When the pair finished their meal, Andromeda left Hermione downstairs while she put her grandson to bed. "I will only be a few minutes, I am sure. He is worn out from spending all day with Harry."

Hermione met her gaze and, for the hundredth time that day, considered leaving the warmth of Andromeda's home. She was still mulling over her options when Andromeda descended into the kitchen, smiling openly. "Shall we have a drink and go outside to catch up some more?"

Hermione nodded her consent and watched Andromeda as she opened the cabinet above her refrigerator. "Do you prefer firewhiskey, elderflower wine, or mead? I have Bungbarrel Spiced or Knotgrass mead." The elder witch drank all but the elderflower wine, a favorite of her late daughter and son-in-law. If asked, she would swear that her grandson had been conceived from that very bottle.

The younger woman considered her options for a moment before voicing her opinion, "The spiced mead will be wonderful. Thank you." If she was not fond of the particular brand of mead, she could always drink firewhiskey, but she had no intention to start with such a hard liquor.

Andromeda nodded encouragingly as she set the odd-shaped bottle onto the counter. "This mead is one of my favorites to drink with a meal around the holidays. It is quite smooth with just that little bit of burn on the tail-end of it." Grabbing two large glasses, that Hermione would have assumed were meant for butterbeer, she filled each to the brim. The older woman grinned childishly as she offered the glass to Hermione and gestured towards the back door.

Hermione took the lead and opened the door leading out of the kitchen. When she was last at the Tonks residence she had noticed the cozy seating area outside, equipped with four chairs, two small tables, and a fire pit in the center.

Andromeda's voice shook her out of her observations. "We used to have family dinners out here on nice evenings." Setting her drink down on the closest table, she settled into the plush seat beside it. "I feel as though all of our best and worst moments happened out here. Remus and Dora got married out in the yard there." She waved toward a small pond with an array of flowers and bushes forming a semi-circle around it. "The pictures are beautiful. You'll love them." Andromeda took a long drink of her mead before waving her wand at the fire pit, causing a fire to come to life within its boundary. She then continued her tales. "Ted and I always had our anniversary dinners out here, for we married as soon as my seventh year completed, so it is always beautiful outside."

Hermione watched the older witch carefully, trying to determine the witch's intentions. She took a drink of mead and hummed softly to herself as the liquid seemed to warm her entire body from the inside out. It was just as Andromeda had described it, achingly smooth with just enough burn to remind you that it was a dangerous substance if not treated carefully.

"You know, Ted and I received the first letter Dora sent home after starting her first year at Hogwarts while we sat right here. I was a mess, and Ted was doing his best to keep me calm. I was so worried about her and what house she would be sorted into. I knew it was a big deal, but, well, for him it was different. When he went to Hogwarts, he didn't care what house he was sorted into. There was no family pressure to end up in one house or another because no one else in his family had ever been, but I remembered the stress and tried not to place that onto my daughter. Even still, I was a wreck while we waited to receive a letter from her, one that she promised to write that night after the welcome feast." Andy shook her head and took a drink. "I never knew motherhood would come down to worrying about things like that or about being scared that she would not make friends very easily. She was an awkward child, never knowing which face she liked to wear the best. I was especially afraid that, if she ended up in Slytherin, she would be taken advantage of for that gift of hers. I know how my house can be."

Hermione chuckled and nodded her agreement. "I suppose you could say that they just know how to utilize their resources?" She was not fond of very many Slytherins, but she could admire their ambition and their skill. They knew how to arrange their people.

"Yes. That is a very generous way of putting it. Anyway, I had seen Slytherin's methods firsthand and was scared of her being placed in Slytherin at that time, but I did not know where I wanted her to end up. Ted was a Ravenclaw, always exceptionally bright, but he did not like to show it off. Dora did not come across as a Ravenclaw to me. She was brazen enough to be a Gryffindor, but I also feared for her there. Burned off the family tree or not, we are still Blacks, and they don't tend to fare well in the lion's den."

"I imagine that would be similar to a Malfoy being sorted into Gryffindor. I did not attend school with any Blacks, but I can imagine the distrust that might have come from having one in our house." Hermione could not picture Malfoy ever being a Gryffindor, but she supposed that maybe he might have been in a different life. Maybe if he was raised differently.

"That is my point exactly. Which left Hufflepuff." At this statement, the older witch sighed, and her age showed. Her wrinkles seemed to grow deeper, and the flickering glow of the fire seemed to illuminate the silver streaks in her hair. "I hate to admit that I was disappointed when I received the letter that she had been sorted into Hufflepuff. I did not know then what I learned over the coming years. She was not sorted into Hufflepuff because that was the only house that would take her or because that was the only option that was left. She was a Hufflepuff through and through. There, she was neither mocked nor idolized for her Metamorphogus ability. She was judged based on her character and her ability to stand up for the little guy. I saw my little girl turn into an auror because of the way that the Hufflepuff house shaped her. She was loyal to a fault and made me so proud." Andromeda did nothing to hide the tears that flowed down her cheeks. "She still makes me proud."

"If she were here, I am confident that she would say that she is also proud of you." Hermione smiled and reached across the short distance to lay her hand on the older witch's knee. "I know I am."

Andromeda met the amber-eyed witch's gaze and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Hermione." She then wiped at her tears and laughed, ending the somber moment. "Just look at me, I'm a mess." She continued to laugh as she shook her head. "The memories are beginning to hurt a little bit less now. It is still a constant ache, but I can confidently say that I am beginning to heal." Again, she allowed herself to gaze at the younger witch and asked herself if the same could be said for her.

Hermione felt Andromeda's heavy gaze on her skin and forced herself not to look up from her drink. Instead, she took another swallow of the mead and sighed as the warmth spread to her extremities. "You were right about this mead. It is exceptional."

Rather than responding immediately, Andromeda raised her glass and finished what was left. "That it is, my dear." The pair then sat in silence, neither feeling the need to burst the bubble into which they had momentarily settled. Andromeda's eyes traced the flames as they licked the air, each one seeming to outdo its predecessor. Hermione concentrated on the amber color of her glass, and how the light from the fire seemed to make the liquid glow. It was beautiful, almost like a brewing potion. She looked across the fire to Andromeda and allowed a smile to cross her features. This woman was doing everything that she knew how to do to help Hermione out, and Hermione had been anything but grateful so far. She decided then to quit playing games. It was not worth the energy, and Hermione was not willing to risk hurting the woman that already had so many wounds. She sipped from her glass again and noticed that the flames were beginning to grow hazy at the edges. Chuckling, she found Andromeda looking back at her again. "Is it okay, if I.."

Andromeda watched Hermione intently as she began to speak, unwilling to interrupt her apparent internal turmoil.

Hermione trailed off, doubting herself for a moment but then steeled her courage. She was a Gryffindor, after all. "Would it be okay with you if I stayed here tonight?"

Andromeda let out a long breath and settled deeper into her chair. "Of course, you may stay. You are always welcome in my home, Hermione."

Hermione smiled to herself and quickly took a drink to hide the expression. "Thank you."

Hours later, Andromeda woke with a start. Without thinking, she ran into the hallway and threw open the door to her daughter's room before finally pausing to take in the situation. In the middle of the bed, Hermione was thrashing. The scream that had awoken Andromeda from her slumber had faded to a soft whimper. Her skin was slick with sweat, and Andromeda's mothering instincts took over as she crossed the floor and sat on the bed. Without further deliberation, she took the distressed girl - she was barely of age, still nearly a child - into her arms and rocked her softly. "Hermione, you are safe. I am here, and you are safe."

The younger girl's eyes flew open as she heard the voice. Bleary-eyed, she took in the woman before her and yelped. She attempted to scramble away, but the woman's grip only tightened. "Stop, please, please, I don't know where it is."

Andromeda's arms dropped away as realization hit her. She laid Hermione gently onto the bed before rising and holding her hands in the air, in the universal sign for surrender. "It's me, Andromeda, Hermione. You are safe. You are okay, I promise."

Hermione blinked, trying to verify that the older woman's words were correct. She roughly rubbed her eyes and scrutinized the woman before allowing her head to fall back on the bed.

Andromeda sighed in unison with Hermione and approached the bed again. "May I sit?" She barely waited for Hermione's nod before she joined the younger witch on the bed and brushed the brunette's bushy hair away from her face. "You saw her, didn't you? You thought that I was..." She trailed off, not even wanting to imagine the fear that she had caused the younger woman.

Hermione covered her eyes before nodding again. She did not particularly want to speak, but she felt like Andromeda deserved some semblance of an answer. "She was there, in the dream, and then I thought she was the one waking me up when you were there because..." It wasn't Andromeda's fault, but it was also not the first time that Hermione had mistaken the two.

"Because I look like her. I've been told that since I knew how to walk." It had always been a reality, and Andromeda had once been proud to look like her sister. Now, it was a curse that only became more evident each day. "I am so sorry that I scared you."

Hermione shook her head violently and grabbed Andromeda's hand. "It's not you. Please, believe that. You have done nothing to scare me. You have been here when I have let no one else be. You... You are nothing like her." She held Andromeda's hand tightly to her chest and was ashamed with how much that simple touch was comforting her still-frantic body.

Andromeda took the younger woman's words and actions as an invitation and lay down beside her. "Come here, Hermione. I know you are not a child, but I used to hold Dora like this when she would get nightmares. Come lay your head on my chest."

Hermione hesitated but eventually gave in. She laid her head on Andromeda's chest, draping one leg over the top of Andy's thighs and allowing her arm to cover her waist. It was an intimate position, but Hermione did not waste energy thinking about it. In that moment, Andromeda's embrace was exactly what Hermione needed.

Once Hermione settled on top of her, Andromeda began to lightly stroke her back and run her fingers through her curly hair. "You're safe, Hermione. Just sleep."

And Hermione did. Andromeda followed her into dreamland quickly thereafter.

A/N: trying to get back into posting regularly. This is written through approximately 30 chapters and just needs edited.Thanks to everyone who has stuck around during my intermittent breaks.AlsethGosia - thanks for the review. Here's a chapter.