Andromeda was hungry. It was lunchtime. She had just been to visit a shop owner. They thought one of their employees was stealing from the till. Andromeda had set a hex on the till to trap the fingers of anyone who did not use correct change. Despite an employee with a set of red fingers, the owner did not want to press charges. The employee would lose their job, but the owner thought they had learned their lesson enough. Andromeda did not believe so easily. But it was not worth more of her time. Now she was hungry and she had a little time to buy something before her next job.

She was choosing which stall to buy something from when something caught her eye. The body language of another shopper looked like they were trying to hide something. Andromeda paused to watch and her eyes widened. Right in front of her! This witch was stealing food. Unable to turn a blind eye, Andromeda drew her wand.
"Stop right there." She told the witch. The tip of her wand pressed into their neck.

(OCC: Sorry this took me so long! Finals week caught up with me, and I just saw this!! Sorry!!!)

Chloe was hungry. It was as simple as that. She had yet to recover her money, and Shade was busy. Chloe hadn't eaten in a day or two. And when push came to shove, a girl had to do what a girl had to do. It wouldn't be that bad if she stole a little bit of bread, right? That wouldn't be so terrible, right? She was desperate. She kinda needed it. And, it would have given her a chance to see if she would ever fit into a life of crime.

As her mother said, it was always worth a try. The good side of her was telling her it was wrong, and no matter the circumstances, stealing was wrong, and that it wouldn't make her any better of a person than the person who stole her bag. But, as her stomach grumbled again, the bad side won out. Plenty of kids stole, she was sure of it.

Chloe snuck by closer, looking around, and trying to get closer. quietly, she snuck the bread into her jacket, looking around again, trying to make sure she was clear. Chloe started to walk away, when she felt the tip of a wand stick into the back of her neck. Her eyes squeezed closed, as she raised her hands above her head, the bread falling out from her coat. "I'm sorry!" She said, hoping that this person wouldn't curse her. "Please, it was a mistake!" She said, keeping her eyes closed tight.

(OOC: It's ok.)

Either this girl was rubbish at stealing, or she was pretending to be. She was trying to get Andromeda's sympathy. The voice was a bit familiar.
"Turn around slowly." Andromeda ordered, keeping hold of the girl in case she tried to apparate away. The face was really familiar. She looked about the same age as Andromeda's niece. "Chloe?" Andromeda asked. This was Ariadne's friend who she had met last summer, or the one before. Andromeda remembered thinking the girl would break someone's heart. "You are Ariadne's friend from school?" She asked. "Why were you stealing bread?"

Chloe thought it was all over. This was it. The end, she'd get arrested, and spend the rest of the time in Azkaban, rotting and eating her own hair! This was so terrible, it was all over. How could she be so stupid? The auoror's harsh voice told her to turn around, and the grip on her shoulder told her not to run. Slowly, keeping her hands up, she turned around, her eyes slowly meeting Andromeda's.

"Chloe?"

She swallowed hard. "Y-yes?" She answered. The lady seemed a little familiar, like a face of someone she had met once or twice. "Y-yes, ma'am, I, I know Ariadne.  She and I, we, we go to Hogwarts together. Do, do you know her?" She asked quietly. This woman looked really familiar, and now that she knew Ariadne was in the picture, things started clearing up. "I, I stole because I'm hungry, and someone stole my purse the other day. I haven't gotten to Gringotts to withdraw anything else. I, I was going to pay them back after I got the money, I was just really hungry,"

At the last minute, she added. "I'm really sorry, and I promise I won't do it again,"

Chloe was genuinely scared. Andromeda did not think Chloe was a top actress. This looked genuine.
"I'm Ariadne's aunt, Andromeda, remember?" She asked the girl. "We met one summer." She pulled Chloe by the arm gently and moved them both out of the way of the stall. Her stomach rumbled hungrily. She could sympathise with Chloe about being hungry.
"You can't steal, even if you are hungry." Andromeda told her firmly. "Come on. I was just about to get some lunch myself. Let's get something to eat. You can explain what's happened."

Andromeda linked arms with Chloe. They walked away from the stall. Their noses led them to a nearby stall selling hot food. There were onions frying, sausages sizzling. Even though it was June, for a hungry person it all smelled good. They joined the small queue. Andromeda told Chloe to pick what she wanted from the menu and then go and find somewhere to sit. There were lots of rickety tables and chairs nearby on the cobbles.

When they had stuffed some food in their faces, Andromeda wiped ketchup from her mouth.
"So. What's happened?" She asked.

Andromeda wasn't mad. She wasn't mad! She was walking away with Chloe. She was treating her to lunch? Was this actually happening? She just kind of went with it, Thanking Andromeda over and over, and telling her how much she didn't need to do this, until she sat down to eat, and started to eat. And in that moment, she felt accepted. It was the motherly comfort that she had missed so much, just Andromeda and her. It was all she needed, all she wanted.

When Andromeda finally asked what happened, Chloe had no problem spilling her emotions and making it clear what drove her to where she was today. "It all started when I got home from school," She said, sighing, and resting her arms on the table. "Mum told me I couldn't go back to Hogwarts, that I needed at least one year of muggle school so I could try to forget all of the magic stuff. She had it in her mind that I was going to be a muggle for the rest of my life, and that that was what I wanted."

"It wasn't, I lost my temper, and left. So, I ran to here, met a boy, and that was that. Oh, but I also got mugged, lost my  bag, and all my money, Gringotts won't open my account to me, I was hungry, and Shade is away. I don't know, It's a whole mess, and I miss my mum and I'm totally in over my head," She said, sighing loudly, and resting her head on the table. "That's what's going on,"

Chloe began to explain and Andromeda listened carefully, forgetting her bacon sandwich. It made her a little angry that Chloe's mum wanted her to 'forget' about magic. A witch couldn't forget about magic. In the war Muggleborns had tried to in case they got killed. It was just selfish Muggle discrimination now. Chloe had been through a horrible time since term ended if she had run away.
"Wow." Andromeda said, surprised. Chloe had said a lot of things all at once and was clearly very hungry. "Your mother sounds pretty awful, but I am sure she thought she meant well. It sounds like she is scared of what you are." She frowned. "Have you told her you are ok? There are a lot of people missing in the Muggle world at any time, so it's better she knows you are alive so she does not tell the Muggle police that you are missing." She ripped a bite out of her sandwich as she listened to Chloe's reply. "Who's this boy?" She asked.

Chloe picked up her head to eat her sandwich and sigh, listening to Andromeda. "She typically isn't that awful, I mean, it's not like she hates me," Chloe started. "I'm still her daughter, and she loves it when we do muggle things together. But, every time I even mention magic she gets all freaked out. She doesn't like it, she doesn't understand it. All she ever wanted was that perfect family, and I ruined that dream for her," Chloe explained a little more.

"I haven't told her I'm okay. I wouldn't be suprised if she didn't report me missing. Probably would allow her that perfect family. She used to tell her friends I went to some prestigious art school, and that was why I studied away. In the first few years, she made me send her artwork so her story would have credibility. And, I'd come home, and she'd cram an alibi down my throat to tell everyone. She didn't know how owls worked, so she never sent me a letter, and she never asked me how school was," Chloe sighed again. Her mother made her miserable. Luckily, before she could get emotional, Andromeda brought up Shade.

"His name is Shade," She started again. "He's the sweetest, kindest, most perfect boy ever to exist. We were friends through Hogwarts, and he graduated last year. He found me after I was robbed, and took me in. We both had feelings for each other, and we just decided, what the hell." Chloe smiled just thinking of that dork. 'He's been letting me stay with him, and he's unbelieveable. Shade's the kind of guy I can see myself growing old with," She added. "He's perfect,"

Shade had just come out of a nearby shop when he thought he heard his name.  He looked around and saw Chloe sitting at a table with an older woman.  He couldn't recognize who it was, but he saw Chloe and she looked upset.  He stuffed his purchase in his pocket and made his way towards his girlfirend - wow, he couldn't stop grinning whenever he said that - and the table where she was sitting.

"My ears were burning, were you talking about me?" he asked in a gentle tone.  He wasn't even looking at the other woman, his eyes were focused on Chloe.  "Are you okay Chloe?" he asked.[1]

1.	I hope it's okay I jumped in, I know it's short, but I was still half asleep when I wrote this.

Chloe told Andromeda more about her intolerant Muggle mother. It was enough to make a pureblood angry. The statute was difficult. It did not mean families had to make up vicious lies. Her whole expression changed as she told Andromeda about Shade. He sounded like a dream boyfriend. Whether he was, Andromeda was yet to find out. A lot of boys were dream boyfriends when you were 17. At 28, none of them were dream boyfriends. Andromeda wasn't even sure she wanted a boyfriend.
"He seems perfect." Andromeda told Chloe. Her reply was not heard. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Andromeda said instead as a boy approached. "No, she is not ok." Andromeda said to Shade. She frowned. "If it had not been me, she might have been back at the Ministry in trouble. Poor girl is starving. What gives?" She pointed at the sandwich Chloe was eating ravenously.

Andromeda was about to say something when Shade snuck up behind them, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm alright. It, um, It was a spur of the moment bad decision. So," She said, hoping Andromeda wouldn't bring up what had occured. She was embarrassed enough that she got caught, but she'd be near mortified if Shade found out that she stole. Shade would be dissapointed, and she couldn't deal with that. She didn't want to dissapoint him, she didn't want him to leave her. He was her everything.

"Anyways, I should be, um, heading now. But thank you, so much, for lunch. As soon as I am able to access my account at Gringotts, I'll be sure to pay you back, Andromeda. Thank you, really," Chloe folded up her sandwich, and stood up. "I, I won't do that again. I'll be sure to behave from now on," Chloe added, before wrapping an arm around Shade, and looking to Andromeda. "Thank you again."

"It's ok kid." Andromeda said. It looked like the two of them wanted to spend time together. That was fine. She had to get back to work. She licked the ketchup from her fingers. "Stay out of trouble. Both of you."