Drarry - Baby Steps

Fifth Step.

Each one of them eats two more slices of toast and Teddy finishes his bottle of milk before the doorebell rings. Setting down his empty teacup, Draco asks: "Are you expecting visitors?"

"I, uh..." Harry doesn't finish, he stands up with Teddy hoisted on his hips and leaves to get the door. "Andromeda!" He calls out once he's opened it, loud enough for Draco to hear. "How was Belfast?" She roughly outlines the content of her stay with Ted's parents while taking off her cape to reveal a dress full of stitches and patches underneath. Ever since her daughter died, she didn't once wear black but instead outrageous colour-combinations and ragged pieces of clothing mixed together to honour Tonks' memory. "Now how is my grandson doing?" Gently, she takes Teddy from Harry's arms.

"He sleeps a lot. Still chews on everything he can get his hands on."

"When did he go blond?" Andromeda plays with the wisps of light hair covering Teddy's head.

"Uh, just this morning. ...Possibly overnight."

"It reminds me of Cissa."

Now Harry feels his cheeks getting warmer.

"Hi, Andromeda." Draco leans against the frame of the kitchen door, having figured there is no point in hiding or escaping through the narrow window now. His aunt freezes, then finally says: "I didn't expect to see you. Least of all here."

Sweat runs down Harry's neck. He knows how strange this must look.

But Draco stands tall and appears confident enough. "I was offering my help."

"Of course. Harry, love, could you get a blanket for Teddy? I'll be off in a minute."

In no position to disobey her determined tone, Harry disappears into the bedroom. Andromeda walks into the kitchen and shuts the door behind Draco while holding Teddy in her arms.

"You've made an impression on him." She looks into his eyes sternly, causing him to feel incredibly powerless of a sudden. This woman, his aunt, took the courage to stand up to her family and in return, her husband and daughter were killed. How could he even begin to explain how sorry he is?

He nods at the baby and tries to smile. "You mean the hair?"

"I'm not talking about Teddy. Harry is a good boy."

Draco blinks. He manages to press out an "I know".

"He's a good boy and if you came here looking for redemption, he can't give that to you." Andromeda's eyes, the same as his mother's, are still fixed on him and never before has he felt so exposed in his life. But then she continues: "Only you can do that. Do you hear me? You are not your family's choices."

After a moment of silence he swallows and his voice breaks in an attempt to thank her. He realises that until this moment he never really had an aunt before. Bellatrix couldn't count, and before today all Andromeda had been to him was a charred piece of tapestry.

"I'm taking my grandson home. You're invited to step by if you want to talk; you're my nephew after all." Andromeda smiles reluctantly, a smile that says I can forgive because I've lost so much already.

"Thank you." Draco repeats. He barely registers her leaving and exchanging some words with Harry in the hallway before the door falls shut. Her words You've made an impression on him, Harry's a good boy and if you came here looking for redemption, he can't give that to you are spinning around in his head and making him feel nauseous and overwhelmed. He only snaps out of it when Harry re-enters the kitchen empty-handed.

"Will you help me clean up?"

Absent-mindedly Draco puts jars back where they belong, dries plates and cups after Harry washes them in the sink and helps return the kitchen to the immaculate state it was in before - all without raising his wand once, the muggle way.