The Ties that Bind

Author's Note: This is a strange story, written partly because I love my sisters more than possibly anything in the world, and partly because I find the Blacks fascinating. Please read and review.

The Ties that Bind

Andromeda Tonks had been about to go to bed when the knock at the door came. It was ten o'clock at night, not all that late, but she was exhausted. Little Teddy had woken four times during the previous night and she had been up officially since half past five that morning. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror which stood above the mantelpiece as she walked to the door and thought how much she had aged in the past year. She looked a good deal older than her forty-seven years, her once black hair was now almost entirely an iron grey and their were deep lines round her mouth as well as heavy purple shadows under her eyes.

She wondered with a small sigh who could possibly be visiting at this time. Harry and his friends had been to see her and the baby only the day before and Kingsley Shacklebolt was making time in his extremely busy schedule to see her next week, besides, it was ten o'clock.

The bolts of the door squeaked and groaned as she pulled them back, reminding Andromeda of the increasing protests her knees made when she knelt down to weed, or dig in the garden. She tugged the heavy oak door open, her curiosity as to who was on the other side mounting all the time. Moonlight flooded the hallway, silhouetted sharply against it was the figure of a tall, extremely thin woman, wearing a hooded cloak. The Woman raised a bony white hand and lowered her hood. The moon caught her pale hair making it stand out around her face like a halo. Andromeda found herself gasping in shock and taking a step backwards.

"Hello Andi" her guest said in a voice that was not as confident as it might have been. It was familiar enough however to Andromeda Tonks. She was looking at the sister she hadn't seen in over twenty years. Her first instinct was to reach for her wand. Her last information about her sister's activities had involved Narcissa Malfoy using her home as a base for Lord Voldemort. Her hand shook slightly as she held her wand out in front of her.

"Stay back!" Andromeda cautioned in a fierce whisper "I want you at least three feet away". Narcissa took a careful step back, her hands rising level with her face in a defensive gesture as she did so. There was an odd expression on her face, a look of, could it be pain. "Now what do you want?" she growled "What do you mean by showing up here late at night, with no warning? How did you even know where to find me?" She found she was taking a step forward with each question, and her tone was distinctly threatening.

Cissy, no Narcissa, sounded almost plaintive and whiny when she said "I wanted to see you Andi".

"Don't Call Me ANDI! Andromeda hissed through gritted teeth. "You lost the right to years ago, and You expect me to believe that after twenty five years, twenty five years in which I heard Nothing, Nothing from you, you show up here on a social call? Well, I've got news for you, you are not welcome! "

Narcissa's face twisted and what little colour had been in her face drained out of it. For a moment Andromeda thought she was afraid, and then she realised her Sister was furious. Before she knew what had happened Narcissa had grabbed her wand arm had pushed her back towards the door. "Now you listen to me Andromeda" she hissed "It's no good trying to scare me. I always was better at duelling than you, even when you were fourteen and I was twelve."

Then her face seemed to soften, and instead of an expression of rage it bore one of pure misery. "Please Andromeda" she whispered "Just, just let me talk to you." Andromeda took a long look at the woman standing in front of her. The years had been kinder to Narcissa than to Andromeda herself. She was still beautiful, tall and slender, with those startlingly high cheek bones, but she was not unchanged. Some of the bright shiny hardness that had once been so prominent seemed to have got rubbed off. There was a Sadness to the curve of her mouth that had not been there before. She knew intellectually that she had every right to hate Narcissa, to hate the woman who had thought of her as only so much leaf mould for her choice of husband, the woman who had never once come to see Dora. But something, something almost primal in her was telling her that this woman was flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone, her sister. Memories were flooding her mind, memories of Narcissa as a small child, in a time before words like mudblood had meant anything to her. She remembered nursing her through flu, playing hide and seek with her in the gardens, holding a small round hand to comfort a crying child. She might still have hardened herself, have Narcissa back into the dark and the past had not a very small, very wonderful thing happened. Narcissa tilted her slightly, in an almost enquiring gesture, and mouth tightened and then relaxed. It was such a tiny tiny thing, but for that second Narcissa looked so very much like Dora used to when puzzling over a problem that Andromeda's chest constricted and for a moment she felt as if she could not breathe. Her decision was made. With a curt nod towards the open doorway she said rather stiffly "I suppose you'd better come inside then".

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Narcissa Malfoy had been extremely nervous coming here. She wasn't quite sure even now what had made her do it. She hesitated when Andromeda prompted her to go into the house. It felt so strange to be here, finally, after so long, and she couldn't quite trust Andromeda's change from violent rage to grudging acceptance. She swallowed and took a long slow steadying breath. Cissy my girl, you've come this far, you're damn well not going to back out nowshe told herself firmly She stepped over the threshold.

She found herself in a narrow, dark hallway. There was a worn carpet on the floor and picture of a seaside scene hung slightly crooked on one wall. What was immediately obvious was that there was nothing here remotely magical. It seemed that Andromeda's life had been even more alien from her own than she realised.

"Come through to the kitchen" Andromeda said in the same forced awkward tone "We can talk in there". Narcissa followed her feeling increasingly unsure of herself. It was an odd sensation, one she was not at all used to feeling.

The Kitchen, when they entered it, was wider and lighter, dominated by a large iron cooking stove and a wooden table. There was a mirror above a mantelpiece on one wall, and perched on the mantelpiece were a series of photographs. These at least were magical. The young woman who appeared in all of them waved and smiled out from under the glass. Andromeda gestured towards one of the two chairs that stood by the table. "Sit" she said shortly. Slowly, carefully Narcissa obeyed.

Andromeda sat down opposite her, fixing her with an oddly disconcerting stare. "Why have you come here Narcissa?" she asked quietly "I thought it was all over with us long ago". Narcissa sighed. How could she explain this in a way that Andromeda would understand? She began to twist her hands over and over, staring at them fixedly, she found herself unable to meet to Andromeda's eye.

Finally she said "Bella is dead. Did you know?" It was most definitely the wrong opener to choose. Andromeda turned white with fury and was on her feet leaning towards Narcissa and hissing ferociously.

"Yes I knew. And did you know Narcissa that before Molly Weasley put her down like the rabid dog she was she Murdered my daughter, my beautiful brave daughter who had a child not a month old!"

Oh Merlin! Narcissa felt sick. She had known Andromeda's daughter was dead, but not who had killed her. Andromeda strode over to the mantelpiece, snatched up one of the photographs on it and slammed it down in front of Narcissa. "There!" she screamed, sounding almost maniacal "Look at her, Look at what that evil bitch took away from me!"

Swallowing hard Narcissa forced herself to look down at the photograph. It showed a young woman with surprisingly pink hair, a pale heart-shaped face and large brown eyes laughing up at the camera. She was, Narcissa thought, very lovely indeed. She had never met Andromeda's daughter, but it hurt somehow, that someone who seemed so alive, should be gone. She thought suddenly that this young woman looked a little like her. Slowly she looked up, meeting Andromeda's wild stare.

"I-I didn't know" she began in a small pained voice "I have a son, and I know that to lose him would be the most terrible thing I can possibly imagine".

Andromeda sat down again slowly. "Then you should be very thankful he is still alive" she said in an oddly flat voice.

"I am. Every day. There were many times when I thought…"she stopped with a shudder.

They sat in silence for a while after that. Looking at each other. Finally Andromeda said quietly "Your Son. I never saw him. I do not even know what you called him".

This was easier. Talking about Draco was always easy. "His name is Draco." She said, feeling as she did so the pride that was warming her face and voice. "He is eighteen years old now. Quite grown up."

Andromeda nodded. Narcissa realised it was now her turn to attempt to reach out. What could she say that would not hurt Andromeda? "Your Daughter, Your daughter had a child?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes" said Andromeda quietly, and Narcissa was relieved to see that she was smiling slightly, "she a little boy. Remus and Dora named him Teddy, after my Ted."

"I heard that she had married the- ah- Remus Lupin" Narcissa said, glad that she had caught herself before saying werewolf, "I think he taught my Draco during his third year." She omitted to mention Draco's repeated snide comments about his teacher's shabby dress, and outrageous pro Gryffindor bias. Andromeda nodded again.

There was a long silence. There were so few safe topics, so little common ground. Finally Narcissa said quietly "Do you remember when we very young, you were eight perhaps and I was six we played at being duchesses, we'd take as many of Mother's clothes and jewellery as we could get our hands on and make ourselves grand."

"I remember" Andromeda said with a small sad smile "But I also remember the look on your face on the day I left home."

Narcissa's face clouded over "I- I" she cut herself off, confused. A Malfoy was not supposed to be confused, but the perhaps she had believed a little too strongly in being a Malfoy. "I am sorry Andromeda" she said quietly "and I have missed you."

"I have missed you too" Andromeda replied a little awkwardly, and although there was still hesitance, some of the tension seemed to have left the air.

"Your Grandson, little Teddy" Narcissa said "Is he here?"

"He's upstairs, asleep," Andromeda replied sounding a little surprised.

"I wonder, would you allow, would you allow me to see him?"

"You want to?" Andromeda asked in surprise. Only months earlier Narcissa would not have been even remotely interested in the brat of a half blood and a werewolf, but times were changing, She was changing.

"Yes" She said simply.

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Upstairs the two women, one dark and one fair, bent over the cot that contained a tiny sleeping child.

"He is like his mother, and like you as well" Narcissa said quietly.

"Dora always thought he was like his father," Andromeda replied.

Narcissa turned quickly to Andromeda and said suddenly "I am sorry, I am sorry about Ted and about Nymphadora".

"Thank you" Andromeda replied. There was a long silence and then she said "I have grieved for Bella you know". Narcissa stared at her in astonishment.

"But you must understand that the sister I grieved for died twenty five years ago".

Narcissa nodded, she did understand, she had had a sister who died then as well, only now that Sister was here beside her.

"Might I, might I come and see your grandson sometimes?" Narcissa asked, feeling suddenly nervous.

"I, I would like that".

The two women, reflections of each other, stood looking at the sleeping child. They might never be friends, but for now at least, they were sisters.