Neither Here Nor There: Chapter Three

[author_by_night]

Title: Neither Here Nor There

Fandom: Harry Potter


Rating: PG-13


Summary: It's been six months since the war, and everyone's ready to try moving on. Lyall Lupin and Andromeda Tonks  are coming to terms with the death of their children, finding solace in one another - but will the case remain if Lyall learns about Andromeda's new alliance? Kingsley Shacklebot is trying to lead a country that has been left bitter by war, so distrustful many even doubt him. And Hestia Jones is trying to harbor all she holds dear, which is hard when there's secrets she's never had the heart to reveal. Meanwhile, people are still missing, and new threats are lurking, but nobody is sure exactly who is being threatened.


Ships: Hestia/Kingsley, the buildup of Percy/Audrey, presumed Harry/Ginny, Bill/Fleur, past Remus/Tonks, past Percy/Penny.

Author's Note: I typed this chapter right into LJ, so the formatting shouldn't be  skewed this time.


Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

To even the wizarding eye, it looked like a perfectly muggle home.

It was a modest brown house with a beige fence around it, in between a pink house and a blue house. There was no driveway, which would have been a clue as there was no car parked on the side of the house, at least not unless someone was visiting. Still, nothing else seemed remotely out of the ordinary. A grassy path led to the front porch, which was wide enough for two small chairs and a table. Just by the door was a small gnome, which looked nothing like real gnomes. It was clearly aged, with brown marks on its face and a chip off of its nose missing. Magic could have restored it good as new, but Hope's grandfather had made it for her, and thus it should not be altered, in Lyall's mind.

Oh, how he wished he'd known Hope's family better. But Hope had slowly become detached from them - there were too many secrets. Lyall knew now how much Hope had truly sacrificed, besides her life - she'd never really belonged in one world or the other; neither one could possibly understand her.

Lyall frowned at the gnome. It was beginning to grow cold, and soon it would snow; it was time to bring it in. So he picked the gnome up and walked back into his house, which opened up into the kitchen. He placed it on top of a shelf. It would be something for Teddy to look at.

Teddy. Was Lyall really ready for this visit? It wasn't the first time Lyall had watched him - Teddy had been over on many occasions. But never before overnight.

Lyall walked into his study, which now contained a cot and a stuffed pumpkin Lyall had found at a flea market. It was as good as anything else, and for whatever reason, Teddy had loved it. Andromeda always sent toys over with Teddy, but Lyall firmly believed children should have a little something of their own. Lyall still had Remus's old toys, but he couldn't go there. Not yet. Someday he'd have to, someday Teddy would start asking and Lyall would have to be forthcoming, but for now he left the boxes untouched. The only thing in Teddy's makeshift room that had been Remus's were a lamp and a children's book about  Grindylows. Remus himself had read it to Teddy often, and as much as a one month year old baby could enjoy anything, Teddy seemed to get something out of it.  So the book stayed. Lyall's biggest problem with the book was how inaccurate it was, but it was nothing next to muggle children's books about magical creatures. Hope had been astonished to find out fairies weren't so friendly, and that leprechauns didn't so much lead you to gold as they did fool you into losing it.

There was a knock at the door, and Lyall opened it. To his surprise, it was not Andromeda holding Teddy, but Harry.

Lyall had only met Harry a few times, the first being the funeral. But he'd heard so much about him from Remus, he felt as though he knew the man quite well. Yet Harry knew nothing about him.

"Come in," Lyall said, and Harry did, holding a bag. "Where's Andromeda?"

"She had a lot to do, seemed tense actually, so she asked me to bring him by... I have business around here anyway."

Teddy was stretching his arms out to Lyall, and Lyall gladly picked him up, holding him close. For a minute, he didn't say anything, just registered that his grandson was safe in his arms. He worried sometimes.

"Did he have anything to eat?" Lyall asked.

"Yeah, Andromeda got him lunch, said you'd take care of the rest."

"Perfect. Can I get you anything?"

"I don't want to trouble you-"

"-which means yes," Lyall finished with a smile. "Tea? Firewhiskey? Butterbeer?"

"Butterbeer works, it's cold today," Harry said.

Lyall handed Teddy back to Harry while he got the Butterbeer. When he returned, Harry was tossing him in the air, Teddy giggling.

"You enjoy him," he observed.

Harry shrugged. "He's my Godson, just doing what Godfathers do... I guess."

"You guess? You seem to be with him a lot, from what Andromeda tells me."

"I just don't know what being a Godfather means."

"I have no idea what being a Grandfather means, so you're in good company," Lyall assured him. "But it seems like you're the sort who figures his own way regardless."

"I'm trying to do what Sirius did," Harry began, "but the circumstances are... different."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Of course," Harry said quickly. "I know this is what Sirius would rather have had. But... I can't be him, can I?"

"And this is the problem with how we raise young men," Lyall said quietly. "Always want them to be their fathers - in your case, you had two fathers. Can't be easy."

"No," Harry admitted, but he looked uncomfortable. Lyall remembered, again, that he didn't really know Lyall. The truth was, Lyall didn't really know Harry either, despite how often it seemed he did.

Teddy began to fuss, so Harry set him down, giving him a small broomstick to play with. "Here you go. He loves the broomstick," Harry added to Lyall. Lyall smiled knowingly.

"I meant to ask you," Harry said suddenly, "since you're an expert... is there a sure way to destroy Dementors?"

Lyall sighed. "I've been spending most of my time trying to find out. It seems to be something of a secret, one nobody who knows will share. I haven't even decoded how they came into being. They can always be driven away by Patronuses, but then they find someone or something else to feed off of. It is said that if you expose one to enough joy and happiness, they'll evaporate, but that may simply be an urban myth."

"I gathered as much."

Harry checked his watch. "I really should be going." He rubbed Teddy's head. "Be good, okay? Your Grandma will be here tomorrow afternoon to pick you up."

Teddy babbled something that may have meant "okay," but may also have meant something completely nonsensical. Harry grinned, and shook Lyall's hand. "Thank you again."

"Please drop in anytime."

"I will."

And then it was just them.

Lyall got on the floor beside his grandson. "Weeaboo?"

Teddy blinked, and Lyall chuckled at himself. He'd never been good at baby talk. Neither had Hope, for that matter.

Teddy suddenly pointed at the gnome curiously. Lyall hesitated, then pointed his wand to it. "Accio Gnome!"

His toy broomstick forgotten, Teddy touched the gnome, utterly fixated. He felt its nose, its eyes, and its beard, looking perplexed.

"That's a muggle gnome," Lyall said. "Real gnomes look rather different."

Lyall wondered if he should put it away, but something told him to let Teddy have it - for now, while he was being gentle. He couldn't really break it, and anyway, he seemed fascinated. Even in adulthood, Remus had never cared that much for the gnome. But as far as Teddy was concerned, it was the most interesting thing on the planet.

Well, he had just said not all boys needed to be their fathers.

Teddy yawned suddenly, and Lyall knew it was time for a nap - and time for him to take a stroll. He fastened Teddy into a pram and set down the drive.

Teddy fell asleep as the road became softer, until they headed down a trail. Lyall thought about Hope, how she'd laugh at how "macho" this was. But why shouldn't a grandfather be tender, be caring? And anyway, one of his grandparents needed to be - Lyall knew Andromeda loved the boy, but she was hard, especially now. Lyall could bring the soft out of her, but it had taken months of trying to get close  enough. Now, of course, she was his dearest  friend. Only, really.

Things had been so lonely after Hope had died... Lyall had to admit he'd let some of those friends go when she did... they didn't believe who'd really killed her, they didn't understand...

The thought of Hope pained Lyall. He could remember her so well... he could hear his screams when he'd found her...

Suddenly, Lyall heard the very real screams of a teenage girl, followed by sobbing.




Andromeda sat at the cafe, her hands fastened around her purse.

"Two cups of tea," Andromeda told the waitress briskly before she could ask. She didn't want to waste time.

"Why did we have to meet at a muggle place?" The woman across from her asked with a scowl.

"Because, Narcissa, I didn't think it would be a good idea to meet where we could be recognized," Andromeda said.

"Of course."

This was the second time the two had met; Andromeda hadn't told anyone, not even Harry. Especially not Harry. He had spared Narcissa time in Azkaban, but otherwise considered her an accomplice at best. And with the Dursleys for family, Andromeda was sure he'd have something to say about Teddy being exposed - even secondhand - to horrible family members.

But it had seemed like a necessary evil; with Narcissa on her side, if anything should stir again, Andromeda would have tools. She'd often wished that she had done this the first time. Then maybe Dora and Ted would have fared better.

"No Teddy, I see," Narcissa said. "Even Mother's met him."

"I trust Mother. I don't trust you."

"Still? Even after I saved the Potter boy, who I understand you're chummy with? You think I'd hurt family?"

"You killed Sirius, remember?" Andromeda snapped.

Narcissa waved her hand as though being reminded of a silly thing she'd done several years back. "I didn't kill him. Bellatrix did. I merely told them that Sirius was overly protective of his Godson, which was true."

"So that's how you sleep at night."

"I was just protecting Draco and Lucius," Narcissa said. "You know you would've done the same."

Andromeda shrugged. "I wouldn't have done it the way you did. That wasn't even a fair fight. I thought you were growing up, Cissy."

"You're one to talk, still playing stupid jokes on people to get a rise out of them."

Andromeda couldn't think of any other way to respond: "huh?"

"I found this on my doorstep." Narcissa slammed down a piece of parchment. "Care to explain?"

On the piece of parchment was the drawing of a woman floating in water. Except, Andromeda realized, she was very possibly supposed to be dead. Flowers were in her hair. A skull was cast over her, but it wasn't the Dark Mark, just a skull.

"Can you tell me how this was supposed to be funny?" Narcissa asked. "Because I can't think of one way."

Andromeda stared at it. "This wasn't mine... Narcissa, did a note come with it?"

"Of course not, you sent it."

"No, I didn't," Andromeda said in a hollow voice.

Narcissa laughed. "Then who would? Just admit it."

Andromeda was busy looking for a note, a scribble, anything that would explain what it meant.

"Andromeda?" Narcissa sounded nervous now. "Tell me this was yours."

Andromeda shook her head. "No... Narcissa, have you seen anyone who was on You-Know-Who's side?"

"They're all either in Azkaban or refuse to speak to me. In fact, the only person I still speak to is Florence Greengrass."

"Would she...?"

"What? No!"

"Was she a Death Eater sympathizer?"

"That's not her style, and anyway, we suspect one of her children - at least - was spying on Slytherin. I wouldn't put it past them, they're clever, I always wished Draco would go for one of them instead of that Pansy girl. We didn't speak for a while during the war, but she likes me enough now."

"Okay, so it's not her... then who? One of the Death Eaters still on the run?"

"Maybe," Narcissa said, looking frightened. "But - then wouldn't they just hurt me?"

"It could be a threat..."

"It's not a threat," Narcissa said sharply. "It's a joke."

"You just admitted it couldn't be Florence because she wasn't a Death Eater."

Narcissa was wringing her hands. "It is a woman, right? Not a man? Because if they hurt Draco..."

"I'll bring this to Harry," Andromeda said. "It could be nothing. Some people just like cruel jokes. But just in case-"

"No!" Narcissa insisted. "You will not bring it to Harry. First, how do you explain that we're speaking? You know he'd hate you."

"No, he wouldn't," Andromeda told her.

"He wouldn't be happy, and he wouldn't help me."

"He owes a life debt to you now."

Narcissa shuddered. "Do not tell him. It's a joke. I'll be fine. I bet it was Florence, she does get funny when she drinks..."

"Okay," Andromeda said. "It's probably just a joke anyway." It would fit what happened before; people had been cruel to her after Sirius's arrest, after all, and they hadn't actually meant harm. Well, physical harm. "Just tell me if you get anything else like this straight away."

"I will," Narcissa promised. "I'll see if Mum has any ideas, too... how is she, anyway? I know you were over last night."

"She's well. Still mourning Bellatrix, though," Andromeda added bitterly without considering who she was with. She thought only of her daughter, dead at Bellatrix's hand.

"She hated Bellatrix, she's mourning the old one," Narcissa said. "And... maybe me too, a bit. Bellatrix... even in the first war, she would never have sold out Lucius and Draco like that... she would've killed Draco too, if it suited her."

Andromeda hadn't seen her sister this soft in years, and realized after a minute that she felt a bit sorry for her. Her son was alive, but was he really? How damaged was he? And Azkaban might be void of Dementors, but the chill had not left the prison  Lucius was locked up in. Narcissa was grieving too, as hard as it was to imagine.





Lyall ran towards the screams, hearing things in his head he couldn't deal with right now.

"Which of ours? Tell us, which one..."

"B-both... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't," Lyall told himself sharply, and he kept running until he found them: a girl huddled on her knees, whimpering as a Dementor approached.

"Run!" Lyall told her as he pointed his wand. "It's not real... whatever you think, it's not real..."

"Daddy, I'm so sorry," the girl was sobbing. "Stay home, please stay home..."

"Expecto Patronum!" Lyall screamed, but the Dementor was close to both of them now.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, there's really nothing we can do..."

"Expecto Patronum!"

Lyall pushed himself to think of something happy... Remus's birth...  Remus's marriage...

The Dementor bent down to the girl, who looked petrified now. It started to lower its hood...

Teddy's birth.... your marriage to Hope...

"Expecto Patronum!"

At last the Dementor floated away, leaving the girl huddled on the ground. Her shoulders shook. Lyall instinctively bent down and rubbed her back.

"It's okay," he said softly, wondering how he could possibly explain it.

"It's my fault you're leaving Mum..."

"Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault," he told her, "and it wasn't real. You're safe."

The girl lifted her head, and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Where did you come from?"

"I heard you-"

The girl jumped up. "Did you do this to me?"

"What?"

"Did you make me - did you somehow tell me-"

"I had nothing to do with it, I was trying to help."

"Trying to help? How? By making me remember - it's none of your business!" The girl now looked angry. "I don't know what you did or how you did it, but you're one sick bastard. Get the hell away from me!"

The girl broke into a run. Lyall supposed he was lucky she hadn't called the police...

Lyall turned to where he'd left Teddy, only to realize he wasn't there.

His heart stopped. Teddy had somehow squirmed out of the pram...

"Teddy!" Lyall called, looking around frantically. "Teddy!"

Except of course, Teddy was not old enough to answer.

Lyall ran into the grass, hoping it was the right side, the right patch...

"Teddy!" Lyall screamed frantically.

And then he saw him: crawling around, clearly growing tired. He'd been there all along, yet somehow in Lyall's panic he'd envisioned him being further. Or worse.

"Oh, Teddy," Lyall said as he scooped him up, "you are in so much trouble."

He held him close, the what-ifs pouring through his head. How could he have been so careless, after what he'd let happen to his father - two times? What would he have done if he'd lost him?

The boy squirmed, and Lyall realized it was time to go.

"Come on, Teddy," he said quietly. "We've had enough fright for one afternoon."




When Andromeda stepped into her house, she found several items had come by owl post. One such item was a jar of jelly, a note attached to it.

Andromeda -

Made some of this the other day, and I know you love blueberry jelly, so I thought I'd send you some. Teddy should like it too, babies always do. I've also made some pumpkin pie, which I'd love you to try sometime - hopefully soon.

I have been well, and hope you have been too. You know you can always drop in or Floo. I miss our weekly outings, but I understand if you're not ready.

Love,

Your friend, Phyllis Jones


Andromeda smiled sadly. She was ready, but at the same time she wasn't. It was complicated. But would spending time with Phyllis really be any worse than her time with Narcissa? Phyllis was more family to Andromeda than Narcissa. On the other hand, Andromeda was used to the harsh feelings that came with any mention or thought of Narcissa. Phyllis had never been that for her, until a few years back. Phyllis and Glynn didn't even realize how betrayed Andromeda, Ted, Dora and their own children had felt. That made it so much worse.

Something fell out of the pile; Andromeda bent down and picked it up. It was a folded piece of parchment...

"What's this?" Andromeda muttered to herself. She opened the parchment, and instantly dropped it like hot coal, staring as it fell onto the ground.

It was a drawing identical to the one Narcissa had received.


"I have to go after him," Dora said, standing up.

Lyall and Andromeda both stood up after her, and Phyllis and Glynn looked shocked.

"Dora, no," Andromeda said. "You can't."

"I'm an Auror, Mum. I should be fighting, not... not them. Remus is doing the job of two people. And what will I do if something happens to him?"

"He'll be fine," Lyall said, "but not if you're there. You know you need rest."

"Rest? Do I look like I'm resting now? I won't rest, not like this. My best friends are fighting right now. My husband's fighting. If I don't help them, and something happens... I'll never be able to live with myself. And Remus - what do I tell Teddy if something happens to Remus?"

"Don't be stupid," Andromeda snapped.

Dora held her mother's hands. "I'm an Auror, Mum. I told you I'd have to do this sort of thing years ago. I know you always wanted me to stay by the sidelines, to be safe, but it's not who I am. I need you to accept that, now more than ever, okay?"

Andromeda looked at her daughter's wide eyes, less innocent than they'd been, but the girl was still there. However, the fighter was in her face.

"Fine," she said softly. "But be careful. If you die, you're dead."

"I'll be fine," Dora said, but she hugged Andromeda tighter than usual, and hugged Lyall too.

"We'll tell you as soon as it's over," she promised him.

Lyall kissed her on the cheek. "You'd better."

Lyall disapparated, and Andromeda attempted to wash down the feeling of dread with a shot  of gin.