Rushing around the house, Andromeda threw Teddy’s favorite toys in a bag. Every few seconds, she would stop with a toy in her hand debating if it should go. She didn’t want Teddy to be without anything, but she could only send so much. Already, she’d packed enough clothes for a week and he’d only be gone for the night.
Every time she glanced at little Teddy she felt a surge of panic. Was she doing the right thing? Was he really ready to be without her for such a long period of time? Were Harry and Ginny really ready to take care of him overnight? Was she just being selfish, wanting some grown up time?
As if to answer her question, little Teddy laughed.
She laughed, too. She was being ridiculous. It was one night. The time would do her and Teddy good. He needed to be exposed to the world beyond her hovering. She needed some time for herself. Besides it wasn’t like she was leaving with him two inexperienced children. Harry and Ginny were taking him to the Weasley’s. He would have Molly to care for him. She’d managed to raise seven children of her own. Andromeda could certainly trust her with Teddy.
She lowered the bag to the floor and went to Teddy’s crib. His crying fits had stopped weeks ago. Finally, he was beginning to adjust to life without his parents. In her own way, Andromeda was adjusting too. What other choice did she have?
Pulling Teddy into her arms, she settled on the sofa. She was done packing. He’d have enough toys for the night. Harry had probably bought him half a dozen new things just for the visit anyway.
“I’m going to miss you tonight,” she told him, stroking his currently purple hair. “But you’re going to have a great time with Harry. You’ll come home so spoiled I won’t know what to do with you.”
He smiled up at her, almost as if he understood every word. Maybe he did. After all, his mother had always been smart for her age.
She snuggled with him on the sofa until Harry arrived about fifteen minutes later. He popped through the fireplace holding a baby bag. Looking at her, his eyes revealed his nervousness. That didn’t upset her though. She knew he wasn’t nervous about taking care of Teddy, nothing else seemed to make him happier, and he really was getting better at it. He was nervous that she would change her mind, and refuse to let Teddy spend the night. His fear was well grounded so she didn’t hold it against him.
“He’s all set,” she said, forcing a smile, and willing herself not to tighten her grip on the baby. “I’ve packed him some clothes and toys. More than you’ll ever need.”
Harry spotted the bag on the floor and nodded. “Thanks.”
She didn’t respond, staring down at her grandson. She was starting to have second thoughts. Was she really ready to be away from him for so long?
“I wanted to thank you for this,” Harry continued a few seconds later. “I’m grateful to have the extra time with Teddy. And this is going to do wonders for Molly. She’s been struggling so much. With Fred’s death and the…incident.”
The incident? Andromeda almost laughed. She’d actually forgotten how her sister died. Not that there was much of Bella left when she’d been killed. That wouldn’t make things any easier for Molly. Andromeda couldn’t imagine the guilt of having taken a life, even a life that was already over in every other way.
Her second thoughts seemed to evaporate. She didn’t need to be selfish with her grandson. She loved Teddy, but so did Harry. Dora would want her son to have a full life with as many loved ones as possible. She’d be happy that her son could do something to ease Molly’s pain.
“He’ll have a great time,” Andromeda said. She rose to her feet and placed Teddy in Harry’s arms. “He needs to get out of this house more.” She kissed Teddy on the cheek. “Have a great night. Be good for Harry.”
As Harry approached the fireplace with Teddy in his arms, the little boy looked back at her. A tear escaped from her right eye as she watched him disappear in the green flames.
For a few moments, she stood alone staring after her grandson, but she didn’t dwell on it. Teddy would be fine. He was in good hands. Besides, she had things to do. Teddy’s night out was also her only night to do something for herself.
Rushing to the kitchen, she got to work on the meal. She’d been seeing a lot of Kingsley since Dora’s death. He’d become somewhat of a permanent fixture in her life. She had no objections. She loved having him around. Still, after everything he’d done for her, all she managed to do for him was give him a rushed meal while Teddy slept. This was her night to make up for that”make him something nice.
Her culinary skills weren’t bad. She’d always managed to feed her own family, but she was a bit out of practice. After Dora left, she and Ted didn’t bother as much with meals. Then with Teddy, she was lucky to find time to make a sandwich. Not wanting to take on something she couldn’t handle, she decided to make a simple meal. Something she was unlikely to mess up. Spaghetti and meatballs.
Everything was well underway when there was a soft knock on the door. She set aside the spoon she’d been using to stir the sauce and rushed to open it. To her, it seemed almost ludicrous that he still bothered to knock. He came by almost daily. Knocking was a formality that he should’ve outgrown.
Opening the door, she smiled.
“Hi,” he said, hugging her slightly. “That smells great.”
“Thanks,” she replied, ushering him into the house. “Be understanding when you try it though; it’s the first thing I’ve cooked in months.”
“I’m sure it’ll be wonderful,” he replied, “Would you like help with anything?”
“No thanks,” she said. “Everything is just finishing up.”
He took a seat at the table. “You’re doing really well. I thought you’d be upset with Teddy gone.”
She shrugged. “It was hard to let him go. I’m so used to him being no more than a room away, but it can’t be like that forever. He’ll have fun, and he’s in capable hands with Molly around. Besides, this gives us some time alone. I haven’t had a chance to thank you for everything you’ve done. I don’t think I could’ve gotten through all this without you.”
He smiled. “No thanks are needed. I’m glad I could help out. And it certainly hasn’t been a burden. I love spending time with you and Teddy.”
“We love it, too,” she told him.
Their eyes locked, and everything else in the room faded away. They’d shared moments like this before, but each time Teddy would cry and the world would come back into focus. Teddy wasn’t there. There was nothing to interrupt the moment.
Kingsley reached out to her, brushing her cheek. Without thinking, she lowered her lips to him. His touch was soft and right.
The sauce began to burn, but neither of them noticed the smell. After all of Andromeda’s worries, dinner had been forgotten.
Abandoning all sense of propriety, Andromeda settled on Kingsley’s lap, tugging at his clothes. A small part of her was saying something was wrong. She shouldn’t be doing this, but she ignored it without realizing what it was telling her. Being in Kingsley’s arms felt good. For once, she just wanted to feel good.
His hands wrapped around hers as she struggled to remove his clothes. He stopped her, and pulled away from her embrace.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
The same tiny voice screamed no, but she ordered it shut up.
“Yes,” she whispered to him. “I want this.”
There was no more conversation. There was no dinner. But the night was better than anything Andromeda had imagined.