Delicate rain fell from the heavens, completely contradicted by the booming thunder and cracking streaks of lightning that lit up the dark night sky. Two figures in black cloaks, one a tall and skinny man, the other a nearly equally skinny woman of a more usual height, swept through the storm and the night's darkness, focused on one thing, and one thing alone: reaching their destination.
"Are we nearly there, Mother?" asked the man. He pushed his hood down and let the rain trickle its way over his head and down his face, revealing extraordinary blonde hair. Glancing at his feet, he realized he had stepped directly into a large puddle of mud. In frustration, he groaned inwardly.
"Nearly, my son," said the woman. "Nearly." She did not push her own hood down, but instead the rising winds blew it off of her head. Her left hand rose to her head and tucked a strand of her own blonde hair behind an ear, though a moment later the breeze freed the strand, and she pulled the hood back up. The man nodded back to her, and they continued to struggle through the weather in silence.
Eventually, the two came upon a small wooden home that appeared generally old-fashioned and abandoned. The man looked at his mother, unsure if their directions had been off, but the woman affirmingly nodded back. With much caution, they creaked up the steps and onto the porch.
Meanwhile inside, the widowed Andromeda Tonks bolted straight up in bed. She had heard the loud creaking outside and feared a robber. Instantly, she rushed to her grandson's room to make sure he was safe. Sure enough, seven-year-old Teddy Lupin was sound asleep. Andromeda tip-toed back to her room and opened her dresser drawer. She pulled out her wand, which had gathered quite a lot of dust. After all, she had sealed it away after her daughter's and son-in-law's magic-related deaths. She had sworn to herself she would never again raise a wand, but this seemed to be an emergency, because after a quick, risky glance out the bedroom window, she noticed the robbers looked oddly familiar. A bubble of anger inflated inside of her, and Andromeda rushed downstairs, being quiet only for the sake of Teddy's slumber.
The woman outside was just now gathering up enough courage to knock on the door when Andromeda threw it open. Instantly, she stuck her wand under the man's chin threateningly. The woman tugged her hood down to show Andromeda her face in hope it would stop her.
"Andromeda, stop!" the woman called, forcing her way between Andromeda and the man. Her icy blue eyes gazed into Andromeda's own brown eyes in a connecting manner. She pushed her hood down to reveal her features. "It's just me."
"I know perfectly well who it is, Narcissa," Andromeda said bitterly. "I wouldn't hurt your precious boy unless provoked. Now, what do you want? I don't qualify as family anymore, remember? I'm disowned." The tone of her voice caught Narcissa off-guard, and she nearly fell.
"You'll forever be my sister, Andromeda," Narcissa replied, mustering as much calmness as she could. Motioning to her son, she added, "Draco is engaged, sister."
"Lucky girl," Andromeda said sarcastically with a fake smile topping it all off. "To which pureblooded line does she belong? Surely he's not marrying for love, just for the pureblood sake."
"Her name is Astoria Greengrass." It was Draco who spoke. "The pureblood aspect is simply a bonus. We're sincerely in love." After speaking, he nodded to himself to confirm his point.
"Sister, may we please be granted entrance?" asked Narcissa with caution, afraid Andromeda would say no. "The weather is rather unfriendly. We're chilled to the bone."
With a shrug, Andromeda replied, "I suppose, but try to be quiet; my grandson is still sleeping. Luckily, your late-night traveling hasn't woken him." Narcissa and Draco nodded and entered behind Andromeda, and what they saw shocked them.
It was so plain. The home of Andromeda was completely average in all aspects. Brown wooden floors with pale-colored rugs, brown furniture, and brown paint on the walls. They might as well have stepped into the home of muggles. Draco had never seen so many hand-operated systems in one place.
"It's very.." Narcissa said slowly, trying to think of a good adjective to describe the muggle-style home, "Cute." Draco nodded absently in agreement to his mother's statement. Andromeda frowned, knowing their displeasure, but truthfully, she couldn't have cared less.
"Sit down," Andromeda said casually, and all three did. "Now, what are you here for, especially at three in the morning?" She rubbed her eyes and gave a big yawn, only now as she said the time realizing how late, or early, it really was.
"As I said, Draco is engaged," replied Narcissa, cutting straight to the chase. "We would be forever appreciative if you attended the wedding, Andromeda." Draco nodded slightly, trying to reaffirm her point but instead showing his slightly hesitant feeling.
" 'We' would be?" Andromeda scoffed with a roll of her eyes. She pointed with her arthritic and aged finger to Draco gingerly. "Your boy doesn't look like he'd appreciate it, Narcissa. Did you tell him he would be?" With a laugh, she added, "You're not a very good faker, are you, Draco?"
"Andromeda, I would like nothing more than for you to be at my wedding to Astoria," Draco replied with all the sincerity he could muster, enough to even convince himself. "We would be eternally delighted, no, honored, if you were to be in attendance. Bring your grandson, too, if you wish."
"Well, if you insist-.." Andromeda began but let herself ramble off. Truthfully, she wanted deeply to attend the ceremony, but she also wanted Narcissa and her boy to think she only came by force. She wasn't ready to have them completely in her life.
But she was ready enough to give them a chance.