FicWad

Chapter 13 – Hermione
. . .

10 and ¾inches of Vinewood quivered in the air, the witch's hand that grasped it deathly pale as it trembled. Harry's hastily cast cushioning charm over the entire mouth of the fire place was the only thing that prevented Andi from tumbling back into the flames and being seriously injured. The stunned witch had slowly slid to the floor in a gangly heap before the massive stone fireplace.

Harry turned back towards Hermione only to see the young woman's eyes wide with fear. The witch's face had drained of all color and her breath came in short ragged gasps as if it were hard to breathe. The wizard slowly reached out and laid his hand on Hermione's where it grasped her wand. Applying gentle pressure he slowly forced the wand down till it was pointing at the floor. Hermione's eyes never once wavered as they stared at the crumbled witch upon the floor.

"Winky," Harry spoke softly so as not to startle the witch next to him. There was a soft pop beside him which Hermione didn't even seem to register as she stared, making certain the downed woman didn't get back up. "Can you show Hermione to her rooms please?" Harry asked the elf before she could say anything."I'll see to Andi," he added, noticing Winky's concerned glance towards the stunned witch on the floor.

"Of course, Master Harry," the small elf answered softly as she stepped forward and took Hermione's free hand in hers. "Right this way, Master Harry's Missy Granger," Winky said to the witch as she led the woman away but not before Harry caught Hermione starting to mumble what sounded a great deal like 'It can't be' over and over again.

Harry doubted that Hermione even knew what was happening around her at this point as it was clear to him that she was in a state of shock. "Bloody hell! I should have realized that would happen," Harry berated himself softly. He had done the same thing when first meeting Andi after all. "I should have known Hermione would have a reaction to seeing her for the first time!" Harry growled under his breath at his own stupidity.

The angry wizard hastened over to Andi and kneeling down scooped her up into his arms before rising. It was a short trip to the couch where he settled her so she would be comfortable. A quick wave of his wand told him that there were no serious injuries. He had been reading several of the medical books Andi had suggested he add to the library. Who knew they would come in handy so soon? Harry thought silently. He was thankful though for the diagnostic spells he had learned from them.

Harry sat on the edge of the couch next to Andi and pointing his wand at her said, "Rennervate." As the witch stirred Harry laid a gentle restraining hand upon her shoulder to keep her from getting up. "Just lay there for a bit, Andi. You took a pretty nasty hit."

"I feel like the Whomping Willow mistook me for a bludger," Andi said weakly as she raised her hand and placed it upon her ample bosom where it was hurting. The last thing she remembered was stepping from the floo and pulling her wand out to remove the ashes from her clothing. It had been a rather nasty day and she had been glad to be home.

"Not far from the truth," Harry replied in a tender voice as he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind the witch's ear before cupping her cheek affectionately. "I fear once again you were mistaken for your sister," he informed her, mentally kicking himself once again for allowing something like that to happen when he should have known better.

Andi turned into his touch, her lips leaving a chaste kiss upon the heel of his hand as she enjoyed the warmth of Harry's touch against her cheek. "I take that to mean that Miss Granger is with us?" Upon seeing Harry's short nod she continued. "I can only imagine that it was rather startling for her to believe she was once again seeing Bella. Is she alright?" Andi asked, concerned for the young witch evident in her tone.

"I don't really know," Harry answered honestly. It didn't surprise Harry that even though Andi was the one attacked she was worried first and foremost for Hermione. She's always more concerned for others than for herself. "I asked Winky to take her up to her rooms. I think she might have been in shock or something as she went without any protest and seemed to be in a bit of a daze actually."

"You just let her go like that?" Andi asked in disbelief as her medical professional side made itself known. "She must be half frightened to death," Andi said as she made to get up and check on the girl only to be halted by Harry's hand upon her shoulder.

"I was a bit more worried about you at the time," Harry confessed. "Just lie here a bit and rest."

A warm smile slowly spread across Andi's face at his words as she was deeply touched that he cared so much for her. It was a fact she was still adjusting herself to, having someone care so deeply for her and coming to care for them in return. If only.., she began to think but then hastily cut the thought off before it could continue. The older witch instead reached up and caressed Harry's cheek gently. "You're a good man, Harry. I'm fine. A bit sore, but fine. I suspect though that your friend is not and is in dire need of your presence."

"Are you certain you're alright?" Harry asked only to see Andi's smile widen slightly before she gave a nod. "Kreacher," Harry called."Please stay here with Andi till she is ready to get up," he told the elf once he had appeared. "You stay here for a bit and rest, alright?" Harry instructed Andi.

"Yes, Doctor Potter," Andi offered playfully to show that she was really alright. Her chest felt like she'd been kicked by a hippogriff but other than that she felt surprisingly well. That might have something to do with the wizard beside me, she mused silently relishing Harry touch still. It had been a long time since a man had touched her in both her heart and upon her person. A girl could get used to his touch, she thought before she could stop herself.

Harry eyed her pointedly for a long moment to make certain she would follow his instructions then leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek, just barely missing the corner of the woman's mouth and her full lips. "I'll be back to check on you after I see to Hermione," he told Andi as he stood up."Thank you Kreacher. Please make certain she rests," Harry said to the elf.

"Kreacher lives to serve the noble House of Black, young Master," the elf replied respectfully. As Andi was once again a member of the Black family Harry knew Kreacher would take good care of her. With a parting nod and small smile towards Andi, Harry left the room and headed upstairs to the suite of rooms he had setup for Hermione's stay.

"Hermione?" Harry voiced after knocking lightly upon the woman's door. "It's Harry, Hermione. Are you alright?" he asked through the door. There was a long pause with no answer. "Hermione, I'm coming in," he announced before grasping the handle of the door and turning it. The manor belonged to Harry and so there wasn't a lock on any door that wouldn't open to his touch. Even magic couldn't bar his way if he chose to exert his ownership.

The sitting room was dark when he opened the door, light from the corridor cast a stark tear across the floor. With a touch of silent wandless magic Harry caused the lights to ignite and illuminate the room only to see that it was empty. Spying the closed bedroom door, Harry crossed to it and repeated the process."Hermione? It's me, Harry. Are you alright?" he asked only to once again receive no answer. "I'm coming in," he announced after a minute or two had passed. "Don't shoot," he added in a bit of lame muggle levity.

The bedroom was completely dark. Night had fallen outside but even had it not the fact that the heavy curtains were pulled shut would have made it difficult to see inside the room. The light coming from the sitting room did illuminate the room enough to just barely see by. At first he couldn't locate the witch as she wasn't seated on the bed or at the desk. It was the light sound of words being repeated over and over again that finally led him to her.

Hermione was seated upon the floor, wedged into the back corner of the room. The young woman had her left arm cradled to her chest protectively as she held her other arm out before her with her wand clasped so tightly in her hand that the knuckles shown white even in the dim lighting. Her eyes were larger than normal, their whites showing all around the centers as she stared at the doorway Harry had entered through. The young witch seemed to be mumbling"It can't be," over and over again as if the words would be made true by the sheer force of her will alone.

"Easy there, `Mione," Harry said as he slowly approached, his hands out before him to show that he was unarmed. "Mind if I join you?" he enquired once he was within a few feet. Seeing as no answer was forthcoming Harry slowly sank to his knees and then crawled over, finally taking a seat to the right of Hermione, his shoulder touching hers.

The two sat in near silence, save for the constant mantra Hermione was mumbling to herself, for several minutes. After a bit it seemed that Harry's presence registered with the distraught witch. "It can't be," Hermione stated in a louder tone. "Molly killed her. I was there! I saw it! It can't be her!" she said in near hysteria.

"It's alright," Harry tried to assure Hermione. "It isn't her, Hermione. That was Dora's mum, Andi. Bellatrix Lestrange died at the Battle of Hogwarts back in May. I saw her body. She is truly good and dead," Harry affirmed. He was all too familiar with the horrors the war had brought upon everyone, arguably none more so than the witch seated beside him. Bellatrix Lestrange had carved the name mudblood into Hermione's arm while torturing her for amusement. To this day the witch only wore long sleeved shirts to hide the scars which couldn't be removed.

Slowly his words seemed to reach the frightened witch whose head turned to regard him. It was with a slightly surprised, slightly confused, expression that she regarded him. "Harry?" It was readily apparent from her tone that she wasn't exactly certain what was going on or even where she was at. Harry could see his best friend replaying recent events in her mind. "Bellatrix!" Hermione exclaimed, the grip on her wand tightening once more as her eyes snapped towards the open door even as she pushed into Harry's side as if seeking his protection.

"It wasn't her," Harry reiterated, slipping his arms around Hermione and pulling her into his lap. "I got you," Harry said softly as he tightened his arms around the trembling witch and held her. "I won't let anyone or anything harm you, Hermione," Harry told her even as the woman in his arms broke down into tears. It was with a passing thought that he realized he had now held half the witches in his house crying in his arms.

It was some time before the pent up tears slowed to a trickle and Hermione's body ceased to tremble. "Care to tell me about it?" Harry asked softly. It was a long minute or two before Hermione started to speak but once she did the flood gates seemed to open and it came pouring out of her. Bellatrix had tortured her under the Cruciatus curse for what seemed like days in an attempt to gain information about the Order's plans. Once the witch was certain she hadn't known anything, her methods turned towards amusement rather than information extraction.

"She said that I wasn't fit to be a witch, accusing me of having stolen my magic from some Pure-blood witch. She called me a filthy mudblood and that all the world should know," Hermione recounted, snuggling into Harry's embrace a bit more as the words poured forth from her lips. "She drew forth a blade from her robes. It was as black as obsidian. I can clearly recall the candle light flickering across the blade's edge," she said, as a tremor ran through her body at the memory of it.

"She…she knocked me to the floor and stuck me there with a sticky charm," Hermione said in a voice that shook with emotions. "She said that she didn't want to use a full body bind curse on me as she wanted to hear me scream. Oh how I screamed," she admitted as her eyes gazed at the floor seeing nothing but the distant memory of that day.

"When she started to carve the word into my arm I thought it would burn but it didn't. It was ice cold," Hermione recalled. "I could feel the frigid coldness of the blade seeping into my body, into my very bones and it hurt! It hurt nearly as bad as the torture curse but in a different way. All I could do was lay there and scream as I thrashed about trying to get as far away from that blade as possible! I've never felt so helpless before," she admitted as the tears once again started running down her face.

"You're safe now," Harry softly cooed to the witch in his lap as his hand ran back and forth along her back in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. Hermione sat up and looked at him, a faint glimmer of light on her cheeks showed him that she was still crying. Leaning slowly forward to allow her time to pull away if she wanted, he captured her lips in a gentle kiss that tasted of tears.

Harry wanted her to know that everything she had told him hadn't changed how he felt about her. That he still cared and loved her just as before. It wasn't a long kiss as kisses go, however it was meaningful one as it conveyed his feelings to the woman in his lap. At least that was what he hoped. It must have worked as Hermione was kissing him back. When the kiss ended she even rested her forehead against his. Harry swallowed heavily before voicing his request, "Show it to me."

It took the bright witch a moment or two to realize what he was asking. Hermione lurched away from him, slipping from his lap and dropping onto the floor. The witch back peddled till she ran into the side of the bed where she clutched her left arm to her chest. "No! It's hideous," she exclaimed. "I don't want anyone to ever see it! I'm ugly," she told him emotionally.

"You are beautiful, Hermione," Harry told her honestly. "Nothing that bitch of a witch did to you will every change that," he added as he climbed to his feet and moved in her direction. "Show me," he stated again.

Hermione climbed up onto the bed at Harry's approach, shielding her scared arm from him at the same time. She vividly recalled the horrified looks that had appeared on her parents faces when she had shown them her arm in Australia. If her own parents were horrified at her appearance then what could she expect from her best friend? I love Harry. If he were to look at me that way it would just break my heart, she told herself. "It's repulsive," she reiterated to the wizard. "How can you even look at me?"

"I can look at you because you're beautiful, Hermione," Harry answered as he took a seat on the edge of the large bed. The young wizard made no effort to close the distance between them further than that. Something inside told him that Hermione would need to be the one to do that. "You've always been beautiful to me. At least once I realized you were a girl," he added, a small crooked smile tugging at his lips. "Show me. Please," he asked once again.

"I can't. I don't want you to see it," Hermione replied from the other edge of the bed. The young insecure witch was afraid that if Harry did see the gruesome reminder of that day that he would want nothing to do with her. A small part of her brain told her that was rubbish and that Harry could never be so shallow but her insecurities weren't listening at the moment and they were firmly in control. "You don't know what it is like to have such a ghastly reminder of what she did to me that day!"

Harry sighed heavily before replying in a relaxed tone. "No, you're right," he told her before reaching up and pulling back his bangs to reveal his famous lightning bolt scar. "I have this instead to remind me of the day my parents died and I didn't," he stated rather mater-of-factly. "I have scars a plenty to remind me that I survived when so many others that should have did not. Does that mean that you think I am ugly as well?"

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she realized just how inconsiderate her words had been. "No, of course not," she decried as she crossed the distance between them and enveloped the man in a bone breaking hug. "Your scar was never your fault, Harry. You are a very dashing wizard, with or without the scar. It has never bothered me in the least!"

"Nor will yours bother me, Hermione. It wasn't your fault that you got it. To hide away and feel disgusted by it only gives credence to everything that bitch of a witch said," Harry told her. "You are a first generation witch. That's something to be proud of. Your children will be witches and wizards and go on to do great things for our world if they are anything like you. Show me that you're still the Hermione I know and love. The witch who confronts any challenge head on. The girl you punched out Draco Malfoy in our third year!"

A small smile slipped onto Hermione's face at that memory. "That did feel good at the time," she confessed. The logical portion of Hermione's brain kicked in as she weighed Harry's words. She couldn't deny that if she did continue on in such a manner then Bellatrix had assuredly won and not by anything the dead witch had done. No, instead the Black daughter would have won simply because Hermione herself had allowed it.

I am proud of being a witch, she told herself. I am a damn good one too! The thought of her children being witches and wizards inadvertently led her to think of her future and the hope that it would be with the man she was holding. If Harry does love me and we are together he will see it eventually, she contemplated, thinking of the large scar on her left forearm. If things go well he's likely to see a great deal more of me than that, she realized with a slight blush.

Harry felt the woman in his arm stir and slip from his hug. The young wizard watched as Hermione seated herself next to him before hesitantly reaching for the sleeve of her shirt. His best friend pulled her sleeve up and exposed the scared flesh of her arm to him for the first time. In the dim lighting which shown through the open doorway he could just make out the letters carved into the alabaster skin. Taking the arm in his hands, Harry leaned down and gently applied a kiss to each letter.

Hermione stiffened as Harry's lips first touched her skin. Whatever she had expected it certainly hadn't been that he would kiss the scars on her arm. The tender touch of his lips and the gentle manner in which he held her arm, almost as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him, had the young witch misty eyed once again. With each subsequent kiss her heart melted just a little bit more. As the wizard sat back up a thought occurred to her. "So you realized I was girl, huh?" she asked with a teasing smile to hold back the tears.

"Most certainly," Harry confirmed with a small shy smile. He could still recall exactly when to this day. It had been third year. They were both astride Buckbeak, Hermione tucked up tightly behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist. The feel of her chest pressing into his back left out any doubt that she was anything other than a girl. The ride, while amazing, had been rather uncomfortable for reasons that had nothing to do with the hippogriff they were on and everything to do with the direction of his blood flow at the time.

"Care to make certain of that fact?" Hermione asked coyly, needing to know that he still liked her and didn't find her repulsive after having seen her scars. Granted there was also a part of her that just wanted to snog him senseless as well. She had to admit that a soft comfortable bed was far better than a Hogwarts broom cupboard.

"Most certainly," Harry repeated in a rather husky voice just before he leaned in and captured her lips with his own. The two of them reclined back onto the bed, all thoughts of scars and hippogriffs gone from their heads, replaced by hungry lips and wandering hands. The twain pulled apart after some time, both near gasping for air, lips swollen but with wide grins upon their faces.

"I was right," Hermione breathed out. "You are a good kisser," she added, rather pleased that she now knew firsthand of that fact.

"Must be the company I'm in," Harry quipped back playfully, waiting for his own toes to uncurl. They lay snuggled in each other's arms for a bit before Harry voiced the one question that was still nagging at him. "Ron?"

A heavy sigh escaped Hermione's lips, brushing across Harry chest where her head lay."The git hasn't written me once since he started Auror training," she told Harry. Hermione had thought that there was something between her and their ginger friend. She hadn't entertained any thoughts of her and Harry ever being an item. I'm not the kind of girl the hero rides off into the sunset with, she had always told herself. The hero's best friend was another story and one that was within reach as she saw it. I guess I was wrong.

The hurt Ron's thoughtless actions caused was clear to hear in Hermione's voice. She still has feelings for him, Harry surmised. I guess I can't expect her forget about him overnight. They had been friends, the three of them, for many years now. Harry often hated the way that Ron treated Hermione, privately feeling he himself could do a much better job of caring for the witch. When Harry realized that Hermione fancied Ron over him had had held his tongue and did his best to help the two of them.

"We should probably go down to diner," Harry final said, not really knowing what to say about Ron. While Ron was his friend, he was in love with Hermione which left him in a rather difficult situation. "I'm sure Andi and the others are waiting for us."

Hermione cringed at the thought of facing Mrs. Tonks after what she had done. Being lost in her own thoughts, Hermione didn't even register the fact that Harry had said that there would be others there as well. She could still feel Harry's lips on hers and the feeling of his hands as they had roamed across her body while they kissed. It was a feeling she wanted to experience again and again, preferably sooner rather than later, she admitted to herself, feeling her nether regions still tingling deliciously.

"Let me get cleaned up a bit and changed out of these school robes first, Harry," she said as she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. The wizard beside her did the same before standing and slipping from the room. It wasn't long before the witch emerged from the bedroom in a pair of muggle jeans, a comfortable shirt with a light long-sleeved sweater and sensible shoes. "Ready," she said upon stepping into the sitting room.

Harry smiled, upon seeing the woman who was his best friend. It was obvious that she had taken the time to wash her face as there were no signs, save for a slight reddening about her eyes, that she had been crying just a short time ago. Harry like seeing her in muggle clothing and didn't hesitate in telling her so."You look beautiful," he stated as he offered the now blushing witch his arm, "Shall we?"

"Mostly certainly," she answered, echoing his words from earlier, as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. They left Hermione's rooms and headed down the hallway towards the stairs. Hermione was glad Harry was there as she hadn't a clue as to where to go. She had been a bit out of it when Winky had led her to her rooms after all. "I feel so awful for what I did to Mrs. Tonks," Hermione confessed. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Harry assured her. "I made certain she was lying down and resting before I left her. Kreacher is staying with her should she need anything." Harry was only partially surprised to see that they were the first to arrive for diner till he saw Winky pop away to inform the others that it was time to eat. Harry pulled out the chair to the right of his for Hermione, gently pushing it in once she was seated. "I'm sure the others will be here momentarily," he said as he took his own seat.

Meals at Westfield were rather informal with breakfast being served on the sideboard. Those eating were expected to serve themselves. Lunch would see an array of sandwiches spread upon the table with an assortment of fruits, cheeses and crackers. Dinner would see the food magically appearing upon the table much in the same fashion it did at Hogwarts.

Luna was the first to appear and made a beeline for her friend, enveloping Hermione in a hug that would have done Molly Weasley proud. "Hermione!" the bright witch exclaimed. "I'm so glad Harry finally brought you here. I've missed you," Luna declared. "While Daphne and Tracey are fine to chat with, they do tend to stay rather to themselves. Mary is always more concerned about what is proper and all, rather hard to carry on a conversation with actually. Now I have someone I can share a bit of girl talk with as well!"

"Who?" Hermione asked. As far as she had known it was just Mrs. Tonks, Teddy, Luna and Harry staying at the wizard's home. Hermione turned to regard Harry with a questioning look.

"Those would be my other house guests," Harry admitted a bit nervously, only realizing at that moment that he had never mentioned them to Hermione in any of his letters. The man shrugged it away as being unimportant as he was telling her now. "I guess I must have overlooked informing you about them."

"Apparently so," Hermione replied evenly as Luna slipped into the seat next to Hermione and watched the exchange with amusement.

"Daphne Greengrass, you recall her from school?" he asked, only to see the witch's eyes narrow. Hermione all too clearly recalled the beautiful witch that all the males had been drooling over like teething babies since third year. "Well, she needed a place to stay as she was out on the street, so I offered to put her up for a bit," Harry continued with a slight shrug, suddenly feeling guilty though he hadn't a clue as to why.

"She asked that her best friend, Tracey Davis, be allowed to visit. Tracey was also in our year," Harry added. Hermione remembered the quiet shy introverted girl only because they had shared several classes. "She stayed for a while and finally just moved in," Harry told her, feeling a bit warm under the collar. "After Luna joined us well I decided the girls should probably finish their N.E.W.T.'s-"

"Which is why he hired me," Mary Macdonald said from the doorway. "Mary Macdonald," the older witch introduced herself to Hermione on the way to her seat. "Mr. Potter has been kind enough to allow me to live here while I am teaching the young women residing in his home."

"Miss Macdonald went to school with my mum!" Harry blurted out in his excitement to share the fact with his best friend. "She has the most wonderful stories about mum and dad! Mary has been telling me all about their time at Hogwarts!"

"Lily Potter was my best friend," Marry confirmed. "We shared a dorm room and all. I had front row center seats for the courtship between her and James," Mary told Hermione with a wistful smile. "Even back then the two of them were a legend. Lily for saying no to the wizard all the girls fancied and James for the group of hooligans he ran around with. When the two of them finally got together is was the stuff of fairytales."

Hermione turned and saw the rapt fixation Harry had upon his face as he drank up every word the older witch uttered regarding his parents and she was happy for him. The fact that he had apparently been busy filling his house with other witches however did not sit so well with her. Daphne Greengrass was a beauty in anyone's book. Tracey, given a bit of work, would be pretty as well. Maybe not in the same manner as Daphne but certainly in that hometown girl sort of way. Luna was just plan cuteness personified, especially when she smiled. Hermione didn't see how she herself could compete.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Macdonald," Hermione offered with a small smile. "So you are a professor then?"

"Professor, Teacher, Instructor, it's all the same," Mary answered with a wave of her hand as she took her seat to the right of Andi's place at the table. I have been teaching at Salem for a number of years after completing my higher educational requirements, Miss Granger. As England is once again in the hands of sane witches and wizards I felt it was time to return home. I hear tell that you're Head Girl this year. Mr. Potter is rather vocal in his praise of you," Mary clarified upon seeing the surprised look upon the young woman's face.

"Please call me, Hermione," the blushing witch offered. "Headmistress McGonagall was kind enough to allow those of us who missed our seventh year due to the war to return this year and sit our N.E.W.T.'s. As there are far fewer students this year around she asked that I handle the Head Girl duties."

"Not like you didn't deserve it, Granger," Daphne said from the doorway as she entered with Tracey beside her. "Everyone in our year knew that you would be Head Girl. You were far more apt to follow the rules and have good grades than anyone else," she added as she walked over to the seat to the left of Harry. The wizard stood and pulled out the chair for Daphne and then did the same for Tracey before returning to his own seat.

"I don't think there was anyone else in our year that wanted it as bad as you," Tracey quipped in with. "Personally I wouldn't want it. There would already be far too much pressure with our N.E.W.T.'s to want to add to it. Besides, I was fairly certain that I wouldn't be there for our final year regardless." Seeing questioning looks around the table the auburn-haired witch explained. "My mum was certain to wed me off just as soon as she could. I'm actually surprised that she hasn't already."

Harry only just managed to keep his expression schooled to hide his anger as he recalled his previous discussion with the Davis Matriarch. "Yes, well…I'm rather glad she didn't," he forced out past his lips, earning him a shy smile from the former Slytherin. Whatever else he was going to say died on his lips as Andi walked into the room. Hermione, perhaps sensing who had arrived, hastily dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap, feeling both guilty as well as embarrassed due to what she had done.

The sight of the older witch literally stole Harry's breath away. The dress she wore was the usual Wizarding one, though it was of a light pastel blue in coloring with white lace over the witch's ample bosom. The white lace seem to enhance rather than detract from the woman's assets, hinting at what lay beneath as it were. Contrary to Wizarding custom, where woman covered just about everything, Andi's dress bore no sleeves, leaving her long shapely alabaster arms bare. Harry recognized the dress as the one the witch had on earlier only it had been drastically altered.

Perhaps more shocking than the witch's dress was the woman herself. Cosmetics had been applied artfully to accentuate Andi's delicate cheekbones, while a lite layer of blush brought out the coloring in her cheeks. A pale shade of lipstick adorned her lips tastefully, showing off their fullness. The most startling change of all though was her hair. Gone were the long black locks that were so reminiscent of her sister Bellatrix. Instead, Andi sported a short pixie hair style that showed off the bare nap of her neck. The witch looked ten years younger and Harry thought she had never looked more beautiful.

The first inclination Hermione had that there was someone standing beside her was the appearance of a blue dress in her peripheral vision. The room had gone completely silent upon the older witch's entry. Hermione didn't know but it was the shock of Andi's new appearance that had stolen all their voices away and not the pending confrontation between the two witches.

What do Isay to her? Hermione thought furiously. I have to apologize and just hope that she won't hate me as we'll apparently be living under the same roof for a time. The young witch looked up and opened her mouth to speak only to suddenly find her arms full of a squealing, squirming toddler.

Teddy was quick to reach out and grasp two handfuls of hair. "Mine!" the boy declared loudly before trying to fit one hand into his mouth, hair and all. The resulting face the child made had the witch holding him grinning.

"Hello, Sir," Hermione said cooingly as her demeanor did an abrupt change."You must be Teddy, whom I've heard so much about from your godfather. He didn't tell me how handsome you were." Further words were lost as Teddy's featured slowly morphed till they resembled Hermione's. "He's just like his mum!" Hermione gasped.

"You didn't tell her?" Andi asked in a reproachful tone as her gaze shifted to Harry. She had figured that Hermione would be feeling rather miserable due to what had happened. The older witch had learned through the years that sometimes the cure for such an aliment was a distraction. There's nothing more distracting than a baby that can alter how he looks, she had mused. "Yes, your godson has inherited Dora's Metamorphic abilities," Andi answered as her gaze returned to the witch holding her grandson.

"It slipped my mind," Harry mumbled under his breath a bit defensively. I've been rather busy the last few months, he wisely whined to himself so the ladies didn't hear.

"Seems there have been a number of things I haven't been told," Hermione stated, matching Andi's reproachful tone almost perfectly. The young witch looked up at Andi with an apologetic face. "Mrs. Tonks I am ever so…wait what did you say? My godson?" Hermione stammered.

"It's alright, Miss Granger," Andi replied with a warm smile as she rested a hand upon the seated witch's shoulder in a comforting manner. "I know you thought it was my sister that stepped from the fire rather than me. You're not the first to make that mistake," she confided with a quick glance in Harry's direction, causing the wizard to squirm nearly as much as Teddy was doing in Hermione's lap.

"I trust that my new appearance will prevent the same thing from happening again?" Andi asked as she raised a self-conscious hand to touch the short hairs behind her ear. Hermione was quick to nod her assurance. "As I told a certain wizard we mutually know," Andi continued with, once again glancing towards Harry, "I'm not as spry as I once was so dodging spells is a bit more difficult these days."

"I am so sorry for what happened, Mrs. Tonks," Hermione confessed. "I didn't even realize what I was doing."

"It's Andi," the older witch corrected her. "I feel old enough as it is with all you young attractive women here, without a 'Mrs. Tonks' to remind me of my age. To answer your previous question, Dora named you as Teddy's godmother in her final will," Andi explained. "I would have thought Harry would have informed you of this already as he's known for some time." Both witches turned at the same time to spear the squirming wizard with piercing glares.

"Yes…, well…., I was going to tell her when she arrived," Harry stammered, wilting under their combined gazes, "but things got rather complicated before I could." The other three witches present looked on but remained silently. It hadn't taken them long to hear of what had befallen Andi at the point of Hermione's wand. Daphne had discovered the resting witch on the couch and had asked what had happened, which was how Tracey had found out. Luna just seemed to know somehow, perhaps it was the Nargles keeping her well informed.

"He does have a point," Andi deadpanned. "Perhaps we should forgive him?"

"Perhaps," Hermione echoed just before the two of them shifted their gaze away from the wizard. Harry heaved a silent sigh of relief. "Hello, Teddy. I'm your godmother, Hermione," she said to Teddy, whose hair was a bushy brown now.

Eyes that were twins to her own stared back at her before a big smile broke out on the child's face. "Mine!" Teddy declared once again just to be certain everyone knew that the witch was his personal property. Andi recalled him doing much the same thing upon first meeting Harry.

"Yes, well I'm certain everyone is famished by now," Andi said apologetically as she extracted Teddy from Hermione's arms. She needed Hermione's help as Teddy seemed set on not letting go of the witch's hair any time soon. Finally free, Andi deposited the toddler into the high chair next to her seat at the table. Normally Luna sat next to her and they took turns tending to Teddy but the petite witch had shifted over a seat so that she was sitting next to Hermione tonight.

As soon as Andi seated herself the food appeared. Dinner followed with each of them talking about their day. Andi had a rather busy day at St. Mungo's, nothing unusual in that. Hermione talked about the ride on the Hogwarts Express and then had to explain about the eighty cupboards legend that the Hufflepuffs believed in. Hermione proved very interested when Andi recanted, much to Harry's embarrassment, the tale of their trip you the woman's lingerie story and how Harry had fled in terror.

"So, Andi," Daphne opened with when there was a lull in the conversation,"I hear it was a rather warm day for you today?"

"A real scorcher," Tracey quipped in with.

Hermione, certain they were talking about her attack on Andi earlier and the fact that she had come close to nearly injuring the witch, felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment. If it hadn't been for Harry's quick intervention Andi would have tumbled back into the flames. All the heat references had to be about that, she was certain of it. The young witch hung her head in shame. The fact that Harry joined in only made it worse.

"She did look a little well done when she arrived home," Harry offered with a crooked grin, realizing just what Daphne was doing. A little humor would go along way towards seeing Hermione being able to let the incident go.

"Roasted, no doubt," the petite Ravenclaw stated.

"Fricasseed," Mary posed so as not to be left out once she had cottoned on to just what was happening.

Hermione's embarrassment turned to puzzlement wondering just what was going on. All the cooking references had the young woman confused. They certainly don't sound malicious, she thought.

"Braised, even," Daphne supplied when it was her turn.

"Broiled, perhaps?" Tracey asked with a trace of a giggle.

"Seared?" Harry enquired with an arched brow.

"Her goose was surely cooked," Luna offered helpfully.

It was Andi herself though that finally had them all tittering, even Hermione."Flambéed is the term you're looking for, I think," she offered.

Hermione broke out into a chuckle as she raised her hands in surrender. "Alright. I get it," she confessed, feeling her previous embarrassment leaving her."I nearly charcoaled Andi."

Daphne's brow creased in puzzlement as she was unfamiliar with the muggle term."She's not very good at this is she?" she said aside to Harry but loud enough so that everyone could hear her.

"She'll get better," Harry replied with a wide grin as he stared at the affronted witch to his right. The tension relieved, conversation once again returned to idle chatter. Harry sat back and sipped his drink as his eyes slipped around the table. A slow smile spread across his face as he realized that life, while hectic and not what he had expected it to be, was far better than it ever had been before. No one was attempting to kill him and he had a table full of beautiful intelligent witches he cared about a great deal. Life was good!

-oOo-

Harry stared at the letter he had found awaiting him upon returning to his rooms after dinner.

Mr. Potter,

I am once again back in London. I have set an appointment at Gringotts for 9 o`clock in the morning for us to meet. I will bring Daphne's wand with me so that we might work out a suitable arrangement. I trust that House Black has been caring for her in my absence and that she is in good health.

Respectfully,
Gerald Greengrass