Farewell to Arms

Chapter 2

The office looked like it always did; hallowed yet personable. Everything was back into its rightful place. The paintings were where they belonged with the addition of a new one. He grimaced; he always had ambition to claim this office as his own, but he didn't want it this way.

Severus Snape was no stranger to war. He had been a Death Eater then a double agent. He had treaded the fine line between good and absolute evil. He did many things that even some of the most jaded wizards would cringe at. Most importantly, he had helped to defeat the biggest threat that had ever faced the Wizarding world.

He sighed, missing his dungeons. They had been his refuge, the only place he had truly felt at home. But in these times, everyone had to sacrifice and his sacrifice was to take the position that Dumbledore had spent nearly forty years occupying. McGonagall was the early choice but she was still recuperating at St. Mungo's. Severus Snape was the only logical next choice; even though he had been a Death Eater, he was a member of the Order but as Head of Slytherin House, he had the support of the remaining Slytherins.

The thing that gnawed at him the most was the feeling of unworthiness. Despite everything that Dumbledore had said, the feelings of those in the Order that were still living, of his former students, Snape knew that he did not deserve this position. It wasn't that he was a murderer; most of those who survived had to kill in someway. It was the fact that he was a traitor in everyway. He was a traitor to his House, a traitor to his friends, a traitor to everything his family had stood for. And if the war had lasted just a bit longer, he would have been a bloody traitor to the man who gave him a chance to right his wrongs just so he could have survived.

He could hear the bloody Potter brat in his head. "The war is done. There is an end to all treacheries, all spying, all of the killing. We have a chance to truly live."

Snape let out an ironic laugh. They had all thought that 20 years ago and look at where it brought all of them. The end of the war didn't bring an end to treachery; it just brought an end to one chapter of life and opened another chapter. Rebuilding would be just as treacherous as the war. He just hoped that this time, the lessons would be learned.

It was the end of treachery and betrayal for him though.

Chapter 3

The house was old and dark but it still had its aristocratic hauteur. I shiver; I never thought I would ever step foot into his house again. I knew that I would have to make this visit someday. My daughter was now owner of 12 Grimmauld Place. During the war and the aftermath, this house had been the headquarters for the Order. Then, Lucius Malfoy acting on the behalf of his son challenged Nymphadora's claim to the house. The Wizengamot ruled in favor of Nymphadora and it was now home to Nymphadora's family.

I grimaced as I walked down the hallway. Just being here brought back memories of when I grew up. I was the middle sister of the Black Sisters Three.

Narcissa was the eldest, the classical beauty who earned her name. Bellatrix was the youngest, the fireball. I was the intelligent one, the quiet one. Narcissa was the eldest and the weight of keeping the family's honor fell on her. Narcissa had to be the epitome of a pureblood lady and marry well. Bellatrix was Father's favorite and the one who had every option available. I was just Andromeda, the other one.

I was in between extremes with my brown hair, green eyes, and the classic aristocratic Black looks. Narcissa was like our mother; she had the beauty that every woman envied and every man longed to possess. Bellatrix was the Warrioress like the star she was named after, a challenge.

Sirius always joked that we were born into the wrong family. He was always the rebel while I was too quiet to care about bloodlines and the dirtiness of Muggles. I proved him right by falling for and marrying Ted. He ended up leaving the family to fight against everything the Black name stood for.

Marrying Ted was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. I gave up close relationships with my sisters, status, and my name but it was worth it. Ted gave me something that the Black family never could, love. Affection in the Black family always came with strings attached, chains that bound like my name suggested. With Ted, there was nothing attached, nothing to earn. It was free and I needed it to survive.

It was unthinkable; Uncle Orion, Aunt Victoria, Father raged. Narcissa had that same blank look she always had on her face but I could tell that she was dismayed. Bellatrix looked at me as if I was dung; she was the first to say that I was not her family. I couldn't be swayed; I was eighteen, an adult. I left after Aunt Victoria blasted my name off of the tapestry. I was unchained for the first time.

It hurt terribly. I could feel the recriminations from my ancestors but I was a Tonks now. My daughter was almost-all Black. She inherited the Black traits of transfiguration. She was the first Metamorphagus to be born to the family in seven generations. I knew the family had found out. Narcissa was the one who pled with me to return to the family with my daughter, that I would be accepted back if I left Ted. I refused. The only contact I had was from Aunt Victoria and her owled curses after Sirius left the family.

I soon realized that Sirius and I were the only sane ones born to the Black family. We both never subscribed to the pureblood mania that ruled the Black family. I read in horror the story of Regulus' death and the stories of Bellatrix's sadism. Then Sirius was thrown into Azkaban for murdering Muggles and Peter Pettigrew, a fellow Marauder. I saw with my own eyes how pureblood mania destroyed the Black family.

Of course, the Blacks weren't the only family destroyed. The Lestranges, the Rosiers, the Wilkes, the Goyles, the Rookwoods, and the Crouches were all destroyed their lines completely dead. The Prewetts died out and the Potters nearly joined them. The Malfoys are pretty done for. Lucius destroyed his family and is lucky that the Weasley girl gave birth to a son to continue the name. All of the elites are gone.

I grit my teeth as I reach my destination. Bracing myself, I open the curtains. She started, "BLOOD-TRAITOR! SCUM OF OUR FLESH!! BETRAYER OF OUR FAMILY!!! HOW DARE YOU SET FOOT IN THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!!!"

I command, "Silencio!"

The portrait stopped; for some reason, I am the only one who can get Aunt Victoria's portrait to shut up. Then I took out my scissors.

Once again, I was chained to the Black family. Nymphadora had inherited the dark legacy but it would be different this time. It was time to rebuild the Black family and get rid of the darkness of the past.