Caritas omnia potest

-Hermione's View-

I don't know how long I stared at the closed office door. I should have insisted on dinner with Dromeda, maybe then I would have already known what I was getting myself into. Senara was sweet, no question, and from my initial assessment probably easier to keep under control than Teddy. Still, I had my reservations about Malfoy. I had exactly two options, to read through this and possibly get a different picture of this man, or to simply leave and hope that I would find a job somewhere else that I could pursue alongside my studies. Again and again my eyes fell to the books until I decided to leave. Even though I was curious, I was afraid of what I would read there. When I arrived at Grimauld Place, I ran straight into Harry, who was still struggling with the after-effects of last night.

"What ghost did you see? Wait, aren't you supposed to be with Andromeda with that guy?" he grumbled to himself.

"I was there but..." I didn't know if I should tell Harry about it.

"But what?" he probed, downing a vial of pain potion and looking at me promptly.

"It's Malfoy Senior," I replied, barely audible. Harry looked at me wide-eyed and suddenly started laughing. Irritated, I looked at my best friend; last night must not have done him any good.

"What's so funny about that?", I hissed and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Nothing really. I met up with Draco last night," he replied with a wry grin.

"No please not this crush on white blonde hair and stormy grey eyes again," I gave in a pained voice. Harry wasn't sure he was actually into women after the rebuilding of Hogwarts, yet he stayed with Ginny and blamed it on his experiences in the war. If it hadn't been for Malfoy Junior, who was constantly being ordered to work with Harry.

"Have you seen how perfect this hair is? It's not like mine, it's like a bird's nest on my head. And those eyes..."

"Harry! That's enough!" I interrupted him, laughing.

"Do you think Draco...well...um."

"Oh Merlin! Go ask him!"

"Yes, of course, I'll just apparate to Malfoy Manor and ask Draco if he's gay?! Malfoy Senior is about to send an Avada after me!" he grumbled and shook his head.

"He doesn't live there, apart from that he hasn't mentioned Draco a single syllable today," I muttered quietly, frowning. Harry looked at me in surprise.

"Okay Mione what exactly happened there?" he inquired. I took a few deep breaths in and out before telling Harry everything, leaving out the fact that Snape was still alive. Harry nodded barely perceptibly and looked at me appraisingly.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't read the books. I know what happened at the Manor haunts you to this day, which is all too understandable. But how sure can we be that one of the Malfoys wouldn't have helped us if Bellatrix hadn't been there? I'm not defending any of them, but Draco knew who we were and didn't say anything. Wouldn't you be interested in seeing the whole thing from Malfoy Senior's point of view, to maybe understand why no one acted?" I stared at Harry with wide eyes. When had he grown up? But he was bloody right. I had always tried to give everyone a second chance, even Ron after he cheated on me with Lavender. So why was I being so cross with Malfoy?

"I don't know Harry, he said it would be horrible what I would get to read. Honestly I'm scared of it." Harry nodded barely noticeably, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"We both know how suspicious Dromeda can be, yet she trusts Malfoy Senior. Dromeda knows what happened to you and yet she thinks it wise for you to look after the little one. There must be more to it than what we know Mione, otherwise she wouldn't trust him. We could read through the diaries together," he finally suggested, looking at me piercingly. My thoughts literally rolled over at Harry's words. I hadn't thought that far myself before I had just left the cottage without saying anything. Andromeda herself was sceptical about Remus some days, which was probably connected with Ted, she had never spoken about it. She probably kept quiet about her friendship with Malfoy for that very reason, because we probably all thought the same about him. I ran my hands over my face and finally agreed, but only after we had both spoken to Andromeda.

-Severus View-

I just stared at Andromeda. Her emotional outburst was quite understandable and if I were in her situation I probably wouldn't react any differently. Slowly she collected herself and looked at me thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry. I only told Lucius about it yesterday. For the last year I've been trying to block all this out and not think about it. I rebuilt my whole house so as not to be reminded of Ted and suddenly you were standing in front of me again yesterday and I realised that my own four walls not only remind me of my late husband, no, much more they remind me of you. And that makes it so incredibly difficult for me to sit here and pretend that nothing happened between us," she said in an apologetic tone. Embarrassed, she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and looked down at her feet. I didn't quite know what to say to that, apart from how to help her.

"Would you show me your house?", I asked cautiously. Senara's name alone made me remember certain things from my past, maybe it would be the same with Andromeda's house.

"I live in Corby, that's just under an hour's drive, you look quite weakened. If you don't mind, I'd like to put it off until tomorrow. Just to make sure you don't get too tired," she replied, eyeing me anxiously. I sighed in resignation. On the one hand, it was very praiseworthy that the two of them held back so much and paid attention to my condition, but I wasn't a baby, after all, I had managed to take care of myself for half a year.

"I'd prefer it right now, but I don't think I have much of a chance. Will you tell me a little more of what you know?", I inquired uncertainly. Like Lucius yesterday, Andromeda didn't seem to want to talk about what had happened in the past.

"What do you want to know?"

"There are so many things I would like to know, but let's start with you. How do you and Lucius know each other?"

"We went to school together and after he graduated he married my sister. Narcissa, he told you about her. I had no contact with my family after I got married. My family had other plans for me, especially about marriage, but I didn't want to give in to that so I was disowned. It hurt at first, but in the end it was the right decision to choose Ted over the etiquette that had plagued me all my life. The night of the second of May, when Saorise took you away, he told me everything. Probably because Lucius knew I would understand him. I never thought much of my sisters, certainly there were moments when I envied Narcissa, but I wanted to live and not constantly bow to the rules of high society. Ted showed me a world away from all that. It was hard no question, but I learned to love this life. It all seemed perfect Dora was born, but it wasn't always. We were accompanied by a constant fear. Bellatrix had sworn to take revenge for this betrayal of our family. When the hatred flared up again, Ted fled on my instructions. He was murdered trying to escape. Just a few hours later, you showed up at my doorstep with this news. I was sceptical of you, even though you offered to help me, which I accepted weeks later. We talked, maybe we had drunk too much, I don't remember exactly. It's not my way to have an affair, nor is it yours, at least that's what Lucius thought. On the other hand, it always felt right at that moment and the other times after, which is why I let it happen. Six hours before this accident happened, you were with me...and...you said...that you...loved me, but I deserved better." The last words were just a breath. Andromeda had her gaze fixed out of the window, repeatedly biting her lips and wiping her cheeks. I rose from the sofa with difficulty, even though I could not yet feel my legs fully. After a year in this state, I could roughly estimate how far I could get without collapsing again. Andromeda barely flinched as I dropped down beside her and looked at me in slight surprise.

"Some days I can't get out of bed and then there are days, like today, where the pain subsides after a while and I can move again. It's hard not knowing who you are, but loving someone who doesn't recognise you and who doesn't know all that any more, I imagine that's agonising. I don't want you to feel..."

"Oh Merlin Sev. It's not easy, that's true, but I don't want you to disappear from my life again. Even if you don't have any feelings towards me, I can handle it, it just takes time. Do you understand?" she interrupted me quietly and looked at me questioningly. Understanding, I nodded and forced myself to smile. I didn't quite want to buy it.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight, if that's all right with you?" she continued hastily and stood up.

"Of course," I murmured, slightly taken off guard by the fact that she obviously wanted to leave already.

"I still have to pick up Edward."

"Edward?"

"My grandson. The little boy I had with me when we met," she replied, smiling slightly. I seemed to have completely blanked out Edward.

"Right."

"I'll see you in the morning then." Andromeda gave me a quick hug and pressed a kiss to my cheek before leaving me alone with my thoughts again. She hadn't taken the little bottle with her. I reached for it hesitantly and twisted it between my fingers, lost in thought.

-Flashback November 1997-

The Carrows were busy and so I used the time to check on Andromeda. A small smile flitted across her lips as she opened the door.

"Are you alone?", I asked quietly, looking uncertainly into the hallway. I didn't really want to run into Nymphadora and Lupin.

"Like most of the time. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," I replied, slightly embarrassed, and handed her a bouquet of white roses and lavender.

"You seem to know what I like," she smirked. Andromeda took a step to the side, glanced outside once more and finally closed the door behind us.

"You mentioned it last time and I thought it would make your day a little easier," I said absently.

"I love the smell of those two flowers," she breathed in a dreamy tone behind me. I watched Andromeda put the bouquet in a vase before she sat down next to me and eyed it anxiously.

"How much longer?"

"They're getting there. About three or four months, if we're lucky, which I hope we are. The Carrows are almost unbearable and I can't protect the students from them all the time, it's gradually getting through to him," I answered honestly and squeezed her hand briefly.

"Just promise me one thing Severus Snape."

"And that would be?"

-Flashback End-

My stomach turned and my lungs contracted painfully as I came back to reality. Hectically, I gasped for air and blew it out, panting. What the hell had just happened? What was I supposed to promise Andromeda and who the hell were the Carrows, apart from what students was I even talking about? What was this castle and how was it possible that I could change places so quickly?