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EDWARD

"Teddy" Remus Lupin was born on sunny day of April. Remus and Nymphadora decided to name his after Nymphadora's father, as to honor him. The sadness of Ted's dead was still present but it wasn't so visible. All the attention in the Tonks residency was now all about little Teddy whom Celeste adored. 

She was so good with him that Remus and Nymphadora chose her as his godmother in which Celeste responded by squealing so happily. But even if things were looking brighter for them, it didn't mean that everything was fine. The war was still on, and the final battle was approaching.

"Aunties," Celeste said when she arrived to the kitchen where Andromeda and Olivia were drinking their afternoon tea. 

Teddy was in a bassinet near them ― the month old baby was sound asleep.

"Uncle Will," she continued when she saw her uncle by the sink washing dishes. 

Her two aunts lifted their gazes from the paper they were reading and turned to look at their niece. 

For a small second, Andromeda thought she had seen Narcissa again. This happened often, her thinking that Celeste was her little sister.

"Yes dear?" She asked and gestured Celeste to sit next to her.

The girl walked over to the table, pecked both aunts' cheeks and sat on an empty wooden chair. She nervously played with a piece of parchment she was holding in her hands. Olivia noticed this and frowned.

"What is that?" Olivia asked and pointed at the parchment.

"Oh it's a letter, from Ginny," Celeste said with her eyes wandering everywhere but never meeting her aunt's. She sighed and handed the letter over to Andromeda and Olivia who were eager to know what had made her niece look so, melancholy.

William narrowed his eyes before approaching his wife and Andromeda. He began to read the letter over their shoulders while his eyes got bigger and bigger.

Celeste's two aunts and uncle read the letter, they read it several times. They thought about what to do or what to say. 

Ginny had expressed her concerns over the safety of every student at Hogwarts and informed that she, Neville and Luna had restarted Dumbledore's Army and were now seeking for Celeste and Leo's help. 

Apparently Harry, Hermione and Ron have all returned to Hogwarts to look for Horcruxes. Helping Dumbledore's Army and Harry was a good and the right thing to do but it also meant that Celeste would most likely be in danger.

"I don't know Cel," Andromeda sighed and placed the letter on the table. "It's not safe.."

"Nothing anymore is," Celeste pointed out, her voice stern but face soft. 

William snorted. "Well that is true." 

Celeste had grown so much during these past months. She looked more mature and her personality was so changed. She was still a sweet girl and everything but she was so much more determined. Ever since Ted's death, she has refused to just sit around and sulk. She wanted to do something, anything.

"I understand that you don't want me to go but I think I have to. They need help and they're my friends. I have to do something and this is it, this is that something. One way or another, this war is going to end and I would very much like to be on the side of good. To help this side to win," Celeste stated clearly. 

It was clear for Andromeda in that moment that her niece has actually practiced this speech and most likely had some help from Nymphadora.

"I promised to look after you, I can't break that promise," Andromeda said and glanced at the ring in Celeste's hand, the ring she had given to her. "I made that promise to your mother."

William sat down by the table. "Your father will have me dead if anything happens to you. He said that and I don't wish to test that theory," he said.

"I know but mum and dad chose to let me go so I wouldn't have to join the Dark side, so that I could be on the right side of this all. I can't just sit around and wait for all of this to end. This is my chance to help Harry and everyone else, even my parents."

"You think your parents or anyone wants you to run to Hogwarts, where Death Eaters are running the place?" Olivia frowned. "I'm quite sure they don't."

Celeste sighed, thinking about what she could say to convince her family to let her go and help. 

"I love you three and I know that you know how much I need to do this. The school's filled with children who hardly know how to defend themselves but I do. I do and I can help them, I can help everyone."

"Please, let me do this. I'd like to think that they horrid story that is my life, has some bigger meaning. Dumbledore took me away from my family because he believed I am powerful enough that even Voldemort wants to use my powers."

Andromeda offered Celeste a sad smile and took her hand in hers. "You are so much like you mother," she chuckled softly. "She had this angelic face and was the sweetest of us, Black sisters, but when she set her mind on something there was no stopping her. Plus I bet you have your father's strong will as well. That combination can't be good," she said, tears escaping her eyes but yet she had a smile on her face.

Celeste's eyes widened and she wrapped her arms around her aunt's neck. "Is that a yes?" She asked breathlessly, she was so stunned by this. "I can go and help them?"

Andromeda glanced at Will and Olivia. "I don't think I can stop you but you are legally in William and Olivia's care so they have the final word," she said.

"Uncle Will?" Said Celeste, her golden eyes fixated at his.

William knew that Celeste was special ― he has known it from the day his brother and sister-in-law brought the little blonde girl home. He reached for Celeste's hands and gave them a gentle squish.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" He sighed but there was a hint of smile.

"I'm not," answered Celeste truthfully.

"Then we just have to test the theory of your father hunting me down and killing me if anything happens to you," said William, making Celeste immediately wrap her arms around his neck.

When they broke their embrace, William cupped Celeste's cheeks softly into his palms and looked at her for a moment. How was he able to let this wonderful girl step into the war zone? But he had to, there was no stopping her.

Celeste smiled at him before turning to Olivia who as holding back her tears.

"I will be fine," assured Celeste.

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WHILE 

the Tonks-Lupin family was thrilled by the new arrival, things have gone straight to Hell for the Malfoys. After the little incident at the Malfoy Manor that included the Golden trio and later, Celeste, the Dark Lord was more than furious with them. He had accused them on switching sides along with their blood-traitor daughter but they of course denied that.

The thing with the Malfoys was that they fully supported the cause but not necessarily the way to achieve it. Back in their younger days, Lucius did agree with the methods but that was when the Dark Lord wasn't this blood thirsty and vengeful. 

Now Lucius' only primary concern was the safety of his family and for some reason, keeping his family safe seemed impossible. The Dark Lord and other Dead Eaters were tracking them constantly, making sure that they won't betray them.

Narcissa was sitting by her vanity, brushing her hair after a long and awful day. She tried to shake off the screams of her husband's which have echoed through the halls of her home for the past hour. Lucius had taken upon her and Draco's punishments as well, the man was stubborn and had demanded this himself, he didn't want any more harm to come to his family.

Trying to suppress the screams and cries, Narcissa thought about her daughter. Her sweet Celeste who hopefully was in a much better place. Hopefully she was with Andromeda and she was unharmed. But for some reason, Narcissa had this pit in her stomach telling her that everything wasn't fine. Maybe it was her maternal instincts whispering worst scenarios to her but who could blame her.

She placed the hairbrush back on her vanity and reached for a photograph that proudly stood on the primary place on the vanity. It was taken when Celeste was still there, just before she had to leave. It was the day they all celebrated Draco and Celeste's seventeenth birthday. 

That day was filled with so much happiness and yet with so much sadness. It seemed like that was the best way to describe Celeste. She was happiness and sadness, all wrapped into this perfect package. The happiness was just purely the girl herself but the sadness, it was what was left when she was taken back in 1984.

She wondered what Celeste was doing right now. Maybe she was reading a book, she enjoyed reading. Or perhaps she was playing the piano. Narcissa remembered Celeste telling her how much she loved playing but unfortunately Narcissa never got the chance to hear her daughter play it, and now she feared she never might.

The bedroom door opened and Lucius walked in, startling Narcissa in the process. She placed her hand on top of her chest to steady her fast beating heart. She quickly turned around and faced her husband, who looked like Death had visited him. She bit her lip from trembling at the sight and walked over to him.

"A-are you...?" She wanted to ask him if he was all right but why bother, he clearly wasn't.

Lucius just kissed his wife's cheek. "Don't worry about me," he said breathlessly, trying to ignore the pain the hour of torture had caused him.

Narcissa sighed and guided Lucius to sit on the bed. She carefully looked at the scars on his arms and swallowed before gently lifting Lucius' shirt to see the ones on his back. She swallowed again and let the shirt fall back on his back.

"You shouldn't take all of these. I could..."

"No," Lucius said firmly. "I won't let you."

"But love, you can't possibly take everything. It's too much to bare, I can't keep hearing you in pain or seeing you in pain," Narcissa said quietly, leaning her had carefully on Lucius' shoulder, not giving him too much weight.

"You were looking at that photograph when I entered, weren't you?" Lucius asked suddenly.

"How did you know?" Narcissa asked and placed a kiss on Lucius' shoulder. "Although twenty-five years of marriage might make you know everything about me."

Lucius chuckled softly, flinching in the process as his ribs started to hurt again. "Yes well, I think it does," he said and glanced at his wife who had tears in her eyes. Lucius has been gone through Azkaban, several tortures and Cruciatus Curses but nothing hurt him more than seeing his wife in tears.

"She's fine Cissa," Lucius said stroking Narcissa's hair. "We'll see her again, I promise you that."

"B-but..."

"She's your daughter, my flower. That's a surviving mechanism already. And when you add that to her Black roots and then that Malfoy smirk she has, that girl is invincible," he said.

"She's quite amazing," Narcissa smiled softly and thought about her daughter, her beautiful and smart daughter. "When she was little, she was a handful," she sighed at the memory of little Celeste.

"Always running around the manor," Lucius continued. "What would it been like? If she wouldn't had been taken from us? If she would had grown here with us, with her brother?"

Narcissa sighed, picturing the life they could have had.

Life could have been perfect. 

you guys, this is over soon...

+ andromeda's faceclaim is  rachel weisz