"Good day, Miss Black!" bellowed the friendly landlord from behind the bar of The Three Broomsticks.
"And you, Mr Duncan!" Andromeda retaliated. She had reluctantly, yet at the same time gratefully, agreed to accompany the students in the third to seventh years on a trip to Hogsmeade village; which was being tried out in the hopes of becoming a traditional treat for the pupils. Her first thoughts were of Dumbledore's words about her sister's whereabouts, but these worries gradually evaporated as she embraced the welcoming atmosphere of the village. She had seen Sirius leaving the joke shop with the same three boys he was always spotted with, and was glad to see that he seemed happy rather than anxious.
"Rosmerta! Escort Miss Black to her table" demanded the landlord of a witch about Cissy's age who was hoping around near the door; gazing longingly at the happy students outside. The word table was said as if code for something completely different.
"Yes, father" the girl grunted indignantly.
"What table?" asked Andromeda, who hadn't even planned to visit The Three Broomsticks during her visit, let alone new of any table or otherwise that had been set aside for her.
"There's someone who wants to see you" Duncan smiled mischievously. She obediently followed the girl called Rosmerta into the back, where a series of quaint wooden tables were accompanied by plush red-cushioned chairs that were holding up the bantering regulars in their daytime drunkenness. She was taken to a room right at the very end of the tables, which was obviously to be reserved by guests who wished for privacy (the meaning behind the code table was understandable now), and she was met shockingly by the familiar green eyes and fair her that she had missed so much.
"Ted!" she cried, hugging and kissing him as if they had been separated for years, "I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you too, 'Dromeda. Rosmerta, please thank your dad for letting us use this room". The girl nodded curtly and left with a small bang of the door. Ted and Andromeda sat down on a loveseat that was positioned perfectly by a roaring fire. She was so relieved to see him that she couldn't stop looking into the welcoming greenness that made her warmer than the fireplace, but she sensed that there was something wrong.
"What is it?"
"What's what?"
"Something's wrong, I can tell. Is it work?" Ted sighed as if hoping he wouldn't have to go into such a complex matter.
"I took a huge risk by meeting you here today, that's why I asked Duncan to reserve this room for us. I can't be seen talking about it in public or there will be consequences. Things haven't exactly been going well at the Ministry since You-Know-Who returned from abroad".
"Have they confirmed the rumours, then?"
"Not through the Prophet, they don't want people thinking that they're panicking and unorganised; which they are as it goes. I only know about certain issues because I've been keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble". He smiled reassuringly, normally that smile would have tamed Andromeda's worries in a heartbeat, but she understood the severity of his words and knew he was somehow in danger.
"How is he managing to have such an impact on the Ministry?" she inquired.
"A few of us believe that there are Death Eaters within the Ministry itself. We even have our suspicions, but I can't tell you; at the moment knowledge is a dangerous weapon".
"If you didn't want to tell me anything about the situation then why did you come here? And how did you know I would visit The Three Broomsticks?" she didn't want to sound so harsh, but he was keeping information from her and she couldn't help thinking that it regarded his safety.
"Well, actually, I've been in this room since last night in the hopes that you would walk through that door, I've always been glad to see you but I never realised how much I needed you with me". She couldn't help but love him even more for saying that; she even forgot the slight anger that was in her voice when he wouldn't tell her anything about his problems at work. The atmosphere changed as Ted's expression grew more serious, and with a flick of his wand all of the candles in the room lit and the curtains closed completely. Andromeda found this spontaneously romantic and even overwhelming despite the fact that she expected more bad news.
"Some of the Muggle-born workers in the Ministry departments are starting to disappear; its likely they've been taken by the Death Eaters who are infiltrating the Ministry; and for all we know I could be next-"
"Don't talk like that"
"But it's true, Andromeda"; he very rarely used her full name. "The reason I wanted to see you today, the reason I've wanted to see you are weeks, is to say goodbye while I still can. Just in case we don't see each other again I want you to know how much you mean to me and how, like Nelly, I'll always be there even if-"
"But whose going to protect you?" she was crying now, she knew that he had always been at risk by working for the Ministry of Magic (just like he had at Hogwarts) but she never thought she would be in a position where she was seeing him for the last time; holding him for the last time, and she couldn't just let him walk to his death without saying goodbye in the only way she wanted.
"Well then I want to say goodbye properly, because I want you to know how much you mean to me". She had been thinking about it for a while now; marriage didn't matter if it really was their last moment together. She leaned towards him, her lips filled with fire as she kissed him more passionately than she had ever done before. No matter what happened to them, they would always be close enough to feel each other's presence and know that everything would be alright, but she was ready to be more than close to him, to be apart of him as well.
"'Dromeda, are you sure?"
"Don't talk" she whispered, placing a subtle finger to his lips. "I want to remember this moment forever; I don't want to have to use magic to bring it to mind, just thinking of how much we love each other will do that for me, just, don't talk". And together they explored a part of their relationship that they both knew they had always been ready for; because this could be their last chance to seal the fate they had chosen all those years ago in a way that no amount of death or destruction or dark magic could break apart.
"How do you feel?" Ted asked her breathlessly afterwards; the candlelight appeared somewhat brighter now, as if they had completed something that had been waiting for them for a long time, and the blazing fire only enhanced the connection they had shared.
"I feel whole, Ted" was all Andromeda said in reply, even though in her heart there were so many other feelings and emotions she wanted to express; such as how in that moment she had known truly that she couldn't love him more because he symbolised everything she had ever wanted, and needed. She knew that Ted appreciated what they had just gone through together in the same way she had, because he looked at her with a new; complete; sense of belonging and admiration that reflected how much he worshipped her.
They held each other for what they hoped was as long as they possibly could; and were both as satisfied as they could be that their goodbye was perfect. Without saying a word, Andromeda redressed and left the back room of The Three Broomsticks knowing that she didn't need to look back at the green eyes that gave her hope, because that hope would never leave her again.