As Andromeda entered Hogsmeade, she immediately turned away from the Three Broomsticks. Ted asked her to meet up with Sirius and Olivia, but Madame Pomfrey had given her strict instructions not to spend too much time around other students, in case she herself was already infected with the Black Cat Flu.

She did poke her head inside Zonko's long enough to make a few purchases, but she kept her head down and avoided eye contact with everyone. Once finished, she made her way to the edge of the town. The fresh layer of snow felt like a pillow beneath her feet, and with her dragon-leather cloak wrapped snugly around her, she could almost believe the snow was warm fluff rather than frozen water.

In truth, she didn't mind being away from the rest of the students, as it gave her time to think. She remembered every second of her drunken phase, though she wished she didn't. It felt like someone else's memory. Or like that movie Ted had shown her. Like it had happened to someone else on a screen rather than Andromeda herself.

When the dizziness had finally faded from her mind, she'd been horrified. Convinced she'd ruined their relationship after Ted had seen her in such a desperate and pathetic state. She never should have underestimated him so. Even now, remembering the tender way he'd held her filled her with warmth. She didn't think it was possible to love him more, but yesterday she'd been proven wrong.

However, Ted was not the only thing on her mind. The sight of Rodolphus' sick smile as he gazed at her like a piece of spoiled meat made her blood boil. After what he'd done to her, it was he who should be cowering in shame, not her. And yet, ashamed was what she felt. Ashamed and bruised and broken. It wasn't fair she should be every bit as afraid of him now as she had been that night. It wasn't fair that he should haunt her every thought. And yet, fair or not, it was her reality.

She reached the place she'd been trekking too. A small bridge that overlooked a frozen stream. In the distance lay the shrieking shack. It had earned that name her fourth year at Hogwarts, when some sort of violent spirit had taken up residence. That spirit only screeched at night, and even then only on the full moon, so on a Sunday morning the shack would be still and quiet.

She carefully sat down on the icy bridge. She used to come to this spot every Hogsmeade trip, but last year she'd been too busy with Rabastan. And just like that, another shudder swept through her body. Rabastan. He'd seen her too. She was lucky she'd been too focused on throwing up or she might have said something that would have made their already grotesque situation even worse.

And yet, a part of her longed to speak with him. The last time they'd spoken to each other had been on their supposed wedding day, in that muggle alley. She'd asked him if it was true, if he'd really handed her over to his brother like some sort of concubine. If he'd given his brother permission to rape her. He'd never answered, and though she suspected the worst, a part of her still couldn't believe it. In all their time together, he'd never done anything to hurt her, save that. Whereas she had ripped him apart time and time again. She just needed to understand what had happened between them, before she could ever really move on.

"Andromeda?" At first, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her. She'd been thinking of Rabastan and now she heard his voice in her head. But when she heard boots crunching in the snow, she knew it was no trick. She glanced over suddenly, though she fearfully dreaded what she would see.

Rabastan stood on the other side of the bridge. Snow frosted his hair and his cheeks were flushed with cold. Unlike her he hadn't prepared to trek out into the snow like this. As she recovered from the shock of seeing him her gaze immediately darted behind him, her heart pounding in terror as she waited for her sister or his brother to appear behind him.

"It's just me, I promise.," Rabastan said, seeming to sense her thoughts. Then his face fell. "Though I understand if that doesn't make a difference."

It shouldn't. She should be just as terrified of Rabastan as she was of Rodolphus. Yet rather than cowering away or demanding he leave her alone she asked, "How did you find me?"

Her question did nothing to alleviate his discomfort. "I followed you," he finally admitted, then added, "I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

He sounded so abashed, like he was ashamed of asking. Or maybe he still feared retribution. Once again, she found herself simply saying, "I am. Your medicine worked wonders."

Silence followed her words, then he said, "I didn't just mean that."

Some part of her realized that, but once again, she had no idea how to respond. She knew the answer, no, she was not all right, but she had no idea how to express this to him. It wouldn't make things between them any easier.

"I'm sorry," Rabastan said when she failed to speak. "It's not my place. I should go." When she still didn't speak he ducked his head and turned away from her.

"Wait," she whispered. The clear air carried her voice as Rabastan immediately whirled back around.

She couldn't bear to look at him, and for a moment she feared her nerve would fail her. But if she didn't ask him now she never would. "Can you tell me if it's true?"

"If what's true?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "Did you tell Rodolphus to 'loosen me up' for our wedding night?"

That sentence was difficult for her, but it was nothing compared to the anguished look that crossed across Rabastan's face. He looked away from her, and she feared he would leave without answering again, confirming her worst suspicions once and for all.

Then, quietly, he said, "The night before our wedding, Rolf got me drunk. Completely hammered. He said it was my last night as a free man. Then he asked me if I'd share anything with him. He said we had to. Because we were brothers. Said everything that was mine was his. He kept saying something about completing the set. How he had two out the three but he needed the third." He glanced down, his voice dropping. "I said, yes." his head suddenly shot up, the anguish in his face so raw she almost cringed. "I swear I didn't know he meant you. I had no idea he would..." He didn't finish that sentence, but he didn't look away as he said, "I'm sorry, Andromeda. I should have stopped him. I should have—"

"It's not your fault," she said, surprising them both.

"Yes, it is," he said darkly. "I'm not a complete imbecile. I know what my brother is. I've known for a long time, I just pretended I didn't."

A heavy silence settled over them. She could have hated him still. He'd allowed himself to become drunk, and he'd allowed his brother to leave. Even after he learned the truth, he still followed after his brother like a loyal dog. She could tell him to leave and never speak to her again. But she didn't, because she understood him.

"I used to think the same thing about Bellatrix," she said. It was all she said, but Rabastan lifted his head. A light slowly crept into his eyes.

He glanced behind him, then at back at her, and asked, "Where's Ted?"

"Hospital Wing," Andromeda said. "Maybe with the Black Cat flu. Speaking of, you should stay away from me, in case I've already gotten it."

It almost sounded like she was dismissing him. And yet, her words had the opposite effect. That light in Rabastan's eyes only grew. He stepped onto the bridge and then took a seat a couple meters from her.

"Is this all right.?" he asked. He wasn't asking about the distance. He was asking if it was all right if he sat here, with her. No wonder he'd asked about Ted. He wouldn't want to speak with her if the man that stole her from him lurked around.

"Yes," she said, "Should be safe."

The light in Rabastan's eyes solidified, a for a moment it felt like old times, back when they'd been friends, if nothing else.

"Zonkos?" he asked, indicating to her bag. "Doesn't seem like you."

"It's for Ted. We didn't get a chance yesterday."

And just like that, the moment ended as reality came crashing down. "Right," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

"So, you and Delia, huh?" she asked. Perhaps not the best question, but there didn't seem to be any good questions.

He gave her an almost quirky grin. Not the question he expected. "I could do worse," he said, shrugging, "Besides, Rolf insisted I bring a date with him and Bella this time, rather than tagging along like a chaperone."

Andromeda's furrowed her brows quizzically. Rabastan wouldn't refer to himself as chaperone, unless Rodolphus and Bella were engaged in certain activities. But, it couldn't be. They barely tolerated each other.

"Your brother and my sister are dating?" she asked, voicing the impossible.

"You didn't know?" Rabastan said. "They're engaged. Our parents really wanted to unite our families; it seems." Andromeda wore her shock on her face, and he added, "I'm sorry. I thought someone would have told you."

For a moment, it seemed absolutely absurd to that she didn't know her sister was engaged. To the man that would have been her brother-in-law. Even though the idea horrified her, she and Bella were different people. There wasn't a man in this world who could get the better of her sister, even one such as Rodolphus. It made sense too, that her family's would try to patch up the shame of hers and Rabastan's failed engagement with another one. And though she could barely stomach the thought of the two of them married, they did have some common interests. But she dared not speak of those.

"I don't really hear news of our family anymore," Andromeda said.

"Right," Rabastan said again, and once again they lapsed into silence.

"I did hear news of you though," she said. Rabastan glanced over in surprise. "Someone said you were . . . drinking a lot . . . ever since. . ."

Rabastan groaned. "I got hammered at the Three Broomsticks, once, and suddenly everyone thinks I'm a drunkard."

"So you . . . you're all right?" she asked.

He offered her a half-smile. "You didn't turn me into an alcoholic if that's what you're asking."

Andromeda blushed, though she inwardly sighed in relief. "Well, I did hear the news from Rita Skeeter."

Rabastan snorted. "Of course, you did."

And there it was again. That amicable feeling spreading between them. Like their messy history and strikingly different life choices had ceased preventing them from being friends.

The feeling was so strong Andromeda dared bring up another difficult subject. "She started one about us too."

"I know," Rabastan said. "I heard it."

A month ago that would have been her worst nightmare, and even now her cheeks turned crimson. Rabastan didn't sound hurt or angry, though he did shift uncomfortably again.

"So," he said, and she braced herself for whatever came next. "Obviously, I know that we never . . . but is it true you and Ted never . . .?"

Her cheeks were already crimson, but now they were practically scalding. She couldn't help but turn away from Rabastan.

"I'm sorry," Rabastan said quickly, "that's none of my—"

"It's all right," she said. He had nothing to apologize for. She'd brought it up. " And it's true. I mean, we want it. It's just every time we try, I remember . . . that night."

This silence that followed her words was so piercing, the whole world joined in. The wind stopped whistling, and even the distant shouts from the town suddenly grew faint.

"I'm sorry," he said again. They'd come in full circle. Her conversations tended to do that, she noticed. Maybe because no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to move on from that one moment. Except, that she desperately wanted too. She needed to.

"Ted's been so patient," she said. "Incredibly patient. I just . . . I want . . ." she broke off, coming to her senses and realized what she'd been about to say, and who'd she'd been about to say it too. Her cheeks flamed again, and she gasped, "I'm sorry, this must be the last thing you want to hear about."

He didn't deny it, but he didn't say anything else either. He wouldn't quite meet her gaze, but he seemed lost in thought. She supposed this was a strange situation they found themselves in. Discussing her intimacy issues with her ex-fiancé, and the brother of her attacker.

"I dated a girl who went through something similar," Rabastan said suddenly, surprising her.

Andromeda's shock that he was continuing this unorthodox conversation was outweighed only by her desperation to know more. To know someone who'd through been what she'd been through, and come out the other end in one piece.

"But, you two . . . you still . . ."

"Sometimes," he said. "Everything was on her terms. But as long as she stayed in control, it was . . . enjoyable. For both of us." He offered her a cheeky grin, and she found herself blushing in response. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about Rabastan, in that way, in some of the rare moments where Ted didn't occupy her mind and heart. She was grateful he didn't give her more details, as that would have made this entire conversation unbearable, but she was left with questions.

"I don't know how to be in control," she admitted. "I don't know what I'm doing."

And once again, she was struck with how strange this all was, that was discussing something so personal with Rabastan. And yet, she had no one else. Everyone else was either friends with her boyfriend first, or her cousin.

"Just take everything really slow," Rabastan said, "Figuring out what reminds you of . . . the incident . . . and avoiding those things will help too. At least, that's what worked for her."

Andromeda nodded, slowly. She still had no idea what to make of his advice, but if nothing else it gave her hope. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Her fear of Rodolphus wouldn't control her forever. She glanced at Rabastan again, and burst out into uneasy laughter.

"I'm sorry," she said, "it's just . . . this is the last conversation I expected to have today."

"Me too," he said, "I'm glad we are though," he said. She made a face at him, and he added, "Okay, maybe not this exact line of conversation, but . . . ," his normally guarded faced turned vulnerable. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she said, surprising herself.

They were a caught in another moment. A moment where she dared to believe they could be friends, despite everything that happened.

"I should go," Rabastan said, rising to his feet. "Before Rolf comes looking."

She felt a pang as he started to leave, but she agreed. The last thing either of them needed was Rodolphus' discovering them here.

"Hey Andromeda," he said. "If you ever need to talk, about anything. I'm here."

Her heart lifted again. It was more than she ever thought possible, but maybe she'd spent to long dreading the worst, she'd forgotten to hope for the best. "Thank you," she said.

He started down the path, then stopped. "One more thing," he said, turning back to her. "Head home from Hogsmeade a little early today?"

"Why?" she asked.

"No reason." He shrugged. "It's just, a storm's coming. Better to be inside Hogwarts where it's warm."

Andromeda glanced up at the clear, blue sky, without a storm cloud in sight, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Rabastan offered no explanation as he disappeared into the grove of trees that led back to Hogsmeade.

She stayed there for a moment, thinking. She never would have expected this to come out of today, but it felt like stones had been lifted off her body. She'd carried so much guilt, despair, and even anger over how things had ended with Rabastan. Now, not only was that all behind her, but she might be able to keep Rabastan in her life, even if it was just a silver of him. Could it really be possible? Could she have her cake and eat it too?

She glanced up at the sky again. It carried no sign of a storm, not even the smell of it in the air. But Rabastan wouldn't have given her that warning without reason. If she couldn't trust Rabastan, then everything she felt right now was lie.

So, sighing, she lifted herself off the icy bridge and made her way back to the castle.

A/N: I promise you there is a lot more of Rabastan to come. Since I know half of you shipped him and Andromeda anyway. xD He's become one of my favorite characters too write, so I've made sure to keep his story going.