I love Andromeda, as I'm sure some have noticed. XD Thank you all for all your encouragement and all so far. We appreciate it!

Dora

Dora woke the next morning to her husband's arms around her, his face pressed against her neck. "Rab," she murmured. "Are you awake?"

"No," he smirked against her neck.

"Silly," she said to him, turning to face him before pressing her lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured, pulling her closer. "Well, what do we do with ourselves for the next two days while we wait to go to Black Manor?"

"Plan," Dora said. "I know nothing about the place, because I've only been there once...Andromeda will have to help us know about the wards and all. I don't even know where the rooms are, or anything."

Rabastan chuckled. "I daresay I know the place better than you and I've been there...maybe ten times total? Wait, when did you go there?"

Dora remembered something, and said, "Twice, Rab. Cygnus kidnapped me from Andromeda's home when I was nine, and Narcissa rescued me. Then, Mother and I went to Black Manor and murdered Cygnus two years ago."

"Cheery," Rabastan muttered.

"Yeah," Dora sighed. "At least we don't have to worry about him, though."

"Will it be safe for the children?" Rabastan asked worriedly.

"We will all scan the house for anything that could injure them," Dora said seriously. "But it will be up to you and Andromeda to know all the dangerous artifacts. I don't have that much experience."

Rabastan nodded, hugging his wife tightly before sitting up with a yawn. "It'll be the safest house a Lestrange ever lived in," he promised her before Summoning a fresh robe and changing quickly.

Nymphadora stretched, yawning as well before yelping as Rabastan teasingly threw a dress at her. "Fine," she pouted, throwing back the blanket and summoning the rest of the garments she needed.

Her husband laughed, and she got up from the bed, pulling her dress into place before asking him if he would tie her corset. He complied before drawing her into his arms, embracing her firmly for a moment before saying, "Come on: let's find what it is that smells so good."

Nymphadora smiled knowingly, lifting Rigel from his cot and walking from their room out of the tent, Rabastan's arm wrapped around her waist. "Dromeda, you're too good," she told the witch, who looked up and greeted them.

"Get your plates ready," the woman told them. "It's nearly ready."

"Dowa!" Delphi yelled from the other side of the cooking fire, grinning at the reaction she got.

"Oh, Delphi," Dora said, grinning at her sister as she picked up plates for her and Rabastan and took them over to Andromeda. "How are you?"

The girl lifted her arms to her sister. "Dowa."

Nymphadora sighed, and Rabastan came over to her, taking their son from her so she could pick up Delphi. The girl wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, sighing as she lay her head against Dora's shoulder. "Are you sleepy still?" she asked. "Didn't you sleep last night?"

Andromeda snorted. "She was up most of the night, couldn't sleep because of the noises all around us. She acted just like you did when you came out here, though she couldn't beg us to take her home. She cried herself to sleep, wouldn't calm down no matter what I did."

"Aw," said Nymphadora, rubbing the girl's back gently. "You should sleep now, Delphi. There won't be as many weird sounds."

The girl turned her head the other way and sighed softly, Dora holding her more securely. Rabastan took one of the plates from his wife, Andromeda serving them their breakfast quickly so they could all sit down and eat together.

Rigel looked very interested in the food, and Nymphadora laughed at his reaching for his father's plate. She sat down next to them, Andromeda opposite them, and they all ate quietly for a few moments, though Rigel seemed very happy to help his father eat his breakfast.

Delphi looked up a few moments later and shrieked at the other baby, surprising all the adults, though Rigel seemed to yell right back at her, Rabastan smirking at the two children. Nymphadora patted her sister's back gently, murmuring, "Shh, it's okay. He's just happy to have food. Shh, Delphi."

The little girl rubbed her eyes sleepily, laying her head back down, and Andromeda shook her head at the child, not commenting. Finally, Rabastan broke the adults' silence by saying, "How are we going to manage going up to Black Manor?"

Andromeda looked at the couple, then said, "We'll be apparating, I believe—Nymphadora will have to allow me back into the wards, as I can't exactly enter without permission."

"You got in before, when you went to get revenge on Cygnus," Dora frowned. "How did that work?"

"He allowed it," Andromeda said, a scornful look on her features. "Otherwise I could not have entered. But besides that, we will have to reinforce the wards, though subtly enough that the Ministry will not notice. The house will have to be cleansed from top to bottom so that the children will not be in danger from anything Father or Mother had lying around the place. I'm not sure what else we'll have to do, or what condition the house will be in."

Dora and Rab nodded, and Nymphadora said, "So the first order of business is getting in, of course, and then you can help me and Rab know how to do the wards, because I don't know anything about the wards of a house. Then I'd want to find a room for the children—"

Rabastan nodded, but added, "We'll keep Rigel for the first few nights, though, until we're more used to the place."

"Well, we might have to switch up some of the rooms," Andromeda said. "The largest rooms are nowhere near the nursery, unless the plans have been changed. We'll have to see what we need. I'm sure we can move the rooms: I know Cygnus did it a couple times."

"Why would you move rooms?" Dora asked.

"Convenience," Andromeda said. "He wanted some of us further away, and some of us closer. I locked my room into the ward, but I doubt it's still locked. It's probably been destroyed..." She glanced into the fire a moment before turning her attention back to her breakfast.

"Well, I'm glad we won't have to camp out for a long time," Dora said, gently swaying with Delphi against her shoulder. "I don't think Delphi likes it."

Andromeda smiled. "No. Tomorrow we should be able to move, though we should do it before dawn."

Rabastan seemed to want to protest, but Dora said, "We'll catch up on sleep later. Safety is more important." He merely nodded, Rigel wriggling to be put down to play on the ground.

"I can't wait to be in a house again," Dora sighed, leaning her head against Rabastan's shoulder after drawing Delphi down to cradle her in her arms. "I miss it."

"Soon," he murmured, kissing her head quickly, and she smiled slightly, falling into silence as they sat still together, thinking about being safely sheltered once more.

When they were packing the next day, Dora grinned to see Delphi holding to Andromeda's dress and watching things organize themselves before flying into her enchanted bag. "Shouldn't you be packing your things?" Andromeda asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger witch.

"Rabastan is doing it," Dora said. "I already got Rigel's and Delphi's things, except for what you have of hers."

"Good," Andromeda said as the last few items flew into place. "We will soon be ready to take down the tent and dispel the wards."

"I'm ready," came Rabastan's voice as the man joined them from his and Dora's room, Rigel in his arms. "Shall we go now?"

The two witches nodded, all of them leaving the tent so that Nymphadora could pack it, leaving only the wards around them. With a sigh, Dora disintegrated the wards, turning to Andromeda. "I don't know the place."

Andromeda nodded, giving Delphi to her sister as she held out her hands to Dora and Rab. "It won't take long," she promised Rabastan when he glared at her. The second he took her hand, she disapparated to Black Manor.

Rabastan let go of her immediately, and Dora took a sharp breath, staring up at the entrance to the Manor. "Not that impressive," Rabastan smirked. "Our home is better."

Andromeda couldn't help laughing at him, though she turned away, knowing he wouldn't like it. Finally, Dora said, "How—how do I add you to the wards?" Andromeda turned back to her, and Rabastan looked between the two, sighing at them.

"Both of you come here," he said. "Dora, you must reach out and touch the wards. Know them, as they are part of you, your blood, your magic." Dora closed her eyes, reaching out her hands, feeling with her magic. "Let it flow through you," he murmured, then waited as he watched her carefully. "Now, you must add Andromeda's magic to that web: allow her access to what lies beyond these gates."

"How?" Dora asked, looking up at them. "What do I do?"

"The easiest way is to identify her magic first," Rabastan said softly, "then take her hand: bridge the magics and bind them."

Nymphadora obeyed, though as she reached out toward the brown-haired witch, she felt her magic, strong and vibrant, more open than she had ever felt it before. She forced herself not to be too curious, but to bring Andromeda's magic to the wards to settle them.

She felt the two collide, shocked as she felt the witch withdraw her magic slightly, breathing, "Dora—Dora—"

"I feel it," Dora said, not attempting to force the wards to accept her. "There are wards directly against you...he really must have not wanted you back."

The two other adults made no comment as Nymphadora concentrated on the wards, magic crackling powerfully through her hands as she crushed the wards that excluded Andromeda. "There," she said, looking to the witch before she was to try it again. Andromeda was looking down and would not raise her head to look at the girl.

Dora took a steadying breath, then closed her eyes and reached out to Andromeda again, feeling the witch's magic more cautiously this time. There was a momentary struggle, and Dora hissed, "I will it!" effectively keying Andromeda into the wards.

The two witches stepped back, looking at each other for a moment before Dora shuddered. "That was awful."

"Now do me," Rabastan chuckled. "I won't be half as bad, probably."

"Probably?!" Dora groaned, though she reached out and wrapped her arms around him, wondering at how guarded his magic was. "You have to let me do it, Rab," she murmured, feeling his arms wrap around her. "It'll only take a second, okay?"

He kissed her head, his eyes closed as he forced himself to let go, allowing her what she needed to key him into the wards of their safehouse. When she was done, she pulled away, and Rabastan turned away from her almost immediately. Dora sighed, looking back at the entrance to the Manor once again. "Shall we go?"

Andromeda turned, taking Delphi into her arms once again as Rabastan gave Rigel to Dora, both following Nymphadora into the manor as the gates opened before her. "Where to now?" Dora asked, glancing at Andromeda.

"We need to reinforce the wards," Andromeda said. "Cygnus always did it from his study, but that is not where the cornerstone of the wards are. Follow me."

"Why wouldn't he?" Rabastan asked, frowning. "That's unusual."

"He was, to say the least," Andromeda nodded. "Cruel and unusual. Though he should have known the wards would hold better if he reinforced them properly—I just hope he didn't have reasons for not making them as strong as they should have been. We'd better all be extremely careful."

Rabastan frowned at something on a shelf, and before he could raise his wand, Andromeda flamed it, giving him a small shrug. "You take that side," she pointed toward the side of Dora he was on. "I've got this side. And if you hit any portraits, stick it to them good."

The man gave a small smirk, both he and Andromeda staying alert for potentially dangerous objects as they walked down the hall. "This way," she said, motioning to a door. "This used to be Mother and Father's room, though...I don't know what state it will be in..."

"Surely the house elves would have kept everything in order," Rabastan said. "After all, it wasn't that long ago that Cygnus died."

"And if Mother came here, hoping to live here, she would have made preparations for that, right?" Dora asked the other two adults.

Andromeda sighed. "Dora, some of the wards against me were hers. She put those up very recently, as well. I'm sure she would have tried to prepare for your coming here as well—she wouldn't have wanted you to live away from her."

Nymphadora stared at the witch, Rabastan wrapping his arm around her waist. "Come now, Dora," he murmured. "We can talk later. Let's get this done first. We must protect the children."

"The children—yes," Dora muttered, holding her son closer as she followed Andromeda into the room.

"Feel," Andromeda said, stretching out her hand and closing her eyes.

Dora giggled, and Andromeda opened her eyes again to see Delphi copying her, trying and failing to open only one eye. "Silly," Andromeda grinned at the child, kissing her silver-haired head. "Stop distracting your sister."

Rabastan couldn't help laughing at them too, though soon became serious once again as Andromeda guided Dora to feel the wards. "Let's do it together," Dora said, looking to her husband first before Andromeda second. "It should be more powerful that way, especially because of our relations and bonds."

The two agreed, but Dora noticed that the two did not make eye contact. She was glad when they all raised their hands, magic crackling, each speaking protective spells to add to the safety of their new home. The children, sitting at their feet, watched the visible sparks and streaks of magic in awe, giggling in spite of the seriousness of the adults.

When they were done, Nymphadora picked up her son and held him close, feeling Rabastan's arms around them both. "We'll be safe, Dora," he murmured against her cheek, and she nodded, sniffing slightly.

"Foo'," said Rigel decisively, looking from his mother to his father and back.

Delphi giggled and clapped her hands, seeming to agree, and Andromeda said, "Well, Dora, you've never known the elves from the House of Black, have you?"

Dora shook her head, and Rabastan squeezed her gently, Andromeda saying, "You might want to go to the kitchens and have a word with them: Rabastan will help you know what to say. I'm going to take Delphi and find suitable rooms to choose from. Do you know where the kitchens are?"

Rabastan nodded, and Nymphadora stared at him in shock. "How do you know?"

"I know where all the kitchens in all the pureblood manors are," Rabastan shrugged. "I...used to sneak food from them sometimes."

"How did you get away with that here?" Andromeda scoffed.

"Sirius taught me," Rabastan said simply. "You forget he used to be the heir, Andromeda. He got away with everything, and he was good at it."

"I'm the heir now?" Dora said despairingly, looking from Andromeda to Rabastan.

Rabastan grinned. "No, just the Head of the House of Black."

Her eyes widened. "The Head of—shit, I don't know anything about leading a pureblood house!"

Her husband laughed, kissing her head again. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and you can start learning," he chuckled.

"I don't even know what that means!" Dora sputtered, still confused at the realisation of her new title. "What does the Head do? Sit around and invent new grimoires? Scheme how to influence the Ministry and manipulate other pureblood families?"

"Go," Andromeda laughed, motioning her toward Rabastan. "Just don't get lost."

"We won't," Rabastan said, leading her from the room, though Dora turned and gave her a pleading look. Teach me, she mouthed, and Andromeda nodded with a small smirk before turning back to Delphi.

"Let's go find a nice, quiet room," Andromeda said to her thoughtfully. "I know you're getting tired, but you probably want a snack before your nap...we will have to let Dora choose first, though. I still can't imagine her as the leader of our House." Andromeda couldn't help grinning in glee as she held Delphi carefully, striding back down the corridor toward the rooms she'd used to know very well. She sighed, her excitement calming into nervous fear as she waved her wand to open one of the doors, prepared for anything.

Andromeda was disappointed to find that the room was empty, Delphi looking around in confusion. "I thought there would be more, too," she told the child, shaking her head. "I suppose not. Well, I hope the others rooms aren't as bare as this one."

She moved on down the hall to another room, Delphi grinning in anticipation as the brown-haired witch raised her wand.

Nymphadora sighed, leading Rabastan from the kitchen as he pretended to sulk before laughing at her teasingly. "Come on," she told him. "I want to see if Andromeda has found passable rooms for us."

"Fine," Rabastan said. "Though—Dora? When you're more familiar with the house, try not to follow Andromeda around so much?"

"I—" Dora began, then turned toward her husband, reaching out to wrap her arms around him. "I won't play favourites, Rabastan. You are my husband, and she is...she's my sister, sort of."

"She is not," Rabastan snapped, then buried his face in her hair and shushed her when she went to reply to him. "I know," he muttered. "It's difficult though, Dora"

Nymphadora hugged her husband firmly, replying, "I love you even more because you gave her a chance, Rab. So thank you for allowing her to stay."

Rabastan scowled. "I would never have done it for her."

"I know," Dora whispered, looking up into his eyes. "It means a lot to me that you would let me keep her. You both are everything I have besides the children."

"Stop," Rabastan protested. "You're making me blush."

"Ha!" Dora smirked, leaning up and kissing his lips firmly, the two clinging to each other a few moments.

Rabastan finally pulled away and said, "Come on: let's see if she's found rooms. I have an idea for one of them."

Nymphadora glanced up at him and giggled, seeing the filthy smirk on his face. "Oooh!" she said, leaning into her husband's side as they walked down the hall with their son.

They found Andromeda in the sitting room, Delphi lying asleep in the witch's arms. The older witch looked up, nodding to the couple, and Dora said, "Did you find decent rooms?"

"There were some already prepared, spotless even by my standard," Andromeda nodded. "I do not know what Bella was up to, but she might have known that you would end up here if something happened to her."

"Why do you say that?" Nymphadora said uncomfortably.

"Just...a feeling I have," Andromeda waved off the question. "Something one of the ancestor portraits said. But if you wish, I will put Delphi in her cot and show you the rooms."

Nymphadora nodded, still arm in arm with Rabastan as they followed Andromeda from the room. "There are several in a row here," Andromeda said, motioning to doors that had markings on them. "I marked the ones that are ready. The others either need work, or are entirely bare."

Rabastan looked down the hall, walking forward to inspect the rooms for a few moments. "We should put the children directly between our rooms," he said to Andromeda. "It would be easiest to have them right here by us."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Dora said firmly, then looked up at Rab. "I like this room: it seems calm and quiet."

"I like it too," the man agreed.

"Did you figure out the meal schedules?" Andromeda asked them, and they nodded, Dora rolling her eyes again.

"It's stupid that everyone thinks women are to look pretty and produce children and yet run their entire home by themselves," Dora said decisively. "Narcissa made it all look easy!"

Andromeda smiled thoughtfully. "She has done well. Now, what time are we meeting back for lunch?"

Dora chewed her lip, then replied, "I thought we'd have it early, about eleven today. I wanted a chance to catch up on rest before anything else, though you could probably get breakfast if you wanted it."

"It's fine," Andromeda reassured her. "See you then."

Rabastan wrapped his arm around Nymphadora, pulling her into the room as soon as the other witch had turned away. Dora flicked her wand, setting up Rigel's cot before placing him in it and setting wards over it. Her husband drew her away, almost before she was finished with the wards, pulling her closer as he kissed her firmly. "I've missed you."

Dora smirked, whispering her own replies as he murmured softly into her ear. Rabastan held her tightly for a few moments before lifting her in his arms and carrying her to their new bed, wasting no time in using the idea he'd mentioned earlier.

Nymphadora yawned as she was soon awakened by Rigel's cries of "Mumma! Daddy!"

"Wha—?" groaned Rabastan, then sighed, still half asleep.

"Here," Dora laughed softly, slipping out of her husband's arms. "What's going on?" she asked Rigel with a smile. "Are you hungry again?"

"Mumma," he said firmly, reaching out to her.

The witch summoned her garments from their still packed bag, quickly dressing before she went to him, taking him into her arms. "Not hungry?" she raised an eyebrow. "Just wanting Mum? You are a spoiled child."

Rigel just grinned, and she grinned back at him. "You should wake your father. I don't think he wants to get up, though he wouldn't like to miss lunch."

She set the child down on the bed beside his father, grinning as Rigel curiously crawled up beside Rabastan. "Daddy," said the boy, then looked up at his mother, who nodded to him encouragingly. Rigel laughed joyfully, and Nymphadora couldn't help laughing too, wondering what amused the child so much.

"Rigel—Dora, where are you?" Rabastan half sat up in alarm, and Nymphadora smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

"He wanted us," Dora shrugged at Rabastan's questioning look at her at him.

Rabastan sat up, Rigel immediately demanding to be held. The man shook his head slightly and complied, then looked up to Dora, only to be interrupted by a scream from the hall.

Nymphadora drew her wand, hurrying to the door and cautiously looking out, seeing Andromeda down the hall, the witch staring at a large burnt spot on the wall. Andromeda's hair was bright red, and as Dora got closer, she breathed, "Andromeda, what happened?"

"I—I—" Andromeda took a deep breath and said, "There—there was a portrait of Father that greeted me when I left the room. I—I didn't mean to destroy the wall."

"Oh." Dora glanced at the wall and shrugged, waving her wand at it to repair it. She looked back at Andromeda, then said, "Your hair is red, and I think you scared Delphi."

Andromeda looked down to the white-haired child in her arms, then sighed, hugging the child gently. "Sorry, petal," she said. "Andromeda's a little jumpy."

Nymphadora fell in step with the witch, asking, "Is it the house?"

With a sigh, the woman nodded. "I hated this place. We all did. It meant nothing but awkwardness and suffering, and it was awful. Though it's better with you." Andromeda gave Dora a small smile before glancing down at her red hair and morphing it back to brown.

"Mumma!" Delphi cried, motioning to another portrait, and Nymphadora bit her lip, seeing herself and Bellatrix in the frame.

Andromeda did not look toward the portrait, though Delphi turned to see it again, staring at it as if questioning whether it was really there or not. "Mum," the child whimpered, rubbing her eyes.

Nymphadora bit her lip, trying not to look at her sister's innocent, unhappy face. The child finally leaned her head dully against Andromeda's shoulder, sniffing a little. Andromeda sighed softly, rubbing the child's back carefully as they entered the dining room.

Dora was surprised to see the newspaper lying on the table, and Andromeda nodded. "Now that you're here, the paper will arrive here every time a new one comes out."

"Oooh," said Dora, going over to the paper and looking down at it before gasping, "Andromeda, come look at this!"

Andromeda looked up from putting Delphi in her highchair, then went to Dora's side, picking up the newspaper.

Fugitives!

In a strange turn of events, the Auror Office just disclosed that Andromeda Tonks, disowned member of the House of Black, was found to be sheltering Death Eater husband and wife team Rabastan and Nymphadora Lestrange. After a brief duel at the Tonks residence, the three fled the house, taking with them two small children—which is interesting, considering that the Lestranges only registered the birth of one child...what could they possibly be hiding?

It might be suggested that the second was Andromeda Tonks' child, though her husband was brutally murdered almost three years ago by her own sister, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, the real mother of Nymphadora Lestrange. This mysterious second child must belong to one of the two witches, as—I'm sure the readers would agree—they do not seem the type to simply take in an unfortunate child.

Though it is unfortunate that there are children involved, all three adults have a bounty on their heads, the Auror Office wanting any information that can be provided on them immediately. Use caution if you see any of the three, for they are armed and extremely dangerous: though she was never thought to have any affiliation with Death Eaters, Andromeda Tonks seems to act just like them, having murdered two Aurors in the flight from her home.

Andromeda looked up at Nymphadora and grinned. "They're looking for me too, now!" she laughed happily.

"You murdered two?" Nymphadora said in surprise, staring at the witch.

"Yes," Andromeda said, slightly offended. "Don't judge me, Lestrange. No one touches my family, and the Auror that had bound you was laughing as Delphi and Rigel were crying for you. I couldn't help myself. I also destroyed the one that hurt Rab, though he doesn't know that."

"I don't know what?" Rabastan asked, having just walked into the room with Rigel.

"Oh, she killed two Aurors," Dora shrugged. "Nothing important."

Rabastan smirked. "Is that all I don't know?"

Dora slipped her arm around him as he joined her at the table. "Well, the one was the one that bound me, and the other was the one that cursed you. I guess she was a little upset?"

"Upset?" Rabastan chuckled. "You saw that front page picture, didn't you?"

Dora looked down once again at the moving picture, Andromeda silent yelling at her opponent as she dueled almost directly into the camera, her eyes filled with rage as she battled the Aurors. "That must be directly from the memory of an Auror," Dora said in appreciation as it went black and started over. "Isn't it illegal to put something like that in the paper?"

Rabastan laughed. "Who cares what they did to the Auror? I'm surprised they could retrieve that memory after that spell hit him. Dear Merlin, Andromeda. Everyone who sees this will be able to find out what you did."

"Yes, well, they destroyed my home and injured you, almost took Nymphadora away—I think I had a right to be enraged," Andromeda said.

"They should have been smarter than to try to take you on," Dora told the witch.

"Yeah," Rabastan chuckled.

"Foo'!" Rigel suddenly shouted, and everyone looked at him, Delphi taking up the cry.

"You weren't hungry," Dora said to Rigel before setting him in the high chair as she shook her head. Sitting down, Dora signaled for the meal to be brought, and the family began to eat together.

Andromeda kept glancing at the paper from time to time, seeming very proud of herself, and Nymphadora couldn't help smiling at the thought that they were all a great deal safer now than they had been the past few days.