Andromeda walked down Diagon Alley with considerable trepidation, her purple robes swishing about her ankles. She'd dressed particularly carefully that morning, in traditional long witch's robes and a silver cloak, pinning her hair up instead of leaving it loose or tying it back in a quick ponytail as she usually did these days. Her heels, higher than she generally wore, made a staccato click against the cobbles of the street as she strode down it. It was a warm day, the sun glinting off the shop windows, and Andromeda was glad of the Cooling Charm she'd cast on herself.

Soon she reached La Rose, a café at the fancier end of Diagon Alley, surrounded by robe-makers, jewelers, stationers selling the kind of fussy writing paper her mother had favoured… all the trades necessary to sustain the high-class pureblood lifestyle. Well, the more respectable and presentable part of that lifestyle, anyway… the rest was down Knockturn Alley, which had a rather different atmosphere. Andromeda couldn't imagine Narcissa being caught dead down there, though she was certain Lucius would have visited on multiple occasions.

Taking a deep breath, Andromeda pushed open the door with its lacy curtain, stepping through into a room full of small tables covered in silky cloths, surrounded by chattering groups of finely-dressed women, punctuated by the occasional man. Tall stands adorned with fussy sandwiches and cakes sat on many of the tables, surrounded by snow-like swirls of sugar that twisted around and around in elegant spirals, kept moving by magic. Tea poured itself into delicate china cups, which were then lifted elegantly by manicured hands, or sometimes, in the case of the older and more traditionalist women, gloved ones.

Andromeda shuddered slightly. She hadn't been in here in years, and it seemed to have only become more exclusive, more pureblood, in the interim. Why in Merlin's name had she suggested going here? Why hadn't they met at one of the more ordinary cafes, of which there were many along Diagon Alley?

A few of the nearby women had spotted her now, and she saw them staring, beginning to whisper to each other. Violet Parkinson gave a particularly unpleasant smile, and Andromeda hastily looked around for Narcissa. If Violet said a word she'd hex her, and Andromeda knew that would not be a good start.

Narcissa was sat at a table in the corner, though surprisingly not alone as Andromeda had expected. Allena Greengrass was standing beside her, clearly exchanging a few pleasantries. Allena had been one of a very small number of pureblood women who'd continued to acknowledge Andromeda after her marriage. They hadn't been close in any way, but they'd greet each other when they met. Allena had even sent a card when Nymphadora had been born, which would have been risky for her if anyone had found out. Hesitantly, Andromeda began to approach them; she could hardly hide now, not with Violet's eyes following her every move, but she wasn't entirely certain how either of the two women would react.

Narcissa spotted her first, looking past Allena to make eye contact and smiling nervously. Allena turned in time to face Andromeda as she got close to the table, her eyebrows raising in momentary surprise before she schooled her face into a more neutral expression.

"Mrs Tonks, how lovely to see you," Allena said, giving a brief curtsey which Andromeda had no hesitation in returning.

"Mrs Greengrass, likewise," Andromeda said. She was tempted to ask after the health of Allena's family, but then there would be some pressure for Allena to do the same and that wouldn't go down well here.

"I apologise, Narcissa, I didn't realise you were expecting someone," Mrs Greengrass added, turning towards Narcissa.

"No apology is necessary," Narcissa replied. Her voice was smooth and calm, but Andromeda noticed the tension behind it. Despite their years of separation, she could still read things in her sister that others could not.

Looking at Allena, Andromeda could also see a shadow of curiosity on the other woman's face, quickly contained. "Of course. We must take tea together another time, Narcissa, it has been far too long."

"Indeed," Narcissa responded calmly, but without the undercurrent of anxiety in her tone that had been present before. "I'll send you an owl. The Manor currently isn't in much state to receive guests, I'm afraid, though we hope to rectify that soon."

"Then you must come to us." Allena inclined her head to Narcissa, then turned towards Andromeda. "My condolences on your loss, Mrs Tonks," she said softly.

Andromeda raised her eyebrows. That was bold, even for Allena, here where she could be overheard. "Thank you. Your family is well, I take it? How old are the girls now?"

"Daphne is nearly eighteen. Astoria sixteen. They're both well, thank you." Allena dropped into a curtsey, a traditional way of bidding farewell. "I must be going. Good day to you, Mrs Tonks."

"Good day," Andromeda responded, sliding into the seat opposite Narcissa as Allena walked away, the group of women containing Violet whispering to each other as she passed. Despite this, Allena smiled at them and exchanged a greeting with a calm authority Andromeda envied.

Once Allena had left she turned to face her sister. Narcissa looked much better than she had at her trial and even Bellatrix's funeral: the colour was beginning to return to her cheeks, and she was dressed in her usual immaculate way. Her sister's eyes were cast down, however, watching her fingers as they played with the lace on the tablecloth.

"That was fortunate," Andromeda began. "Mrs Greengrass reacted very well."

Narcissa nodded. "I do hope so. Draco's become good friends with her youngest daughter, I wouldn't want to disrupt that in any way." She raised her eyes slowly to meet Andromeda's. "I was surprised you wanted to meet here."

"I wanted to be sure you were serious," Andromeda admitted. While Narcissa could still, technically, have decided that it was worth exposing herself to the ridicule of pureblood society to court Andromeda's Order connections, at least this way there was a substantial social cost which would make it harder for Narcissa to play both groups off against each other.

"I see. The humiliation is my punishment, is it?"

Her hand curling into a fist, Andromeda snapped: "If I'm just a humiliation, Narcissa, then I may as well leave now."

"That is not what I meant."

There was a long silence, the two women watching each other warily until Narcissa eventually dropped her gaze again. Andromeda sighed to herself: perhaps she should try to avoid picking fights, although Narcissa was hardly helping with that.

"How is your son?" she said eventually.

Narcissa hesitated. "If I'm honest, he hasn't been well."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The answer was an honest one: while Andromeda despised Lucius, she could see that Draco had mainly been led by his parents, that he wasn't as evil as his Death Eater status might suggest.

"How is your daughter?" Narcissa returned after a few moments, looking back at her.

"Still grieving."

"Yes… yes, of course."

Narcissa looked uncomfortable, but was saved from having to say more by the waiter arriving to take Andromeda's order. She decided on a pot of tea, which was almost as expensive as lunch might have been in another café, and the waiter withdrew.

"And your husband?"

"He's fine… well, not entirely. They burnt his shop to the ground. But he's Ted, he… he's good at not letting things bother him for too long. Sometimes not even as much as they should."

"Yes, I noticed that."

They lapsed into silence again, Andromeda stirring her tea before taking a small sip.

"Does your husband have any family still living?" Narcissa asked eventually.

Andromeda put the teacup down more sharply than she should have, some of the liquid sloshing over the edge into the saucer. "You expect me to tell you? Perhaps it would be simpler if I wrote you a list, so you can tick them off one by one when you murder them?"

Her sister gasped slightly, her eyes widening in shock. "Calm down, Andromeda, I don't want to hurt anybody. Least of all your... I just wondered if they survived the war."

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Andromeda nodded. Ted had always been petrified that his marriage- even his mere existence in the wizarding world, actually- would make his family a target, and some of that fear had rubbed off on Andromeda over the years. She'd spent much of the last year in terror for her in-laws, when she could spare the worry from Ted and Dora. They couldn't stay in Fidelius-charmed homes all the time, of course, they had jobs to go to and shopping to get, and she'd been terribly afraid for them. "They did. We took measures to protect them."

"I'm sorry if the question offended you, sister," Narcissa said quietly.

"Do you really think that's what you need to apologise for?"

Yet another long silence ensued, the two women watching each other, neither willing to be the first to look away.

Eventually, Narcissa dropped her gaze, her voice and demeanour becoming suddenly more childlike. "Andy, you don't understand…"

"Don't try that with me," Andromeda snapped. "I understand perfectly well."

There was a stony silence, interrupted only by the chattering of the women around them and the clink of Andromeda's teacup as she placed it back down.

"I'm sorry for any wrong you feel I've done you, Andromeda," Narcissa murmured eventually.

Andromeda gave a humourless laugh. "Only you could apologise without admitting you were wrong. And what about the things you've done that have hurt my husband? My daughter?"

"What are those, exactly?"

The insolence of the woman was unbelievable! "Your Death Eater friends murdered my daughter's husband and forced my Ted to go on the run. They nearly killed him. What do you mean, what are those?"

"I didn't ask them to do any of that."

Narcissa was twisting the ring on her finger around and around, the movements speeding up as their argument continued. In anyone else that might be a reliable sign of anxiety, but Andromeda knew that her sister was easily capable of containing herself far more than that, that it was a choice to let the worry show. Likely an attempt at manipulating her, which only incensed her further.

"You didn't ask them not to."

"I might be dead if I had," Narcissa returned. "Myself and my son… Lucius, too, not that you would care about that."

"And your life is worth more than Remus' and Ted's, and those of everyone else the Death Eaters murdered, is it?"

"To me it is." Irritation crept into Narcissa's voice for the first time. "Though not as important as my son's. To me, Draco's life is more important than anything in the world. Surely you understand that?"

Andromeda hesitated, taking a sip of her tea to cover her uncertainty. Could she really say she wouldn't have done anything she could to protect her family's lives, even if that meant ignoring truly evil deeds done against others? She certainly wouldn't have risked Dora's life to try and save Lucius', and Narcissa had at least done something to try and protect Ted, even if it was so tiny it hardly counted.

"I do," Andromeda admitted eventually. "Fine, I understand your position in the most recent war was very difficult. What about the twenty-five years before that, Narcissa?"

Her sister shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Do you mean the first war?"

"Not just that. You ignored me for twenty-seven years, Narcissa, you looked past me like I wasn't there. You said some horrible things about my husband in that letter you sent just after I ran away…"

"I do not believe I did."

Andromeda stared at her sister in disbelief. "You said my husband was incapable of love and only after one thing. You promised me he'd run out on me and leave me alone with a child to raise. How is that not horrible?"

"I genuinely believed it at the time. I was wrong, of course, but I thought…" Narcissa broke off. "I wanted you to come home before it was too late. I couldn't bear thinking of him using you and then leaving you on your own…"

"You might have noticed he hasn't in fact done any of that," Andromeda spat icily.

"I did just say I was wrong."

Andromeda blinked. Yes, her sister had said that, and that was not a sentence you often heard coming from Narcissa Malfoy. She hesitated, uncertain what to say next.

"I'm glad that I was wrong," her sister continued, probably, Andromeda thought, breaking some kind of world record for the number of times a Malfoy had admitted a mistake. "I'm glad you had a loving family, sister, even though I wish it could have been someone the family would accept."

That broke Andromeda's silence. "The family? As though you weren't part of it too? You ignored my letters for years, Narcissa, you ignored me when we saw each other in the street…"

"I hardly had much choice in the matter, Andromeda. Can you not imagine what would have happened to my own marriage had I-"

"You admit selfishness was your motivation, then."

Narcissa stared at her for a few moments, her eyes slightly widened. Was her sister shocked at her comment, Andromeda wondered? How could she be?

"Did you consider us when you ran away, Andromeda? I'm sure you wouldn't call your actions to secure your own happiness selfish, so why do you think it so wrong that I did the same?"

It was Andromeda's turn to stare. "You can't compare it, Narcissa. How can you even think…"

"Can't I? My mother-in-law disapproved of me quite enough- if she had caught me talking to you I'm quite sure she would never have permitted Lucius and I to marry."

"Do you think I believe that the woman who directly lied to He Who Must Not Be Named would have been unable to avoid Lissera Malfoy's detection?" Andromeda paused for a moment, but her sister did not reply. "You could have kept in contact with me secretly, Narcissa, had you wanted to. It's well within your capabilities."

Her sister looked down at the tablecloth, a gesture that conceded the point. Andromeda took a sip of tea, arming herself against the next attempt to wriggle out of blame that she was sure was coming. Therefore, she was not expecting what came next.

"I'm sorry, Andromeda."

The hot tea stung Andromeda's throat as she swallowed it far too suddenly. Staring back at Narcissa's glacier-blue eyes, she managed to choke out a: "I beg your pardon?"

"I am sorry, sister," Narcissa repeated. "You're right, I… I could have done more for you. Please… we're all that's left, Andy…"

That last comment stung, and Andromeda wanted to challenge it, to ask if that was all Narcissa thought she was good for, to be the fallback when there was no-one else left, but she bit back her retort. "I don't know if I can forgive you, Narcissa."

Her sister dropped her eyes, absently tapping the ring finger of her left hand against her cup. Andromeda watched as the light flashed across the ornate diamond and emerald engagement ring adorning her sister's hand. She felt a strange twisting sensation in her stomach as she realised this was the first time she'd been close enough to her sister to see the ring, even though Narcissa had been married for over twenty years. A memory flashed into her mind, her youngest sister aged nine sitting on Andromeda's four-poster bed in Black Manor, worriedly tapping a finger against the green satin bedspread just like that. It was August 31st, and Andromeda was repacking her trunk for the fifth time, nervous about her first year at Hogwarts.

"We'll still play together when you come home, won't we?" Cissy asked anxiously.

"Of course we will. And I'll write to you all the time, I promise."

"Good. I want to hear everything." Her sister was straining to sound relaxed, but Andromeda could see the telltale signs of worry in her sister's posture, her nervously-tapping hand.

"Don't worry, Cissy." Andromeda paused in packing her trunk, scooting round the bed to pull her baby sister into a hug. "We'll always be best friends."

"Even when you grow up and get married?"

"Yes, even then. We'll be each other's bridesmaids… even if you insist on forcing me into pastel pink. I promise."

Cissy smiled, looking up at her with a more relaxed expression.

"Andromeda, are you well?"

A deeper, more mature version of the voice in her memory cut through Andromeda's daydream, and she blinked, realising her sister was looking at her with some concern.

"I was… remembering," Andromeda murmured, taking a sip of tea to cover the moment.

Her sister frowned and opened her mouth, but seemed to think better of whatever she had been about to say, and closed it again.

"I… I don't know if I can forgive you, Narcissa," Andromeda resumed, speaking slowly and carefully, analyzing every word before letting it fall from her lips. "But… I am willing to try."

Narcissa made a slight sound of surprise, staring at her. "You're sure?"

Andromeda nodded, watching as a smile began to creep onto Narcissa's face. The emotion seemed genuine, unfeigned, and that let Andromeda relax slightly. She reached across the table to take her sister's hand, the first time they'd touched for twenty-seven years.

"Of course I'm sure, Cissy. Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

Her sister's eyes were damp as she returned the pressure on Andromeda's hand and nodded. "I think I do, yes. I've missed you too."