was beaming at him and he felt his heart constricting with how pretty and open she looked in that moment. When he caught Potter's gaze a few seconds later, the green-eyed wizard had a very similar smug expression on his bespectacled face.

The conversation thankfully, changed from there, with Andromeda inquiring about Harry's birthday coming the following month, as well as the Grand Prix race they all were planning to attend.

"Ted loved race cars," Andromeda admitted with a fond shake of her head, "used to sit in front of the telly for hours watching those cars zoom around the race track. Never understood the appeal, but I suppose you'll get an up close view at all the excitement."

"I'd forgotten about that, actually." Harry admitted lowly, "Maybe someday I can take Teddy."

"That works, Potter. You can teach your godson all about Muggle race cars, and I'll teach him to fly on a broom." Draco drawled in challenge, watching with glee as Harry's eyes narrowed in warning, but Hermione just scoffed.

"Neither one of you will be teaching Teddy to fly until he's much, much older."

"You could always teach him to ride on Zephyr, love." Harry parlayed, watching Hermione as she turned the full weight of her amber glare on him.

"Nice try, Harry Potter."

They all laughed. "I do what I can, love. But for the record, Malfoy?" Draco lifted his chin slightly, while Harry just bit out, "I'll be teaching Teddy to fly."

Andromeda smiled softly, while Hermione sighed—wondering how her two wizards were ever going to be able to stop competing with each other.

"Can't you both teach him?" She asked with a tinge of exasperation, knowing deep down she'd been played, but not too bothered if it ended up engendering the desired outcome.

Draco smirked at Harry, who just turned his face to hide his grin.

Andromeda however, winked at Hermione in solidarity.

She was far more clever and manipulative than anyone gave her credit for.