Soul Bound 9

“How are you feeling Augusta?”Andromeda asked the Longbottom family matriarch after she preformed a cleaning spell on the couch then took a seat next to the woman who was already sitting on it. They were in the living room of the Weasley family home. A home that was incredibly cluttered and filthy. Andromeda would never have believed it if someone said that a stay at home mother lived in the home. It wasn’t just because of the children it was dirty either. Andromeda could see picture frames and nicknacks covered in thick layers of dust. It seemed like every surface was covered in grime. Even the walls and ceilings had stains on them. When she walked through the door her foot had stuck to the floor because of a random green liquid spilled everywhere. She had heard Arthur say something about it having been there for a couple weeks and they hadn’t gotten around to cleaning it yet. Andromeda would have been horribly embarrassed to invite anyone into her home if it was in this condition and she didn’t understand why Arthur and Molly volunteered to let it be used as a meeting place for so many people.

“I’m feeling a lot better thank you.”Augusta told her.

“I was very happy to hear that Alice, Frank and baby Neville were unharmed last night.”Andromeda said.

Augusta took a shuddering breath thinking about how close she was to losing her family.”I have thanked the gods repeatedly for saving them.”

“It does seem like Fate stepped in personally.”Andromeda thought it was nothing short of the gods themselves interfering that saved the couple and their child.

“I’m happy that Harry was saved as well.”Augusta wasn’t a fan of James and Lily but didn’t think their child deserved to get hurt.

Andromeda held back a smile seeing the look of satisfaction in Augusta’s eyes knowing that look was due to Harry’s parents dying. Augusta’s distaste for Lily and James was well known.”Is there any word on who is taking custody of him?”

“The Weasleys offered but Dumbledore told them that the boy had muggle relatives that were going to take care of him.”Augusta thought it was fitting that James’ son be raised by muggles after the man made sure everyone knew how much he hated them.

“The Weasleys have their hands full so it’s probably for the best they don’t take him in.”Andromeda didn’t think any child should be raised by Arthur and Molly let alone one not related to them.

“She does seem to enjoy having children.”Augusta wasn’t sure why Molly had so many children when she seemed not to like them very much.

“I think she is still hoping to have a girl.”Andromeda had heard Molly talk about her wish to have a daughter to raise in her own image. Andromeda pitied any daughter Molly would have because she knew the girl would be miserable with a mother like Molly.

“Merlin forbid.”Augusta could only imagine the damage Molly would do to any girl she raised.

Andromeda laughed.”My thoughts exactly.”

“I was hoping for a cup of tea but I don’t dare trust anything that comes out of her kitchen.”Augusta hadn’t been offered either which she found rather rude.

Andromeda reached into her robe and pulled out a flask.”I don’t have tea but I can offer good whiskey.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”Augusta happily took a drink from the flask.”You’re right that is good whiskey.”

“Before I left home I stole a bunch of the finest bottles of alcohol from my family’s wine cellar. That whiskey is from one of those bottles.”Andromeda was lying. The whiskey was actually a gift from Bellatrix who got it from the Lestrange family wine cellar. She wouldn’t be telling anyone that though.

“You really are a lot more clever than people give you credit for.”Augusta had always thought there was more to Andromeda than met the eye.

“Unfortunately people won’t look past my family’s reputation and see that I’m nothing like them. Which doesn’t make sense because they all respect Sirius.”Andromeda knew the only reason for that was because he was a Head of Household.

“Look where their faith in him got them. The man murdered Peter.”Augusta was surprised Sirius was capable of killing anyone but Dumbledore was the one accusing him so it must be true.

“And now we are using the Burrow as our headquarters.”Andromeda was happy that the others seemed to believe her cousin was guilty. Even though Andromeda doubted he was. She just couldn’t figure out how it would benefit Dumbledore to put him in Azkaban.

“I’m not letting these mongrels into my home.”Augusta wouldn’t trust half of them not to steal something.

“They aren’t coming to mine that’s for sure.”Andromeda trusted less than a handful of the people present.

“It looks like it’s going to start.”Augusta pointed to the front door where Dumbledore was just coming into the home.

“Finally.”Andromeda wanted to get this over with. She was extremely irritated because the meeting had interrupted her time with Hermione and it was now too late to go back to the Grangers.

“Alright everyone please settle down.”Dumbledore made his way into the living room making himself the focal point.”We have many things to discuss.”

“Did you arrest Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange?”Molly wanted the sisters to be put in Azkaban.

“Neither sister is going to be arrested.”Dumbledore told her.

“They are known Death Eaters. They should be arrested.”A random man said most the group voicing their agreement.

“I have personally interviewed both Lady Malfoy and Lady Black and have more than enough evidence to prove their innocence.”Dumbledore fully believed that both sisters committed no crimes.

“Why are you calling her Lady Black?”Kingsley asked.

“Bellatrix never took her husband’s family name. As a matter of fact her marriage to him was part of a deal she made with her parents and the Lestrange family to get them to leave Andromeda alone.”Dumbledore expected the looks of disbelief he was getting.

“What do you mean by that?”Andromeda made sure she made her voice sound vulnerable when she asked the question.

Dumbledore knew this was his opportunity to get the sisters reunited.”Bellatrix told me that you were set to marry Rodolphus. When you married Ted the Lestrange family was angry. To stop them and your parents from targeting you Bellatrix made a deal with them that she would willingly marry Rodolphus if both families left you alone.”

“Oh Bella.”Andromeda murmured sadly. 

“You can’t think she is telling the truth.”Molly didn’t believe for a second that Bellatrix was being truthful.

“I was set to marry Rodolphus and Bella was always very protective of both myself and Narcissa. I can easily see her making the deal.”Andromeda told her.

“That is true she is very protective. After I married Andy she visited me at home and threatened to do unimaginable things to me if I ever hurt her sister. Then threatened my life if I ever told anyone she visited me.”Ted was deathly afraid of Bellatrix.

“You were smart not to say anything.”Alice had been friends with Bellatrix at Hogwarts and knew how dangerous the woman was with a wand.

“That still doesn’t erase the fact that the pair are Death Eaters.”A woman in the back of the room shouted.

“Neither women are Death Eaters. Not only do they not have the Dark Mark but the pair also spent the time the Dark Lord used Malfoy Manor documenting his every move. They also agreed to testify against their husbands. Those husbands they are bound to with blood magic. That being the only reason they were even around the Dark Lord at all.”Dumbledore knew the sisters wouldn’t have associated with the Dark Lord unless they were forced.

“They are the biggest supporters of blood purity.”A different woman shouted getting the crowd wound up.

“That’s not true. Alice and I were friends with Bellatrix at Hogwarts and she wasn’t shy about telling others her belief that pureblood families only had weak magic users as children because of all the inbreeding. She was of the opinion that the families should have children with muggleborns to introduce fresh blood into their lines.”Frank had agreed with Bellatrix. He himself wouldn’t have minded being with a muggleborn if he hadn’t fallen in love with Alice at school.

“She liked to use Sirius and his brother as the perfect example of why it was a bad idea for purebloods to only have children with other purebloods.”Alice hoped that Dumbledore was right because it would be nice to have Bellatrix in her life again.

“Myself and my sisters never believed in that nonsense. I was shocked when I learned that Bella married Rodolphus but it makes sense if she did it to protect me.”Andromeda was pleased to see most of the crowd seemed to be on her sisters’ side.

“She said she also did it to protect Narcissa and that she spends most of her time keeping Lucius in line. Something we have learned from some of the prisoners was true as many of them told stories of Bellatrix pulling her wand on the man. She also lives at Malfoy Manor with the couple. Not with her husband at Lestrange Manor.”Dumbledore told them.

“That means nothing.”Molly knew the sisters were Death Eaters. So was Andromeda.

“None of you understand how hard it is dealing with the pressures that comes with being a member of a traditional pureblood family. I was forced into an arranged marriage. My husband was a horrible man and I am not ashamed to admit that I celebrated the day he died. I many times wished I was brave enough like Andromeda to run away but I didn’t have the support system to do it. I don’t regret having my son of course but my life was miserable before my husband died. It especially horrific while I was growing up and living with my parents. If Narcissa and Bellatrix had it half as bad as I did then I know they had no other option then to go along with their husbands. The magic used to bond them to the men would have force them to.”Augusta could only imagine how horrible it was for the women to live in a home the Dark Lord used as his headquarters.

“The only reason I was able to run away was that I had Ted and his family to rely on. Now I know I wasn’t hunted down because of my sister.”When Andromeda felt Ted put a hand on her shoulder she had stop herself from ripping his arm off his body. Instead she turned and smiled at him. The smile wasn’t for him though. The smile was for the fact that she would be divorcing him soon.

“Augusta’s right. None of us know what it’s like to grow up in a traditional pureblood household. We have all seen how the men act and can only image how horribly they treat their wives. I personally am going to give the sisters my support.”Amelia had never seen or heard either sister support the Dark Lord in any way so it was easy for her to give them her backing.

“I agree.”Kingsley said causing most of the group to murmur their agreements as well.

“All you all stupid? You can’t trust the Black sisters. They are evil!”Molly wasn’t going to let the sisters be allowed to go free.

“Molly that’s enough. The sisters have committed no crimes and have provided evidence that will convict most of the Dark Lord’s followers. You don’t have to like it but I am telling you they are not going to be arrested or charged with anything. My decision is final.”Dumbledore wasn’t going to let anyone target the sisters. They were the key to him getting access to two pureblood vaults and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin his chance.

“What else do we need to talk about?”Minerva was happy the sisters were being let go. The pair were two of her favorite students. Not that she would tell anyone that because it wouldn’t be good for a lion to be favoring a snake.

“Based on information given to us by Narcissa we were able to find out where the Dark Lord has been living. I personally searched the property and found a treasure trove of evidence. It seems the Dark Lord was confident that no one would locate the estate and kept not only all his personal belongings but a lot of sensitive materials there. Materials that give us a better understanding of what he was trying to achieve.”Dumbledore would be forever grateful to Narcissa for telling them about the Gaunt estates.

“What was his end goal?”Alice asked.

“His ultimate goal was to take over the entire world. Both muggle and magical. He wanted to exterminate all muggles and all magical creatures. Any magic users that weren’t purebloods would be taken as slaves. He was going to start with Britain and move on to France next.”Dumbledore was very disturbed by what he had seen.

“Then it is a good thing he was stopped.”Frank said.

“Now we need to find those of his followers that haven’t been arrested yet. Then prepare for the trials.”Dumbledore told them.

“Do you have a list of who we are looking for?”Kingsley wasn’t a hundred percent better yet but once he was he was going to join the hunt.

“Moody is going through some evidence and is making a list based on what he finds. We are planning on starting our search tomorrow so anyone who would like to help meet us at the ministry in the morning.”Dumbledore expected that they would be adding names to that list for weeks to come as they went over all the evidence collected.”Other than that good work everyone. Yes we took some losses but those deaths weren’t in vain. We stopped a very dangerous man from completing his plans.”

“We need to get together and plan some type of memorial for those we lost.”Minerva thought they could do one at Hogwarts.

“Why don’t you head a group to do that.”Dumbledore suggested.

“I will.”Minerva would happily work on a memorial.

“That’s all I have to tell you but before I leave Andromeda could I speak to you privately please?”Dumbledore wanted a chance to give Andromeda the idea to reach out to her sisters.

“Of course.”Andromeda stood from her seat and followed Dumbledore out of the house. The pair stopped far enough away that no one could ease drop.”What is it you wished to speak to me about?”

“I spent quite a lot of time with your sisters today and based on that experience I want to encourage you to reach out to them.”Dumbledore told her.

Andromeda pretended to consider it.”I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Even if what you said was true about them I still abandoned them and left them in my parent’s clutches. Add to the fact that Bella gave up her life to keep me safe and I have given her nothing in return. I just don’t think I am worthy of getting a second chance with them.”

“Your sisters miss you. Narcissa had tears in her eyes when we spoke about her being forced by her husband to stay away from you.”Dumbledore lied. Narcissa had been stoic the whole visit not showing any emotion at all.

Andromeda easily picked up on the lie. The only time she had seen Narcissa shed a tear since the were children was when she first laid eyes on Hermione. Her sister kept her emotions sealed tightly away from others.”Do you really think they would want to see me?”

“I would bet all the gold in my vault that they would want to see you.”Dumbledore was positive the sisters wanted to be reunited. Narcissa had said she was just waiting for Lucius to be put in Azkaban. He of course wanted them together sooner so his plan could fall into place faster.

“I’ll write Cissa a letter then.”Andromeda told him.

“I’m glad to hear that.”Dumbledore held back a smile of satisfaction. He so loved when things went according to plan.”Now then I’m going to head out.”

“Have a good night.”Andromeda said.

“You as well.”Dumbledore replied before walking towards the wards.

Andromeda watched him go waiting until he disappeared to return to the house. Once inside she was greeted with a bunch of shouting. Making her way back over to Augusta she retook her seat.”What’s going on?”

“Molly is angry because her brothers aren’t willing to let her move into one of the family homes.”Augusta was waiting for Frank and Alice to collect Neville from the three people who volunteered to watch the children during the meeting so they could leave.

“What’s her argument for needing to?”Andromeda had been happy that both Prewett brothers had made it through the night. It seemed Gideon’s hand was growing back nicely as well.

“She needs space for future children. Not surprisingly the brothers aren’t moved.”Augusta told her.

“I bet this is the first time they have even been in her home.”Andromeda didn’t think either man would visit Molly.

“The cleanliness of this place was used as one of the reasons the brothers aren’t allowing Molly to live in one of the family’s homes. She of course used the excuse of having children for the mess to which Fabian replied she shouldn’t have any more if she can’t keep up with the ones she has.”Augusta fully agreed with him on that.

Andromeda chuckled.”I mean he has got a good point.”

“Can I have some more of that whiskey?”Augusta was starting to get a headache.

“Sure.”Andromeda handed the woman her flask.”If you enjoy it that much I have an extra bottle I don’t mind parting with.”

“That would be lovely thank you.”Augusta really did like Andromeda. She was nice person who wasn’t fake. Plus Andromeda had never tried to get anything from Augusta or her son and daughter in law. Not like half the members of the Order including Dumbledore that had tried to gain from the Longbottom fortune. Even Molly had tried to get Augusta to give her gold.

“Oh no wands have been drawn. It’s time to go.”Andromeda looked around for Ted sighing in relief when she spotted him carrying Nymphadora.”I’ll try to see if I can find Frank or Alice for you.”

“I think I’m going to go find them myself.”Augusta didn’t want to stick around any longer.

“That’s probably a good idea.”Andromeda pulled out her wand as she stood from her seat making sure to keep on an eye on Molly and her brothers.”I’ll stop by soon with that whiskey.”

“I’ll have tea waiting.”Augusta would enjoy a visit from Andromeda.

“Good night.”Andromeda said as she worked her way through the crowd not turning her back on the siblings.

“Hey are you ready to go?”Ted asked.

“Yes, I want get out of here before the spells start flying.”Andromeda motioned towards Molly and her brothers.

Ted winced when Arthur took a spot next to Molly and pulled out his wand as well.”Let’s get out of here.”

“You go first I’ll cover your back.”Andromeda didn’t care if Ted got hurt her concern was for her daughter.

“Thanks honey.”Ted always felt loved when Andromeda stepped in to protect him.

“No problem.”Andromeda followed Ted out the door keeping her wand at the ready. She ignored the looks she got from others. She thought they were stupid not to be prepared because when the Prewett siblings went at it things got destroyed and people got hurt. Andromeda wasn’t going to let herself or her daughter get caught up in their mess. She was pleased that Gideon and Fabian weren’t allowing Molly to move into one of the Prewett family properties. Not only would the woman and her family wreck the place it would be hell evicting them when Hermione took over her house. Andromeda and her sisters knew that Molly was going to try and take the title from Hermione. She would try suing her for it of course then when that didn’t work she would probably force the son that was Hermione’s age to try and court her. It wouldn’t matter to someone who was as obsessed with status and wealth as Molly was that the two of them were related. All she would be focused on was fact that Hermione was the head of six pureblood houses. Andromeda made a note to bring up her concerns to her sisters. They would help her keep the boy away from Hermione. Of that she had no doubt.