a/n1: Hello my lovely readers! The first weeks of university were quite demanding for viv and me. I went to MMC Berlin this weekend and saw many lovely Harry Potter cosplayers, even a Dramione couple! Now I have a bank holiday and tomorrow a holiday because of reformation day, this translates into time to write! ;) viv-heart is still my amazing beta. Enjoy! :)

When Draco felt sober enough to floo over to Andromeda's he took his good-byes from everyone. The other two Weasleys and Theo were awake by then and eating breakfast. It was nearly lunchtime and Cinny had already insisted on feeding him and George.

Draco knew his family would understand when he missed breakfast, they had left behind a note to keep them from worrying. But his mother would be really cross if he missed lunch as well.

Like he had expected his mother didn't look too amused when he stumbled out of the fireplace at half past eleven. She frowned at him while she put the toy with which she had played with Teddy up to this point away.

"Where have you been Draco?" she demanded picking up Teddy and putting him in his crib.

"I was at Theo's. We went to bed very late and Cinny insisted that I eat breakfast before leaving," Draco said in a conciliatory tone.

Narcissa harrumphed. "So you won't even eat lunch with us?"

Before Draco could answer Andromeda stepped in. holding a letter in her hand. "Oh, Draco, you're back!" she said in surprise. "I just wanted to ask Narcissa whether she had heard from you."

"What did you want from me?" Draco asked eyeing the letter in her hand curiously.

"Frank Tonks answered. He invited us to visit this afternoon since his parents are visiting and the whole family has taken a free day," Andromeda answered, giving the letter to Draco. "He would like us to arrive around two o'clock so we can talk before his children return from school."

Draco looked at his mother who wore a pinched look. "I would really like to visit him, but maybe a little food first would be good."

Narcissa nodded and ushered him into the kitchen where his father was cooking. None of them had expected it, but not only was Lucius wickedly good at it, he also loved cooking. Draco had actually heard him whisper with Andromeda about opening his own restaurant once Draco took over the family business.

They ate in silence, but it was companionable. It was so different from the silences that had surrounded their first meals. Had it really only been a bit more than a week since Acting Minister Shacklebolt had send him to an unknown safehouse? Draco thought about thanking the man for the decision to put them here. His aunt was an amazing woman, but as much as she gave comfort she needed it and even Draco could tell that she needed people to care for.

When Draco came down the steps, having showered and changed into new clothes, Andromeda only tsked.

"Do you want to scare Ted's family?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Draco looked down on himself. He wore a black oxford, black trousers and shiny black leather shoes. Maybe it was a bit much black.

"Don't you have a colourful oxford in your wardrobe? I could have sworn I saw one when the elves brought your clothes," Andromeda said, frowning at him.

"I thought it would look too formal," Draco admitted.

"And the black one won't?" Andromeda asked and sighed. "Do you own a t-shirt or a jumper?"

"A jumper with dark grey and black stripes," Draco said playing with the hem of his oxford. He had to admit that the clothing reminded him of last year.

"Then wear that," Andromeda said.

Draco sighed and went to change. When he came back down again Andromeda nodded and led him outside, down the gravel path. They stepped through the little gate out onto a broad path which seemed to lead to a village uphill from them.

"We will apparate to them, since they live in Plymouth," Andromeda explained and offered him her arm.

Draco hesitantly took it and was instantly sucked into the apparition. Being unprepared he needed a few seconds to get his bearing when they re-appeared in a small alley.

"It's just a few streets down from here," Andromeda called over her shoulder striding out into the busy street.

Draco followed her, grumbling under his breath about aunts that walked too fast. Nevertheless he soon caught up with her. They walked about a mile until they turned right into a smaller street with quaint little houses.

"Andy, they do know you brought me, right?" Draco asked suddenly nervous when they came to a stop in front of a light yellow house.

"Of course, love. It's not polite to bring guests without announcing them," Andromeda said with a wink before she pushed the button next to the door.

A bell sounded inside the house and something growled. Draco flinched and nearly took a step back.

"Take down that terrible pureblood mask," Andromeda hissed at him right when the door opened and a huge brown dog and a man who looked a lot like Ted appeared. "Frank! It's lovely to see you! And Sheila, my have you grown since the last time I saw you!"

Draco must have looked stunned because Frank Tonks grinned at him. "I guess you haven't seen your aunt quite like this yet?"

"Not exactly, no," Draco admitted watching Andromeda cuddling with the dog which looked like a crossbreed between a Husky and a Labrador. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

Frank took his outstretched hand. "Frank Tonks, let's get you inside."

They stepped over Andromeda and Sheila and Draco took off his shoes when he saw that Frank wore slippers. Just when he started to feel uncomfortable Andromeda stood up and gave him a pair of guest slippers while grabbing a pair for herself.

"Come on in, my parents and my wife will be here soon. She had to pick them up from the train station," Frank told them while opening one of three doors that led from the hall.

Stepping through Draco found himself in a nice, small living room. The table was ready to be set and surrounded by six chairs. On the other side of the room two couches and an armchair were positioned in front of a black box which seemed to have a blackened window in the front. Maybe this was a TV, Hermione had told him about something like that, but where were the moving pictures?

"Have you ever been in a muggle home?" Frank asked from behind him and Draco realised that he had unconsciously stepped closer to the box.

"No, sir, but it doesn't seem too different from a magical home," Draco answered while looking around.

"Please call me Frank," the man said and Draco nodded with a smile.

"Frank, may we help you with the table, it would be so much faster with magic," Andromeda said with a wink.

"Oh, you just want to show off," Frank teased good-naturedly but motioned for her to do it.

"Draco, would you help me?" she asked turning to him.

"Of course," Draco said and whispered "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The Levitation Charm was actually the first one he had managed to do wandlessly, but sometimes things rose too fast when he tried to do it voiceless. Now the plates, teacups and forks started to fly and Andromeda took the opportunity to, wandlessly, put the everyday tablecloth away and change it for a finer one. When the cloth was in place Draco put down a plate in front of each chair and repeated it with the tea cups and forks with only tiny motions of his index finger.

By the time Andromeda had summoned a small candle holder and a vase with flowers from one of the cupboards Frank's eyes were big as saucers.

"I- I thought only really accomplished wizards and witches were able to do magic without wands?" he stammered.

"I'm the second best in my year and I wanted to learn wandless magic from the very beginning," Draco admitted blushing. "And Andy is nothing if not an accomplished witch."

"Stop it, you make me blush," Andromeda said, looking flattered.

Frank was pulled out of his surprise by the doorbell and went to open the door. Andromeda started to go after him but Draco stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Do you think it was a bit much?" he asked quietly.

"No, it just has been a while since I came over," Andromeda said smiling reassuringly. "Now let's greet the others."

Draco nodded and followed her out into the hall. There was an older couple with grey hair and quite a few laugh lines around their eyes and a woman about Andromeda's age with hair nearly as light as Draco's. It was obvious how much Frank loved his wife by the way he looked at her.

"Well, young lad, aren't you going to say hello?" the older woman wanted to know.

Draco startled and stepped forward, bowing over her hand. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I was caught by the beauty of the relationship your son and his wife seem to have."

"Oh my, you're a flatterer," the woman smiled brightly. "Please call me Nan, otherwise there will just be too much confusion with three Mrs Tonks!"

"I will, Nan," Draco said with a wink he knew was charming. It felt strange calling this muggle woman 'Nan' like he would a grandmother, but she smiled so brightly at him using the title that he accepted it easily.

"You don't need to call me Mrs Tonks either, it's Mary," Frank's wife said and blushed when he bowed over her hand as well, if not as deep. His mother had made sure that he knew to bow lower to an older person than to a younger one.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mary," he said when he faced her again, letting her hand go.

The older Mr Tonks gave him a once over. "Don't you dare bow to me, young man!"

Draco chuckled. "As you wish, sir," he said with a wink as if sharing a secret over the firm handshake.

"Good lad, I'm Ted for you," he said while helping Nan out of her light jacket.

"Of course, Ted," Draco answered trying to sound as charming as he had before but remembering just what they had to tell this family today.

They retired to the living room, sitting down at the table while Frank went to fetch the cake. Andromeda made conversation by asking how the older Tonkses were and how the children were doing at school. Frank was nearly seven years younger than Andromeda's Ted had been and had had children when he was older therefore they were still at school, while Tonks- Draco stopped the train of thought. Later.

"Now, shall we first eat or first talk?" Frank said when he putting the tea and coffee pot on the table.

Andromeda and Draco exchanged a look. "It's up to you, but I'm afraid we won't eat much either way."

Nan put a hand on Andromeda's. "Out with it girl, something is choking you up."

Andromeda smiled at Nan and Draco could see her shoulders sacking a bit when she decided to talk first.

"Andy, maybe I could start?" he asked quietly, his social training kicking in and his aunt nodded gratefully.

The Tonkses turned to him curiously. "I'm not sure how much Ted and Andy told you about our world. But you probably know that there was a war brewing when they eloped. It ended in 1981, or at least we thought so," Draco stopped taking a sip from his too hot tea, desperate for something to do with his hands. The family nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"In June four years ago the leader of those who had started the war returned. I won't go into details now since it's not the important part. Just know that my cousin Nymphadora and her future husband Remus Lupin decided to fight the so called Death Eaters. My family was part of this group."

Nan gasped and Frank's eyes flickered unsurely to Andromeda who sat with her back ramrod straight.

"Dora and Remus fell in love while fighting the war during the last four years. Last summer they married, shortly before our Ministry fell and was taken over by the Death Eaters. They pursued muggleborns and their families. At first Ted and Andy were relatively safe. But when so called Snatchers turned up in the village close to them this February, I think?" Andromeda nodded, her eyes fixed on the candle flames. "Ted had to flee. Would you like to take over Andy?" he asked quietly and she shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes.

Draco took a deep breath. "He was caught trying to help other refugees. He was killed."

"No!" the elder Ted yelled and Nan clasped her hands in front of her mouth. Frank looked shell shocked and Mary grabbed Andromeda's hand over the table. They all had forgotten the food.

"This happened in March. Nymphadora was very pregnant by that time, staying with Andy. On the eighteenth of April Edward Remus Lupin was born to her and her husband. On the first of May the final battle of this war started," Draco was whispering by now, tears burning in his eyes at the sight of Andromeda. "In the early morning of the second of May Nymphadora and Remus Lupin were killed by Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov."

By now everyone was crying, Mary's sobs were muffled by Frank's shoulder while he leaned heavily on her. The older Tonkses looked broken.

"My parents defected shortly after, I already had defected before the battle really started. I can't express my sorrow over these losses, the loss of people I didn't bother to get to know because I thought it mattered who your parents are," Draco finished quietly.

Only then he realised that Andromeda had his hand in a death grip that he returned. Frank slowly stood up and looked at him murderously. Draco wasn't surprised and rose as well.

"Out of my house, you bastard," Frank said deadly calm and Draco nodded turning to leave.

"Stay, boy," Ted suddenly said. Draco looked at him in confusion but the old man wasn't looking at him.

"Frank, that boy didn't kill your brother or your niece. In fact he seemed just as saddened by their deaths as we are. Andy surely had a reason to bring him. She trusted him to tell the story of her loved ones," Ted said motioning with his hand to Andromeda who was being comforted by Nan and Mary.

"But he was one of them!" Frank said with desperation evident in his voice.

"That may be, but I can't hate every German soldier who fought in the Second World War just because one of them killed my two brothers," Ted said calmly standing up to go to his remaining son.

The two men were nearly the same height but Frank crumbled when his father put his arms around him. Draco felt very much out of place and he would have given anything for an Invisibility Cloak now.

"Draco?" Andromeda called out just when he was thinking about disillusioning himself.

"Yes, Andy?" Draco stepped closer to grab the hand she stretched out to him.

"I don't blame you for anything that happened to my family. If there is someone to blame that would be Voldemort and we both know that he is very dead," she said with a tiny smile.

"He is, just like Aunt Bella and Dolohov," Draco said returning her smile and crouching down next to her.

"Aunt Bella?" Mary asked in confusion and Nan's eyes widened.

"You don't want to tell me that your sister-?" the old woman whispered.

"Killed her own niece?" Andromeda asked. "She did just that, even if she was no sister of mine since she laughed while I was being cursed by our aunt."

Nan was the first to find her voice again. "It's good that you came over to tell us. But may we ask a few questions? Only if it is alright for you."

Draco and Andromeda exchanged a look. "Of course, we'll try to answer them as completely as possible."

a/n2: Alright, I hope you liked this! If you were wondering about Draco's jumper, Will Tudor wears it in my new cover image ;) Tell me your thoughts and let's see how fast I manage to update!