A/N: I'm not J. K. Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter.

The next time Andromeda woke, she heard Teddy's cries in the next room. She knew he would be okay for a few moments, so she took the time to tame her ebony mane and dress. As she was pulling her blouse over her head, she heard his wails stop and smiled. His self-soothing methods were getting better every single day, it seemed. She sat back down on the edge of her bed for a moment, placing her head in her hands. She needed to get a hold of herself.

It had been an exceptionally difficult year for them. Teddy had only been a month old when he lost the two most important people in his short life. For the first few months, he would cry incessantly; Andromeda would cry with him. Their beautiful family had been destroyed in a short matter of months.

It was rebuilding though. Andromeda was learning to care for an infant again. Harry had started his training to become an Auror and made regular trips to see his godson. They had all agreed that it would be best for Teddy to remain living with Andromeda. As much as Harry wanted to take on the role of godfather, Andromeda was perfectly capable of caring for her grandson. She told herself that Harry would miss out on so much of his own life if he had an infant to care for while he was so young. He was dating a young woman who was still at Hogwarts! They did not need to be raising a child already.

Andromeda would not say it to Harry. Her pride would not allow her to say anything on the subject, but she needed Teddy at home. She needed a piece of her family to still be with her.

In a matter of just over two months, she lost her husband, her daughter, her son-in-law, and her elder sister. She lost her daughter to the hands of her elder sister.

Finally removing her face from her hands, she shook her head. It was not worth dwelling on at this moment. All of them were dead, and she needed to concentrate on the ones she could still help. She had to focus on making Teddy's life as beautiful and magical as possible.

Standing, she made her way to the door, a little puzzled that Teddy still was not crying. She entered his room but gasped at what she saw - or what she did not see. Teddy was gone. Her eyes quickly scanned the room before she raced down the stairs.

Her mind was reeling. The amount of protective charms on this house was quite excessive. No one could get in without express permission from her. How could he just be gone? She paused at the bottom of the stairs as she heard noise coming from the kitchen.

She approached the doorway with her wand raised, ready for anything. The moment she saw the room's occupants, it all came back to her. The pair had not yet noticed Andromeda watching from the doorway, so the elder witch took a moment to enjoy the scene before her.

Hermione was gazing out the back window, rocking Teddy in her left arm while she held his bottle of formula with her right hand. "I have missed you, beautiful boy. I'm sorry I had to go away for awhile, but I'm here again." She began to hum to him as he ate, her eyes locked onto his little face.

Andromeda knew that feeling, the sense of being needed by such a vulnerable, perfect human. She could see his tiny feet gently kicking as he ate. He always seemed to be in motion.

The elder witch cleared her throat as she entered the room and immediately wished that she had not broken the spell on the room. She watched as Hermione's shoulders stiffened. The brunette turned to face her, eyes impassive. Andromeda did not know she could feel so nervous in her own kitchen. She glanced back to her grandson, who was still eagerly eating his breakfast. She could not stop the smile that split her lips at seeing her grandson so happy. "I heard him cry and came to check on him. I forgot you were here for a moment. I didn't mean to startle you."

Hermione studied the witch as she felt the nearly black eyes leave her face. She kept having to remind herself that she would never have seen that smile on Bellatrix's lips. The resemblance between the gentle grandmother and the heartless torturer jarred Hermione. She blinked a few times, hoping to erase Bellatrix's sneer from her mind. "I heard him cry and couldn't help myself." She hugged the infant to her chest, noticing that he was almost finished with his bottle. "I have missed him dearly. I'm sorry if it scared you when he was not in his room. I didn't think to check if it was okay first."

Andromeda loved the way Hermione looked at Teddy and easily waved off her apology. "It's not a problem, Hermione. I just forgot that I had a guest in the house." She shrugged before chuckling to herself. "Maybe my age is starting to make me forget things." A wry smile split her face then. Even the simple joke made her feel much lighter. "Now that he's had his breakfast, would you like something to eat? I can have Mila whip something up really quickly if you would like."

Hermione continued to rock Teddy as he finished his bottle. Once he was done, she placed the empty bottle on the counter and shifted her hold on his body so that he could lay his head on her shoulder. She gently began to pat his back as she rocked from foot to foot. Once he was securely in position, she glanced back to the elder witch. She looked eager for the company, but Hermione did not want to continue their conversations from the previous night. She forced herself to smile before speaking. "As much as I appreciate the offer, I should probably be going. I need to get home so that I can get ready for work. The shop is pretty busy at this time of year with the holidays just around the corner." She knew it was a feeble excuse, but it was the best one she had at the moment. She did not much care for lying, so this was her best option. She had not lied to the grandmother.

Andromeda's face fell at the response. Part of her had expected Hermione to decline her offer, but she hoped... She was not sure what she had hoped for. Hermione did not owe her anything. She wished she could do more for the witch, but she was determined to respect her space, as well. She did not want to push her away before she had a chance to really get to know her. "Of course, dear. I do not want to make you late for work."

Hermione nodded, smiling gratefully at the older woman before letting the room settle into silence. She continued patting Teddy's back until he let out a few small burps. Lifting his small body into the air, she grinned up at him, her heart soaring as he returned the smile.

Andromeda was captivated as she watched the two interact. Hermione was so good with him. She would have been a great help to Nymphadora. She could teach Teddy so much about his mother that Andromeda did not even know. She had to say something to make Hermione realize that, too. She faltered for a moment before spewing, "You can visit him if you want. Dora would have wanted that. Please, don't leave him again."

It was a low blow. She knew it, but it seemed to have the desired effect on Hermione.

The young brunette pulled Teddy to her chest again and held him tight, her eyes locked onto Andromeda's. "I'll see what I can do."

And that was all she said. She handed Teddy over to the Tonks matriarch and apparated out of the house, leaving Andromeda full of doubts but also full of hope. Maybe her family would grow again, after all.

A/N: Thank you for all of the support, y'all! Special thanks go to samantha.wheeler.507, LovesMe419, Cissa-Lycoris-Black, StarGirl114, Btdunn, Margara Kye, Cat0106 for favoriting or following.Thanks CLB for all your help with catching my errors.