A/N: Again, the flashbacks are done in italics to help sort it all out. I know this story is a little confusing right now, but this chapter should help sort most of it out. The rest will come in time. I don't own Harry Potter or any characters affiliated with it.

Andromeda woke up when she heard the front door open. She wondered if "Lillian" would still be there when she went downstairs.

For a few moments, she put off the inevitable as she went into the next room to check on Teddy. He was still sleeping soundly, his small chest rising and falling evenly. Seeing this, Andromeda smiled and sighed happily. That little boy had become her pride and joy. Part of her heart broke every time she saw him because he was a constant reminder of everything that she had lost, but she still loved him more than anything. He was precious. He had lived through it all.

It was a lucky thing that he had stayed with Harry that day. She had not told him where she was going, but that had not fazed the young Gryffindor in the slightest. He was happy to spend time playing with his godson.

Arriving home with a guest had not been a part of the plan, however.

"Lillian" had almost bolted when she found out that Harry Potter was inside the matriarch's home at that moment, which only confirmed her identity to Andromeda. Of course, she would not want to be near Harry. The likelihood of him recognizing her, if she was who Andromeda believed, would be too high.She had asked "Lillian" to wait outside by the back entrance while she saw Harry out.

The girl was appeased with this option and patiently waited by the back door.When it was finally opened for her, Andromeda could see the relief on her face. The elder witch made herself busy, making a pot of tea for the pair to share. She occasionally glanced over her shoulder, making sure that "Lillian" was still there. "You know, you're welcome to sit down. My chairs will not bite you."

The young witch chuckled behind her before taking a seat. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Tonks."

"Of course. It's no trouble at all." Andromeda turned towards the younger witch and leaned against the counter. "May I see your face now, Hermione?"

Even here, in the seclusion of her kitchen, Andromeda saw the hesitance displayed on her face. "You know you are safe here, right? I'm not sure what you're hiding from, but it's not here."

She saw the internal battle on Hermione's face before all emotion drained from her expression. The elder witch watched as she pulled out her wand and spoke a few incantations under her breath. Her ebony hair faded to a soft brunette, and her facial features morphed in front of her eyes. It was so similar to the way Nymphadora's face appeared when she changed her features that it caused the elder witch to choke up. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Hermione gave Andromeda the same sad smile from before. "It was a spell I was working on with Tonks. Her abilities were truly remarkable, and I hoped that we could find a spell to imitate those. The original spell allows you to mimic the ability of a Metamorphogus for as long as you can stay concentrated on it. I made a few adjustments to it that makes it easier to maintain, but you cannot change the features at will during the same spell cycle. My face stays the same all day every day."

Again, Andromeda was close to tears. "I knew you two were friends. She spoke of you frequently. I had no idea she was working on that with you. Did she know you completed it?"

This time, Hermione shook her head. "No. I had been unable to perfect it before the battle. Afterwards, I had much more time on my hands, so I worked on it until I had something figured out. When I needed it, I changed it so that it would work better for my needs."

Andromeda nodded, wishing her daughter could see the outcome of her work. "Very well. Now that I know exactly who you are, I have no qualms telling you that you need to get a good night's sleep because we have much to discuss in the morning. It is late, so I think it would be better to talk about everything tomorrow." Following her speech, she saw the hesitance back on Hermione's face. "Please, I know I cannot force you to stay, but please spend the night. It would mean so much to me, knowing that you are here."

Hermione thought about it for a moment before nodding her head. "Okay. I will stay as long as you do not tell anyone I am here. Do we have a deal?"

The nod of confirmation was enough for Hermione. She allowed Andromeda to lead her up the stairs and down the hall. They stopped at a bedroom door and Andromeda opened it slowly. "I'm sorry, I don't have a different room for you."

Hermione did not argue or complain. Looking inside, she knew that the room had belonged to Tonks. That did not bother her as much as she expected it to. "Thank you, Mrs. Tonks."

"Please, just call me Andromeda."

And with that, both women had retreated to their rooms.

After considering her options for a few more moments, Andromeda decided it was time to face Hermione. Obviously, neither of them were going to get much sleep, after all.

She slipped on a pair of house shoes and made her way down the stairs. She moved to open the door and was pushed back by the weight against it.

Hermione, having been previously sitting leaning against the door, fell backwards onto the floor. She hastily righted herself before looking to Andromeda. "Did I wake you?"

The dark haired witch shrugged and gestured for them to move outside, mostly relieved that Hermione had not left. "I heard the front door open, but I don't sleep exceptionally well these days." She took a few moments before she explained. "I miss them too much." Losing her husband was a huge blow, but losing her daughter and son-in-law afterwards nearly killed her. It was only her grandson that kept her going in the beginning. "I heard you come outside and thought I would come check on you." She looked at the silent witch. "Nightmares?"

Hermione returned her gaze, nodding. "Yes. Not much helps at night."

Andromeda nodded, understanding completely. "And during the day? What helps then?"

Hermione smiled slightly to herself. "The book store. I have always loved books. Being there helps take my mind off of everything."

"Dora did mention that you were quite the bookworm. She told me you knew everything there was to know." She smiled at the memory. She always loved hearing about her daughter's friends. "It does not surprise me to find you in a book shop, but why the disguise, Hermione? And why were you so far from London? Didn't the Weasleys offer to let you stay with them?"

Hermione had known the questions were coming. It was only a matter of time. She debated whether or not she should tell her everything. "I broke up with Ron. I mean, it was barely a relationship to begin with. We kissed during the battle, but honestly, I think it was merely the heat of the moment - at least, for me. I do love him, but I don't think I could ever love him as anything more than a friend or a brother. He did not share that sentiment, and I thought it would be better to give him some space, so I declined the offer to stay with the Weasleys." She paused, letting that information sink in. "In fact, I needed space too, but not from Ron. After the battle and being tortured by..." She trailed off, distracted by the similarities between Andromeda and her elder sister, yet again.

"By Bellatrix?" Andromeda now understood the girl's reaction at the bookstore. She was not originally scared of being found out. She did not see Andromeda. She saw Bellatrix.

Hermione nodded. "It was all a little bit too much, so I decided to go back to the muggle world, but I didn't fit in there anymore either. I had changed too much. So, I came back, and everyone wanted to hire the Golden Girl."

Hermione spit the phrase out with malice that shocked Andromeda.

"There was nothing Golden about our victory. So many lives were lost." She paused, swiping at the tears pooling in her eyes. "I was tired of being looked at like a hero, so I decided to go into hiding. At least until I was ready."

"And then, I found you. I'm sorry if you were not ready, Hermione. I did not know why you were hiding. I just. You seemed so alone." Andromeda was trying to apologize, but she felt like she was not making much sense. She had overstepped her boundaries.

Again, Hermione shook her head. "You and I both know that I could have evaded you if I wanted to. I chose to tell you. I don't think I am ready to tell everyone else. Not yet. But I felt like I owed it to Tonks to tell you."

Andromeda noticed the way Hermione's eyes had begun to droop. "I am so glad you told me, Hermione. Why don't we go inside? I think we should both try to get some more sleep. Would you like a dreamless sleep draught? It should help with the nightmares."

Hermione allowed Andromeda to lead her inside but declined the offer for the draught. "It's the only time I see any of them anymore. I'll take the bad ones if it means I can see the rest of them, too."

With that, the pair again went their separate ways and went to sleep.

A/N: Extra special thanks goes to my new beta: Cissa-Lycoris-Black. Hopefully this time I'll stay a bit more on track with her assistance.

I am so glad to see people already jumping on board to follow this story. Thanks to NRMD33, Yoitstheshiznit, AlsethGosia, Doraymi, OstentatiousSulfurWaste, Jane Astrid Iglesias Castellano, britjc07, RedArcherx for following or favoriting this story