A/N Thought I would update quick for you because of my lack of updates earlier. My apologies. Figured I would add a little bit of humor to this chapter to lessen the sadness, tension, whatever. I used the new Copy-N-Paste method from my phone, so if the spacing is messed up, I apologize deeply. I would also like to say that I am completely in love with this chapter, and it only took me a few hours to write it and get it posted... So, yeah. This one is definitely one of my favorites. READ AND REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

She had told the Dark Lord that he was not ready to raise a child, and he knew it as well. That might have been half the reason why he wouldn't let Andromeda be official to the Dark side. Rabastan Lestrange just wasn't mature enough, nor capable of raising a small child such as Nymphadora. Maybe this was all for the best. At times, these are the kind of thoughts that would scurry through her head. Andromeda knew on her life that they weren't true, but sometimes, she couldn't stop herself.

Raising Nymphadora away from such a prejudice life thrilled, yet saddened Andromeda. She would never be able to participate in balls every other week, family events, or Pureblooded parties. Money would always be a burden towards the girl, when she could be lavished with riches like no other.

However, at the same time, Nymphadora could live her childhood without war right around the corner. There would be no prejudices. Ted always seemed so easy-going and carefree because that was the kind of lifestyle he lived. He knew no other way of life, he was taught to treat everyone as equals. Andromeda really wasn't sure whether she liked this new idea or not.

Her heels echoed across the empty damp hallways. She clutched her handbag to her chest and slipped her hat further over her head. Coming to a worn down desk, Andromeda cleared her throat to catch the guard's attention. "Excuse me?"

"What?" The man was as round as a globe, taking up half the desk. If he had been an inch shorter, he would have been a perfect circle. His skin moved in ripples as he waddled around in his chair, sweat oozing out of his skin like waterfalls. Drool dripped from his mouth, making a sickening puddle of thick saliva on his shirt. His clothes were drenched in the grease of oily foods, and the smell of his sweat was enough to make people in the next room faint if they weren't already receiving the Dementor's Kiss.

Andromeda bounced on the balls of her feet, attempting not to gag at the man's odor. "I-um, would like to visit a prisoner."

"How interesting." He sniffed a meaty object on his desk and bit it fiercely, leaving noticeable remains in his mustache.

Andromeda scrunched up her face in disgust, attempting to keep the lunch she had just ate with Ted down. "Look, I'll be out of your hair if you just let me through."

He chomped loudly on his meat and grabbed a powdery half-eaten donut from under a pile of paperwork. "Dennis'll search ya. Go ahead through." His mustache twitched as he spoke, causing a bit of the meaty substance to fall into his drink.

Andromeda breathed deeply, and turned to face another damp hallway with a man leaning against it, sleeping. She tapped his shoulder gently and repressed a shiver as she felt Dementors in the corridors. "Are you Dennis?" She asked quietly.

"Mmmmhmmm." He mumbled, running a hair through his mousy brown hair.

"I'm here to visit someone. The man at the desk," She shuddered at the thought of him. "Said you had to search me."

"Which body parts would you like searched first, my dear?" He grinned cheekily, revealing rotting brown teeth. Andromeda shook her head and sighed.

"I'm a married woman."

"Happily married?"

"If I wasn't, my neckline would be three inches lower."

He chuckled stupidly. "A sense of humor, huh? We need some of that here."

Andromeda groaned impatiently and handed him her handbag. He took it, letting his hands linger on her's longer than what was deemed appropriate. Teeth showing again, he rummaged through it slowly. Lips pursed in a great impersonation of McGonagall, he pulled out a feminine product between his pointer and middle finger. "Why, my lady," His eyes twinkled in what he thought was a seductive manner. She grabbed the product from his hand, and threw it back into her bag, blushing furiously. "So, you've got a candy bar. My favorite, by the way, can I have it?" She raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway. He pocketed it and continued. "A very cute little drawing from a child."

"Touch that and be castrated." She spoke seriously.

He looked startled for a moment but continued nonetheless. "That little product," He smirked. "Some sexy make-up, and a hand mirror. Assuming you're not armed with some Muggle device, I'm going to let you through to your little friend."

Andromeda attempted to move past him, but he placed a hand on her ample chest, and she batted his hand away angrily. "Woah, woah. I need any wand or wands you have on you. You will have two dementors follow you around constantly, so befriend them, and, hell, why not name 'em? I sure do."

"I-I'll keep that in mind." She said, baffled, and handed over her wand, feeling quite small without it.

"State who you are you seeing, and these two will lead you to 'em." He said pointing with her wand to the dementors blocking another hallway.

"Rabastan Lestrange."

"Gees lady. A Lestrange." He shook his head, amazed. Facing the dementors in the hallway, he began to twirl her wand between his grime-caked fingers. "You heard the little lady."

They began to float eerily over the floor, leading her down the other hallway blindly. After a few minutes of cold, hard, silence, they led her to another hallway with ten cells across from each other. Stopping in front of one, Andromeda figured that this was Rabastan's.

She peered into the dark confines of the cell, seeing a hunched figure beside the wall of the damp rat infested cell. It was humid, dank, and damp, and it smelled faintly of stagnant water and decaying flesh. For a moment, she was reminded of the man at the front desk. This scent could almost rival his own.

She snaked an arm through to stroke his hair lightly, and he jumped violently. He looked up through the bars slowly meeting her gaze. His eyes were sunken in, and his skin was eerily reminiscent of yellow parchment. After a moment, his lips twitched into what Andromeda thought was supposed to be a smile.

"Andy?" He croaked. "You're here."

"And you're an idiot. You announced in front of that entire room that Dora is your daughter. Merlin, I snuck out of there before anyone could speak to me. I've avoided my parents for two weeks now. I'm sure they'll have something to say about it. Not to mention Ted didn't speak with me for two weeks. He slept at a hotel until we figured things out. I had to tell him you're insane, and that I would never dream of sleeping with you." She smirked.

"I wanted you to know." He frowned.

"I already know. Those people didn't need to."

His face fell noticeably. "Did you bring food?" He whimpered.

"I was going to bring you candy, I know how much you love chocolate, but the creep who sexually assaulted me coming in here stole it." His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry."

"Oh well. I'm fed tonight anyway."

"I didn't come here to discipline you. Earlier this week, Nymphadora was asking about you, and she wanted to draw you a picture. So," She pulled the beloved parchment from her purse and handed it to him through the bars. He took it with shaking hands and gasped. Tears fell down his face at an alarming pace as he pushed the drawing near the left wall and sobbed. "She wouldn't stop asking, so I filled her in. Told her you were a great friend of mummy's, and that you loved us both dearly. So, she drew a picture of you and her holding hands with a cute misspelled little note on the side. She wanted to cheer you up a bit. It would brighten up the cell a little bit."

"It's beautiful." He gasped. "I don't want to touch it. It'll break." Andromeda chuckled as he wiped some crayon shavings away from his fingers. He picked it up gently and stuck it to the wall. "In the note," He gasped for breath, "It says she loves me." He stated bemused.

"She heard it at the trial. She figured if you loved her and her mummy, she loves you too. She's only five, she'll believe anything you say."

"My daughter loves me." He sobbed.

Andromeda's heart clenched in guilt. She had no real way to find out who her real father was, and she figured it would all be better left unsaid. To be honest, she didn't want to hurt either man with the truth of her daughter's biological father. Nymphadora was loved by both, and that was all she needed.

"My lady." A voice from behind them spoke. Andromeda turned to find Dennis standing there holding a ring of keys and her wand. "Time's up with lover boy. Honey, I thought we had something special?" He placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"The creep who took my candy bar?" Whispered Rabastan.

Andromeda chuckled and nodded. "Zip it, Lestrange! Want another caress from your favorite little Dementor? Tanya is just around the corner. I'll call her." Rabastan breathed heavily, and clenched his jaw in anger. "Now, my lady," His voice went softer. "I'll show you out."

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