A/N: For anyone still reading this story... you are the best.


Andromeda Tonks had not stepped foot in the Ministry of Magic for years, and so it took a few minutes for her to orient herself before she found the lifts that would take her to the courtrooms in the lower level. Once she found them, though, it was easy enough to find her way down, and easier still to spot her sister outside one of the courtrooms, sitting primly on a stone bench next to an anxious-looking young man with shocking blonde hair that could only belong to a Malfoy.

Narcissa froze when she saw her sister approaching, and the young man Andromeda knew must be Draco stared at her with his mouth slightly agape.

Anny was a little nervous, but expected that since they were in a public place, Narcissa would not make a scene. She plunged ahead without preamble, addressing her sister. "Are they deliberating?"

Her sister came out of her shock after a moment and nodded. "What are you doing here?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"You said Draco's hearing was today. I thought I ought to be here." She looked at her nephew, and he had still not closed his mouth. "Speaking of which, are you going to introduce us?" Andromeda asked her sister.

Narcissa glanced sidelong at her son. "This is my son Draco, as you've obviously surmised. Draco," she said softly, hesitantly, "...this is your Aunt Andromeda."

The young man was speechless. He stared at her with grey eyes that were so very much like his father's, and then finally came to his senses. He stood, and extended his hand to her. "A pleasure to finally meet you," he said, only faltering slightly.

Andromeda reciprocated the handshake firmly. "It is, indeed."

"You'll have to forgive me, I'm afraid I'm... not in good form at the moment. I apologize for any impoliteness," Draco said quickly.

"You have a lot on your mind at the moment, I'm sure. No forgiveness is needed." She squeezed his hand with both of hers before releasing him. "How did it go?" she asked them both, directing her question more toward her nephew, since he seemed at least willing to be civil.

The pale young man shook his head slightly, and glanced toward Narcissa before speaking. "I don't know. Better than it might have, I suppose." He was clearly anxious, the way he kept shifting his weight and glancing toward the courtroom door.

Narcissa finally spoke again, holding out her hand. "Sit, Draco. Don't work yourself up again."

"I'm sorry, Mum, I can't. If I sit here another minute I'm going to lose it." Draco ran a hand over his face. "If you'll excuse me, I'm just going to take a walk for a minute."

"Well don't go far," his mother warned.

"Just down the hall and I'll come right back," Draco assured her. With a nod to Andromeda he turned and walked away.

Anny quietly let out a breath she'd been holding, and turned to look at her sister. "He's a handsome young man," she commented, moving to sit next to her. Narcissa smiled very faintly. She was still watching him walk away. "It's hard for me to fathom that you have a grown son."

Her sister finally glanced at her, with an expression that was unreadable. "I hardly believe it myself." She bit her lip. "He had to grow up too fast," she said quietly. Andromeda saw her cheeks becoming flushed, and realized that she'd accidentally struck a nerve.

Well, if they were already into the heavy talk, she might as well plunge ahead. "How did it go, really?"

Narcissa gave a helpless shrug. "As well as could be expected."

"Did Harry...?"

Her sister nodded. "Yes, Mr. Potter was very supportive. If there is even a chance of a ruling in our favor, I'm certain it is thanks to his testimony. And that of Hermione Granger."

They were both silent for a long moment. Narcissa eventually looked directly at her. "Who's looking after Teddy?" she asked casually.

Andromeda's eyebrows raised involuntarily. She wasn't expecting her sister to make small talk. "Molly took him for the afternoon. Molly Weasley," she clarified, seeing that Narcissa seemed perplexed. The explanation made her sister's forehead furrow for a just a moment before her expression went completely blank. Count on Cissy to be able to completely mask a negative reaction, Anny thought cynically. Though her ability had served its purpose where You-Know-Who was concerned, hadn't it? And at least she'd hid her dislike, instead of expressing it.

Andromeda decided to pretend she hadn't noticed the reaction. "I thought about what you said yesterday," she told her quietly.

Narcissa arched an eyebrow in response. "Which part?"

She had a point there. "All of it," she answered with a half-smile.

Her sister gave her a look. "You must have been up all night, in that case," she said ironically.

"Actually, that's pretty near the truth," Andromeda admitted, growing serious again.

Narcissa sobered, too. She glanced down the hall toward where her son was pacing, and looked back at her sister. "This is not the time, nor the place for us to sort this out," she asserted quietly.

"Perhaps not," Andromeda agreed tentatively. "But I think I ought to at least tell you that I'm glad you came to see me."

Narcissa pressed her lips together into a line. She nodded, and looked as if she was about to speak, but before she could, the door to the courtroom swung open and Percy Weasley stepped into the hall. "The Wizengamot is ready to announce a verdict," he announced to the two of them. Surprise registered on his face when he saw Andromeda sitting with Narcissa, but he made no comment.

Draco hurried down the hall back toward them and Narcissa stood to wait for him. Neither of them said anything; she simply linked her arm through his. She glanced back toward Anny. "Are you coming in?"

Andromeda was a little stunned that she'd asked. "Am I allowed?" she asked, looking toward Percy.

"I shouldn't see why not," Narcissa answered smoothly, before he could reply. "You are family."

They all looked at Percy then, and he was completely nonplussed. "Um, yes, I suppose, family only of course, so... yes. Yes."

The courtroom was dark and somber, and Andromeda was immediately reminded of the dungeons of Hogwarts. Draco took his seat in the center of the room, and Andromeda found a seat close by to the side. Narcissa seated herself shoulder to shoulder with her, and Anny realized that her sister was shaking. She felt the impulse to express her compassion physically, but she wasn't sure if Narcissa would want her comfort. She glanced over at her, but the younger witch was staring straight up at Kingsley with a fearful look that she could no longer hide.

The Wizengamot was assembled in seats that rose up at the front of the room, and they quickly ended their whispered conversations as Kingsley stood up. "The court has heard testimony and considered all the evidence presented. We will now cast our votes." He paused and took a breath. "Those in favor of granting a pardon?"

Half the court raised their hands. Andromeda felt a sinking in her stomach. "And those not in favor?" A great many hands were raised into the air, so many that it was difficult to say which side held the majority.

Kingsley frowned, and looked down at the stenographer, a plump little witch who was looking around and scribbling furiously at the same time. "Twenty-nine to twenty-one," she announced importantly, looking up at Kingsley. "The ayes have it."

Down in front, Draco was still staring up at the court with a petrified expression. Andromeda grabbed her sister's arm without thinking, feeling the weight lift off her chest. Narcissa had gone slightly limp, as if she'd been holding her breath the entire time and had finally released it with her whole body.

"In that case, Draco Malfoy, you are hereby granted a full pardon for any crimes committed throughout the recent conflict, and you are free to go."

After the verdict, Narcissa regained her faculties quickly enough to exit the courtroom with Draco, and Andromeda trailed behind. It wasn't until they were outside that Narcissa let her emotions surge out. "Oh thank God, Draco," she uttered, placing her hands on the side of his head. Narcissa hugged her son fiercely, and Andromeda felt a bit like she was trespassing on an important moment. They parted, and Narcissa had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Mum," Draco said, half-laughing in relief. "I'm free to go, remember?"

Narcissa chuckled, but that didn't stop her tears. "Don't you tell me not to cry. I don't know what I would've done..." she choked up, and she pulled him close again. "You're my little boy, Draco," she said in a small voice. She kissed him on the cheek before letting go again, this time actually letting him go. She took a moment to straighten the front of his suit jacket before she stepped away, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

Andromeda definitely felt uneasy. She'd wanted to be here for Narcissa, but they really were like strangers. If the verdict had gone wrong she'd been prepared to offer solace, but she hadn't really thought about what she would do if there was a happy outcome.

Surprisingly, it was Draco who turned and looked at his newly-acquired aunt. "Thank you for being here," he said earnestly. Andromeda tried not to look stunned. He turned to look at Narcissa. "I'm glad you didn't have to hear that alone."

Draco's face was flushed pink, and he seemed slightly embarrassed. Andromeda guessed, and Narcissa's expression confirmed, that such a mature, voluntary expression of gratitude was a new step for him. "Oh you don't need to thank me, I was hardly here at all, really," she said modestly.

"No, really," he insisted. "I mean it."

"Well, you're welcome," she conceded. From the what she'd heard about Draco before, which was third-hand through Dora talking about Harry's suspicions almost two years ago, she hadn't expected to like him. She was happy to discover that she'd been incorrect.

Narcissa didn't directly respond to the exchange, though she was clearly moved. She continued to mop up her face, and remarked, "Just one more day of this, and we can finally move on."

Andromeda looked between the two of them. "You mean for Lucius," she said questioningly.

Draco nodded, and Narcissa confirmed, "Yes. They're hearing his case in the morning."

Andromeda's breath caught in her lungs for a second. "Tomorrow? Lucius is being tried tomorrow?"

Her sister cocked her head slightly and responded, "They're hearing his case tomorrow, yes. It was published in the Prophet that they're holding a public hearing. Did you not notice it?"

"No, I've been a bit... preoccupied, I haven't kept up with the papers." A public hearing. Tomorrow. That was not good. It was far too soon for this to come to any good. Whoever had pushed for this public hearing must have an agenda to put Lucius back behind bars or worse, because this felt terribly rushed. Most people seemed ready to throw the remaining Death Eaters at the mercy of the Dementors, from what Anny had seen and heard. They wanted blood, and they would not be ready to offer leniency to a convicted felon, no matter what he'd done to prove himself. People would submit accusations left and right, and most of them would probably be true.

But she couldn't express any of this to the Malfoys. Not when they'd just had such good fortune.

"Well, I suppose we all ought to get some rest before tomorrow, then," Andromeda said neutrally. "Unless you'd prefer me not to be there," she added, looking at her sister.

Narcissa considered her for a moment, before giving the tiniest shake of her head. "It's entirely up to you."

"Then I'll see you both in the morning," she declared. As she moved to go, she put a hand on her nephew's arm. "I'm very happy for you, Draco," Andromeda told him sincerely.

They said their goodbyes and Andromeda rushed off in the direction of the lifts. Instead of heading for the main atrium, however, she selected Level One - where she knew she could find the Minister for Magic's office.


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