Chapter 13

Andromeda got her suit on. Another day in court. They were going to be there all day. This families situation had to change soon surely.

"Mum is here to watch the kids." said Ted as he came into their room.

"Ok, have you made up the bottles," she asked.

"Yup they are in the fridge for when he is ready," she said to him.

"What do you think then?" she asked as she finished changing.

"You look lovely." he said to her.

"I am not going for lovely darling. I am going for responsible and mum-sy." she confided in him.

"You look very respectable." he said.

"Good." she replied.

Things had to go her way today. They just had to.

When they got in to the court room they saw Lucius had got there first. He looked immaculate compared to what he had when he had been in court.

He was ready to reclaim what was his. His baby was going back to the arms of his rightful owner.

He was not going to be leaving without custody of his son.

Andromeda felt so nervous. She felt sick at the sight of him.

"I just want this to be over."

"I know you do and it is going tot be in a while."

Aand then we are going to go home to the kids aren't we? To both of them."

"Baby I am on your side but I am not going to promise you that we are going to go back to the both of them because I can not do that." he said gently, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear.

She was angry but at the same time she had to respect his honesty. That was why she had married him.

Kissing her forehead he gave her a supportive smile.

They would get through that day as a couple.

----

"Can you please make a case for the Tonks keeping their nephew?"

"Well," said their brief. "I think the case for the two of them keeping is very clear. Lucius Malfoy has recently been imprisoned for conspiracies with the death eater. -"

"Objection." Grimm came in. "He was cleared, my client was not guilty. This is no reason for his son not to be returned to him."

The judge nodded. "Taken into account."

"Very well. But there are others reasons. Mr Malfoy may have been unstable by his time in jail. If the child remained in the care of Mr and Mrs Tonks then he will be in a loving stable home. He will grew up with a cousin there to help and guide him. Not only that but for the past month and a half he has been with his aunt and uncle who have come to love and treat him as if he was their own. He is happy and settled there."

"Very well. Mr Grimm will you please present for Mr Malfoy regaining custody of his son."

"Yes, I will be glad to." he said as he stood up. "I think the most obvious reason for my client gaining custody of Draco Lucius Malfoy is that he is the boys father. The child and he share blood. They are tied together. It is only right and natural for a father and son to be together. Not only this but before the incident, Lucius was a good and loving father to Draco. Since the death of his most entirely beloved wife, the child's mother, Draco has been the centre of his fathers world. It was obvious when Mr Malfoy was imprisoned his only care was for the boy. His first actions when he was realised was to arrange getting his child home. He loves him. He is the child's father. I see no reason why Mr Malfoy should be named a unfit father. I beg you, send the child back to his parent."

He is a death eater for gods sake, though Andy, was that not reason enough.

"As for the argument that my client is not mentally fit to take carer of his son he has been this week to St Mungos to have a full examination, mentally and physically. While being slightly under weight, there have been no other problems found."

"Very well then. I have listened carefully to both sides of the argument and will come to my decision over night. We will met back here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

Ted nodded and took his wife's hand eager to get out of there. No doubt so was his wife.

The last thing she needed was Malfoy sneering at her.

"Why is he going to make the judgement tonight Ted. The as answer he is looking for is clear.""Yes it is. To you and to me. But obviously it is not to him."

***

Lucius poured himself a fire whisky. He could not judge how the day had gone. Not really.

He had tried to but he found it was impossible.

He wanted to know if it had gone in his favour or not. But it was so hard to know.

Looking around the living room, He saw the clock. He watched time go by and by and by.

It wasn't helping.

By the clock there were some pictures. They were all of him and Narcissa. She had put them up when she had been alive. He hadn't bothered to put any of his son up. It hadn't seem important. Till now.

She had said they used to help her when she had been lonely. If he had been away, she looked to them to cheer her up.

He had thought her foolish and sentimental, at the time yet now he saw her point.

It seemed since her death he understood her far better than he had in life.

Which was cruel. He wished to have her back, just for an hour to talk to her. Tell her what he had learnt since she had been gone.

Tell her what being a father had taught him.

She would say if he had let the child down within the first year it was not enough.

And again she would be right.

"I am so sorry sweetheart." he said out loud. He had let her down for the last time.

***"You know I want to think positively but I cant help thinking this is my last night with him." said Andy as she held her nephew.

She was losing hope.

"We have done all we could for him in the weeks we have had him here." Ted said to her.

He was glad but after he has seen his brother in law he was ready to give the lad back.

"Can I hold him for a minute?" he asked.

Andy nodded as she passed her nephew over to him. "Come here little man." he said. "I think you're a bit tired." he said to him.

Kissing the baby on the head he smiled. "I am going to miss you."

"He hasn't been given back to his father yet." Andy said defensively.

She just wanted to keep him safe.

"Yeah but you know, he might be."He said to her. She had to accept the reality of their situation.

"I have worked that one out for myself." she nodded feeling aggravated with him. She knew she shouldn't be but when he pointed out the obvious she couldn't help it.

"If it goes back to being just the three of us, is that going to be such a bad thing?" He questioned. They had been happy before. He knew they could be again.

"How can you even ask me that?" She shoot back at him not bothering to hid her frustration.

"Because me you and our daughter are your family. And I think you have really lost sight of that since he has been here," he said to her.

She looked shocked. She had felt as if it had been the four of them forever.

The kids were her babies.

Her was her man. They were a team.

"I have not. I love you and I adore our baby girl." she reassured him, looking deep in to his eyes and reaching out to touch him. It wasn't like Ted to be insecure.

"I know you do. But I cant help but wondering if me and her are enough for you any more."

"Of course you are."

"Are we?"

"Please don't be silly darling. I love you both."

"And we love you. Just remember that tomorrow sweetheart. That is all I ask."