a storm is brewing ;

Andromeda Black. 25 years old. Pureblood. Code 3. Disgraced.

[andrmdablck]

cissxblxck​:

—

Narcissa knew she should walk away. Her brain was telling her to walk away. If only to protect her heart from further damage. This was her blood traitor of a sister. Someone she shouldn’t care about anymore. But here she was, smiling at her sister’s response. “I hate things like this” And she knew her sister knew. It was a stretch for her to even be here. But she knew that Andy would understand. They’d both grown up being herded to this event, and that event. It was horrendous. “And I hate this music even more” No wonder she had a headache.

She should have asked for another healer. Or more so demand one. She was a Black. She could do that. But she had a desire to actually spend some time with Andy. Maybe the back of the tent, away from prying eyes was the way. But people were always watching. She couldn’t risk someone seeing.

“Oh. Clever” Narcissa had a feeling she probably wouldn’t be the only one that a headache at the end of the evening. But she was figuring that might not necessarily be because of the music. She bit her lip, trying to not let her emotions show too much. “I’m fine. No thanks to you” She muttered, her eyes narrowing for a moment, before she shrugged. “But no. I’m wonderful. Minus the headache”

*

“I know you do.” A simple statement, and perhaps one that she had no right to make; it had been years since Andromeda had properly known her sister, after all. She had no idea how things had changed, what Narcissa was like now. What her life consisted of, how she spent her time, what she considered valuable or fun; it was all a guess. For the most part. Because no matter how long it had been, she had known the person in front of her for most of her life, and she knew it was safe to assume that some things were still the same.

Just as they were with her. Except Narcissa… had allowed Andromeda to see more. She couldn’t. There were so many walls she had to keep up, so many thoughts she had to keep to herself for the sake of self-preservation. All of which came tumbling down, blown up in her face, the night she packed her bags and left for good.

Which was why, as much as no thanks to you absolutely gutted her, she knew it was deserving. Andromeda knew what she had done and what the cost of it was. “I’m glad to hear that. Minus the headache. Of course.” Narcissa was, always had been, strong. She could pick herself up from anything and move forward. Even this. Grabbing a vial from the bag, she held it out to her sister, hoping that it was genuinely her only concern. “Here. It’ll help.”

[andrmdablck]

tcdwrdtxnks​:

☘

Ted’s eyes lit up at the demonstration, a laugh warming his chest a moment later. He didn’t expect anything less; if there was half a chance that his work could be useful at something like this, chances were he’d also be working, too. Sometimes it was easier to work than to take time off - a fact that he had been doing his best to fight against over the holidays, even if it was falling short now. Even though he had taken the night off, no shortage of Ted’s thoughts were stuck at work, trying to make sure he’d really caught up on holiday orders and ensured things would be fine when he made it back in. That he wasn’t really doing the wrong thing by taking a night for himself, regardless of if it was under the guise of doing something for the right reasons instead. 

When the hell had self-preservation become so bloody difficult?

“Y’know – a good friend of mine likes to say it’s important to take time for yourself so you don’t wear thin. It sounds complete shit, but I think she might be onto something.” Ted told her with an easy laugh. Taking your own advice was always an impossible thing, but he couldn’t help sending it back her way all the same; for as much time Ted spent working, he didn’t know anyone who spent half as much of their life doing their job as Andromeda did. It was admirable, really, and one of the many things he respected about her - but it worried him, too. Because he could see it, the weight. No matter how hard she tried to hide it.

“A nice, quiet night. So you must be going mad with boredom, yeah?” A good thing, no doubt; he couldn’t imagine that anyone would really want hospitals to need to be busy. But Ted did horribly with spare time as it was, to say nothing of how much Andromeda seemed to hate it. Glancing down at the pint in his hand, Ted’s wrist twisted as if to use it to gesture, and he let out a short laugh. “Figured might as well have at least one, if I’m gonna be here,” he admitted with an easy shrug. “Next one will be for you, I promise.” Ted agreed, another laugh working into the words. “You hungry or anything? I can grab somethin’ from another tent and bring it in. Least I can do.”

*

“Mmm. She sounds incredibly wise – I would listen to her more often if I was you.” A light jest, both of him knowing that his point was incredibly valid. Andromeda always looked out for those around her, trying to make sure that they were the best they could be, all things considered. It seemed… easier to do that than to look after yourself. Not that she didn’t try. She had worked hard to create a life for herself, after all. One that she was proud of, that was surrounded with things that made her happy, and she wasn’t one to take that for granted.

It just so happened that the dominant thing in her life was her job, and while she did step away when it was needed, it was always easier said than done.

“If it makes you feel better, I have tomorrow off.” Her bosses’ condition to working the tent – you take the shift no one wants, you get to sleep in tomorrow. Or you get to stay home, do some cleaning, baking, reading, and checking in on others; that’s how it typically went for her, after all. Even when not at St. Mungo’s, Andromeda had to be doing something, and Ted knew that. Clearly, as she immediately laughed at the observation made. “- Yeah. A little bit, yeah. It’s not what I’m used to. I don’t like just… sitting here, waiting. It doesn’t feel right. At least when I’m at work I always have something to do.” Paperwork, checking in on patients, seeing how the other Healers were doing; but here? There was just.. this.

“I appreciate it greatly. Tomorrow I’ll eat a cookie for you. It’s only fair.” Though she wouldn’t vocalize it, she wished things were different in that moment – that they were somewhere else. A pub or one of their places or anywhere that wasn’t here and she wasn’t working. Where they didn’t have to have anything for each other. A fleeting feeling, because this is who she was – someone who volunteered to work during events. Besides, he always managed to make it better, his suggestion bringing a smile to her face. “I’d love that, I am rather hungry, honestly.”

[andrmdablck]

l-a-malfoy​:

. 

Now that she, along with that awful little cousin of hers, had become a blood traitor, there were really only two good things about Andromeda in Lucius’s book. One, she was a Black. Blood traitor or not, the blood that ran through her veins was good, pure and powerful and would never be anything but. And at least until this most recent disappointment of a generation, the family name had held some power. Two, she was Narcissa’s sister. He knew how she felt about her sisters. And it was a disappointment really, especially that she still seemed to hold love for Andromeda. But it was what it was and Lucius had decided that, regardless of how his girlfriend felt about matters, Narcissa Black was the woman he was going to marry. She was the only one near good enough for him.

Maybe along with convincing Narcissa to marry him he could convince Andromeda to return to the right side of things and then the family he’d be marrying into would truly be worthwhile. And Cygnus certainly couldn’t deny him Narcissa’s hand then.

“I can assure you I would care very much. I wouldn’t want some mudblood who doesn’t know what they’re doing ruining the spellwork. Besides that doesn’t change the answer to if there’s anything you can do for me right now,” he said casually. 

Lucius looked at her and scoffed. She couldn’t possibly be serious. “Well. Your choices certainly have plenty of errors. So no. I won’t be accepting that. Other than that-” He sighed dramatically and sat on one of the little cots. He might as well sit down for the time being if he was going to be here away from the mayhem. Just the fact that there needed to be a medical tent showed that this wasn’t any proper kind of fundraiser. “But if you have some kind of draught to help with a headache I suppose I would accept that.”

*

“Fancy that, I’m sure a muggleborn who has been trained and works as a Healer knows much more about what they’re doing than you could ever hope to.” Her tone was clipped, Andromeda was never one to allow her emotions to take over – to control her. To behave in a way that was uncalled for, though it so often was. She had learned long ago that people sought out reactions, certain responses, they wanted you to prove them right. Long ago had she sworn to not give into that. That regardless of what was said, she would remain herself; and despite what so many thought of her, Andromeda was absolutely many things, and dignified happened to be one of them.

She also happened to be fairly opinionated with the belief that she was always right. Or the majority of the time, at least.

“To you, perhaps. We are different people, we want different things. Mistakes to you. Inevitable to me.” Many were fine hiding behind a façade, to fall asleep at night with the belief that they were better because of who they were. Andromeda never wanted to be better than other people, she didn’t care for that; she just wanted to be good.

“-And after all, those choices landed me here. With the thing that you so happen to need.” Potions for headaches at a concert seemed like the wisest choice, and as such, she had brought along quite a bit; and the irony that it was Narcissa who took the one before him was not lost on her.

[andrmdablck]

estercampbell​:

.

Ester sighed.

She’d been having this debate in her head all day. It was nice knowing that she wasn’t the only one in the wizarding world working tonight, though.

“I probably can’t… Murphy’s Law: if I leave, my only pick up will be people leaving here at the end of the night, but if I stay, some kid gets stuck on the side of the road for hours in the middle of winter… sort of a lose, lose… except the second lose is definitely the worse lose.”

She stood a bit awkwardly. It felt ungrateful and she didn’t mean to unload on this woman.

“I’m really glad they’re making money for the orphanage though. I like to see some positivity these days.”

*

“I find that admirable. I know what it’s like to do your job instead of joining the crowd.” As demonstrated by… well, exactly where they were standing. Andromeda never really took work off – not when crowds were drawn, not anymore. She knew how risky they were, how quickly everything could go south. She knew she couldn’t heal everyone, be everywhere – but she didn’t want to be of no use when something went wrong.

“I’m sorry, though. That you can’t stick around to enjoy it.” They both knew it came with the territory of such jobs, the ones that never really got holidays of time off for fun events because someone always had to be doing it.

It still got to you, though. Some days.

“It’s very nice! Very kind of the bands to step up and for everyone to come out, especially when so many have been hit by hard times. People still do what they can.” It was one of the few things that still managed to give her a bit of hope.

[andrmdablck]

uncommcnlyxkind​:

❀

“Oh, come on! Next you’ll be saying that I should take advantage of the on call rooms at the hospital more often,” Lily exclaimed, doing her best to scoff, although it came out more as a laugh. It wasn’t like she had much room to talk, really - the entire reason she wasn’t practically living in St. Mungo’s came down to Andromeda having insisted. Respect for the woman in front of her and the understanding that she would always have Lily’s best interest at heart, that was the sole reason to blame. It couldn’t be helped, though, her desperation to always help when she could. Somebody had to, and she always felt a bit better having done something at all. Merlin knew that the hospital had become overcrowded more often than it wasn’t in recent months. 

Honestly, it should have come as more surprising it took this long for Lily to find the tent in the first place.

“Well, the less the better at something like this, right?” An empty hospital tent meant nothing had gone wrong, save for what she could only imagine were headaches or alcohol induced accidents - all things that came with the territory of concerts to begin with, and that was without the clouds or any of the rest. Still, Lily could tell without asking that less to do would only cause Andromeda to be restless, because it would be doing the exact same to her. Hard to keep your mind busy when there was nothing to do, least of all when working. A win-lose in their case, really. “I can hang around for a bit - not to work, unless you need the help. Just to give you some company.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Lily shrugged her shoulders, a brief movement. “Not very,” she answered, shaking her head. “An hour or so, maybe. I figured I would’ve run into the boys or Mary by now, but you’re the first familiar face I’ve seen so far, believe it or not.” Hell, that would make it sound like she had come to work. Ironic, given it was the one time that wasn’t the case. Oh well. “How long have you been here?”

*

“Perish the thought!” Andromeda knew what to expect when it came to Lily – she understood why things happened the way they did. They were similar, but one difference was that she had been at this for a few years longer; she understood what burnout did to a person. Especially when they had events outside of work to worry about, politics and wars that consumed them. That, she could never imagine because there, they were in infinitely different positions. The choices that she had made ended up with her being labelled a Code 3, and she had no qualms about that. Such consequences had been known for a long time. Lily… didn’t have that choice. Not really.

Sure, she could have kept her head down and been a Code 3, possibly even a Code 2 – but that wasn’t in her nature. Even so, Andromeda knew the danger would still exist because of her family. Even though she had distanced herself from the Blacks in irreparable ways, the name still held some weight. She still knew that most wouldn’t dare touch her. It wasn’t a weight, a burden, that she had to carry around.

All she wanted for Lily was to find some peace. To focus on the good, to live her life outside of St. Mungo’s as she deserved to.

“Absolutely. I’ll certainly take it over the alternative.” A boring work day over a high amount of injuries – it wasn’t much of a debate. Though they both worked with many who thrived doing their jobs and got excited when bodies rushed through the front doors. It was … a moral balance, she imagined. “I’d like that. Just for a bit. I don’t want to keep you from the concert or your friends. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere. Myself, I’ve been here since before it started – had to get the tent set up and everything before people started showing up.”

[andrmdablck]

cissxblxck​:

—

Narcissa knew that she should have walked away. She wasn’t supposed to want to know Andromeda anymore, let alone want to talk to her. But she couldn’t help it. She still loved Andromeda. Sure, she didn’t agree with what she had done. But she still loved her sister. Her sisters had been the most important things in her life. They had been the only ones she’d truly cared about. Emotions like that were hard to turn off. And she hadn’t yet been able to do it. 

It was why she knew whilst she should turn away. She wouldn’t. “I mean….” She mused, with a little, tiny little smile. “We both know why I’m here” And it wasn’t too enjoy the music. She was a Black, and the Black’s never ignored a charity event, even if they detested the music that was being played. Maybe if her headache didn’t go away she’d feign being ill to get out of the rest of the evening though. That sounded like a pretty good plan.

“Oh yeah….” There was an actual reason why she had come over here. It had nearly been forgotten in the surprise of seeing her sister. “I have a headache. Do you have any pain relieving potions?”

*

“All too well, I’m afraid.” They had spent many a day in similar situations, except back then, they attended such functions together. Not concerts, never concerts – balls, dinners, auctions. Classy, dignified events that were attended by heaps of networking contacts. Or just people that their parents wanted to put on a good face for. “We’re Blacks, girls. That comes with expectations and responsibilities.” She could hear the voice of her mother as if it were yesterday, and that along nearly made her shiver.

They had been shoved into so many stuffy dresses. She grew to hate them all.

Many things had changed, but in the end, they were both here to serve others. Narcissa for the cause and Andromeda in case anyone needed a Healer. Of course, a quiet donation had also been made, but they both knew their fortunes were vastly different. Nothing dwindled your account at Gringotts quite like being burned off the tapestry.

“Of course.” The corners of her lips pulled down slightly, unable to keep the concern off of her face. “Came with quite a few, actually.” She had a feeling between the music and the drinking they would be needed, so she went over to the stash and pulled one out. “Are you all right?”

[andrmdablck]

l-a-malfoy​:

The smell of sweat and the press of bodies and the constant loud slamming of music was already becoming to much for Lucius. It was a party, an event, and a charity one at that. He would make himself known and seen. But that didn’t mean he was going to enjoy himself. There was far too much riffraff around for that. He had to get away from all the common place people at least for a little bit. 

He’d found a space away only to look around and realize it was a medical tent. Well he was in distress he supposed. Besides maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He could at least get away from people for a bit. Worst case he would have to pretend to be talking to people about donations or something.

But then suddenly Andromeda Black was there. There had been so much hope for her once. She was a Black and skilled enough at magic. She could have been something, someone important or useful. He had considered her among his list of eligible partners once. And then she had left and turned on their kind for the sake of dirty blood. He didn’t hold much respect for her any more. 

“From you? Well I suppose not really. Unless you’ve seen the error in your choices. Mostly I just needed away from…whatever all that was. They said there would be music, I wasn’t expecting…that.”

*

Andromeda had a list of people that she would be pleased to see at any moment in time – Lily, Ted, Sirius, her sisters even – Lucius Malfoy, however? He certainly wasn’t on it. There had been no sympathy from him, no semblance of understanding; and honestly, she hadn’t expected as much. She knew what she was getting herself into when she left, what sort of reputation she was creating for herself, and she fully accepted that.

It didn’t mean she wanted to see people from her old life, though. To deal with their remarks, their looks. It didn’t bother her, per say, it simply wasn’t an enjoyable experience.

Regardless – she was Andromeda Black, and no matter who was before her or what words were spoken, she would hold her head up high and carry herself with dignity. Even if others refused to see it. “I assure you Lucius, if you were ever severely injured and in desperate need of a Healer, you wouldn’t care who was tending to you.”

It was a fact she had learned long ago, having seen a fair share of code 1’s come and go from St. Mungo’s.

“-I assume by looking at you that nothing is severe right now, but I assume you’re here for something that I can help you with. If you’re willing to accept that I see no errors in my choices, of course.” A light, neutral voice with a smile on her face – she had gone through such interactions many times before.

[andrmdablck]

tcdwrdtxnks​:

It had felt like an impossibly long winter, one that somehow managed to end more quickly than Ted expected. Maybe it was finally having gone home, spent the holiday with his mother that helped it move so fast - because it sure as hell wasn’t anything happening anywhere else. The war had started taking more of a toll on him than he was quite ready to admit just yet, but being home had felt good. Worrying about what might happen if his mother’s house was compromised, not exactly a reassurance, but he would take what he could. 

Ted was well aware of the irony in considering a charity concert a light at the end of a tunnel. Maybe more fitting would be to think of it as a stop before the actual end. At least it gave him the chance to feel like he was doing something, even if the orphanage would never have enough. That was always the trick, the small, pessimistic voice in the back of his mind he so frequently tried to lock away kept telling him. There never would be enough, but Ted knew how much that just meant having to try harder. Besides, there was something almost comforting in how many people seemed to have shown up for it - even if the band was the large selling point he imagined it was. 

Even by himself, he was having fun. A fact that in itself had felt impossible, recently. One that still seemed too fragile to say aloud, on the chance it disappeared, or the night went sideways. A pint of firewhiskey was in his grasp (despite wanting to keep his wits about him, even Ted knew his limits; a few drinks wouldn’t be the end of the world), he found himself approaching the tent for St. Mungo’s, almost as if his feet were moving on their own. Maybe they were. Or maybe he just hoped the question eating in the back of his mind would be right - and it seemed to be.

“Ah, I just had a feeling if you were here, this is where you’d be.” Ted shrugged, an easy grin flashing across his face, as it so often did when he saw Andromeda. Eventually he’d have to face what that had to mean. “Did they put you to work tonight or did you volunteer? Be honest.”

*

The tent was… quiet so far. No major injuries, nothing that couldn’t be fixed in a few moments time; it was just the sound of her and the music playing in the background. Well, now it was just that, as Andromeda had told the other Healer to go enjoy the concert for a bit. They weren’t needed here; not in that moment, at least, and there was no reason for both of them to sit around instead of being out there. Might as well be her. Twirling her wand around as she paced back and forth, unable to sit down, a voice immediately caught her attention as she came to a stand-still, face lighting up.

Arms outstretched at her side, palms facing the sky (well – ceiling of the tent, but semantics) as she confirmed what he likely already knew to be true. “Do you even have to ask?” A bit of a laugh at that admission as her arms came back down, knowing that anyone who knew her well enough would assume as Ted had. It was only fair – they’d be correct, after all. “I mean – someone has to do it, right? Might as well be me.” The people she worked with, they were… tired and over-worked and they needed a night of just fun and not caring about anything else. She was okay. Really. Mostly.

Truthfully, she knew that if she hadn’t offered to do this, it likely would have been Lily taking her spot – and that was the last thing she wanted. Lily, of all people, deserved to enjoy the concert.

“It’s fine, though. It’s been quiet, so it’s… really nice to see you.” It was always really nice to see Ted, and she hoped he knew that; this wasn’t an exception but a common occurrence. Andromeda had merely meant that right now, particularly, it was nice to have a familiar face come in. For a non-medical reason, of course. “And it’s nice to see that you’re having fun.” A brief flicker of her eyes to the pint in his hand, smile still on her face. Unlikely to leave anytime soon. “Have one for me as well when you’re done, yeah?”

[andrmdablck]

uncommcnlyxkind​:

She hated to admit it, but hesitancy had become synonymous with just about everything Lily did these days. It didn’t seem to matter how often she found herself promising everyone else that they weren’t giving up, that there was hope, something to be done - she was always worried. It had been bad before, but after her father, something changed. Suddenly the consequences for everything seemed to be so much worse than before. It was almost painful how often Lily found herself paranoid. She hated it. 

There was a reason Lily always tried to keep busy.

Still. Lily chose to suck it up, pushing down any reluctance or nerves she had over so many people in one place together, in the state of things. It was a good cause; orphans. Her heart ached for any child involved in this war, let alone the ones who had nobody to get them through it. No family to protect them. So she pushed her worries aside, and do what she could. Lily practically lived at the hospital, working herself to the bone to help people, even with the insistence from everyone there that she take more time to herself. Anything to feel as if she was doing good. 

She donated what she could when she got there, knowing it wouldn’t be enough but hoping it might do some good. The music was loud, people all around - a good thing for the orphanage, if not for her anxiety. And then came the search for her friends, silently cursing herself for not just insisting on meeting Mary and Marlene beforehand. Honestly, she hadn’t meant to end up in the Healers tent, but it was hard to avoid the part of her that always wanted to be doing something - and, well, at least if she was there she could be put to work instead of wandering around aimlessly. Green eyes brightened, a knowing smile pulling across her lips when she spotted Andromeda. “No, it’s only my inability to ever stop working,” she admitted with a laugh, stepping further into the tent. “How are things going?”

*

“Honestly Lily, I’m surprised I didn’t think to conjure up some sort of spell that would make this tent invisible to you and you alone.” An instant reaction at the sight of her colleague and friend, though they both knew she would never dare do such a thing. If anyone understood how Lily felt, the reasoning behind her actions – the justification – it was Andromeda. Despite her insistence that Lily hold herself back a bit and live her life, remember the reason for fighting, she didn’t always lead by example. Though she knew Lily involved herself with everything just a bit more, and she could only imagine how it was beginning to wear her down.

“Things are good – quiet, thankfully. Not… outside, of course, but not many have needed to come in here.” Which Andromeda always hoped for, even if it left her with very little to do. She knew it was not uncommon to wish for a slow or easy workday, and she was grateful for them, she just – also didn’t quite know what to do during them. At least here she could still enjoy the music as there were no other floors to wander or paperwork to catch up on.

“Just a few people falling down here and there, really.”

“-Have you been here long?” Neither answer would surprise her. She would hope that Lily had come with friends, that she was enjoying the concert as she so rightfully deserved. Needed, even. She would expect Lily to show up and almost immediately come here. That inability to stop really went deep sometimes, as demonstrated by her having been in this tent since before everyone began showing up.

[andrmdablck]

cissxblxck​:

—

These kind of things weren’t really Narcissa’s scene. She didn’t enjoy concerts really. She would much rather be at home, or maybe at a ball. But the Black’s had to be at these type of events. They needed to show face, and just look impressive. It was exactly why she was hear. She planned on spending a few horus here, and then returning home. The last place she wanted to be was interacting with people that were below her. Hopefully her sister would be here, and at least she could find some good company in Bellatrix. 

But she already had a bit of a headache, and really was not helping. The night was going to be even worse. So, that was why she heading to the St Mungo’s tent. Maybe she could at least go and get a pain killer potion, and the night might be a little bearable.

“Oh….” She murmured, her face going a little white as she realised just who was stood in front of her. Her other sister. The one that she hadn’t seen in so long. The one that her heart ached and longed for. The one that she missed so much

“Dromeda…..” 

*

Of all people that Andromeda had not expected to appear, it was her little sister – though perhaps that was on her. It wasn’t her scene, after all; she knew that on normal terms, this was not where Narcissa would choose to spend her time. They were strained and some would argue that they no longer knew each other at all, but she did. She knew her sister well – which is why she knew that she was here to save face. A Black, ignore a charity event? Unheard of. Their society had rules after all, and she knew Narcissa wouldn’t dare break them.

That never stopped her from hoping, though. For wishing that someday, they could have some semblance of a relationship again. She didn’t know how it would work or what it would look like, but.. nothing was impossible. Right?

“Narcissa.” A wistful tone, no doubt some semblance of surprise on her face despite her working towards keeping it neutral. “I’m surprised I didn’t see you earlier. I know how much you love these types of concerts.” A feeble attempt at humour, met with a tiny smile, unsure of how it would be received.

“-Are you okay though? Did you need something?”

She had to be here for a reason, after all, and she hoped that their past wouldn’t stop her from receiving what she wanted.

[andrmdablck]

estercampbell​:

Ester lugged her heavy crate of potions through the crowded venue dipping and weaving out of the way of drunk attendees.

“If they’re going to treat the bus as a damn delivery truck, they could at least tell me where to go. This is the trouble with an owl postage service,” she mumbled to herself looking around for the St. Mungo’s tent. Finally spotting it, she wattled toward it.

Walking through the crowd, Ester found herself wishing she could have a more active night life again and wondered how long she could get away with staying here without missing a pickup.

Unfortunately, just as the Orphanage had seen more residents, she had seen more passengers. It felt like an abuse of the “children ride free” policy, but she wasn’t exactly in a place to complain.

She was relieved to see a friendly face emerging from the Healer’s tent and clunked the crate, perhaps a little bit too hard onto the ground.

“Just your left supplies. Is there a good spot for these?”

*

Andromeda had long ago learned how to maintain a poker face – a necessity, growing up in the Black household. It was important to control how you presented yourself to others, to let them see what you wanted them to. That grew in importance as she got older. Getting used to loud noises, however, came much later on.

St. Mungo’s was rarely quiet, after all – much unlike her childhood home, where the only voices that were ever above a ‘respectable volume’ were those of her and her sisters when they got carried away.

So as the crate banged onto the ground, Andromeda merely gave Ester a sympathetic smile, knowing how it felt to work on such a night – yet knowing that Ester likely had it worse, having shown up to only drop something off. At least she assumed with hope that she was incorrect.

Not a feeling she normally had.

“That’s perfectly fine, thank you. I hope your journey was well, I imagine things are a bit… rowdy out there. Are you staying to enjoy the concert at all?”

[andrmdablck]

For a fleeting moment, Andromeda found herself wishing that just once, she could attend an event as a patron and not as a staff member – but that had never been her reality, and she wasn’t exactly holding her breath in anticipation. Besides, it wasn’t entirely terrible; she was a part of the Healers that were set up in the St. Mungo’s tent in case anything went wrong, but at least she was still technically here. The view of stage wasn’t the best, but it gave her enough to see the band and Merlin knows she had absolutely no issue with hearing them.

It certainly could have been a lot worse; and at least she wasn’t actually at St. Mungo’s during this.

Still, it felt weird being at work while hoping no actual work had to be done. That was the irony when you worked in health care; having tasks meant that something went wrong, and while she loved being a Healer and thrived on keeping herself busy, she always hoped for the exact opposite – for everything to just go smoothly. So when she noticed a figure approaching the tent, she quickly made her way over to the front, the words automatic before realization of who it was even kicked in.

“Hello there – did you need some help?”

[greysanatomydaily]

top 15 grey’s anatomy ships as voted by our followers → 13. alex and jo  

[tcdwrdtxnks]

@andrmdablck

[mae-martin]

[kctrinaxparkinson]

@andrmdablck

[gvzel]

NO:309 (2016-2017)

↳ 1x19

[andrmdablck]

@tcdwrdtxnks

[andrmdablck]

regulus-blxck​:

Things were so complicated within the Black family that he knew she would understand. Andromeda was always softer than the rest of them, the way things turned out for her was no surprise. Not to him, anyway. Smiling slightly, his shoulders shrugged. “I promise I won’t go out of my way to get injured, but if I do end up here, at least I know I’ll have somebody to take care of me.” As much as he dreaded coming here at first, he was happy he came. Happy he got to see she was doing well for herself without the support of the family behind her. If anybody deserved it, it was definitely Andromeda. She had a good heart - admittedly better than anybody else that shared their name. But he would never say that out loud, not even here with just the two of them.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Regulus nodded, standing from the chair across from her. He shouldn’t stay much longer, he had already been there longer than he intended. But it was nice to catch up with her. “I best get going.” He said softly, looking to his cousin with a small smile. “It really was lovely to see you. I’m glad you’re doing well for yourself.” Taking a couple steps towards the door, he reached for the knob, but paused, turning back to her. He stared at her for a moment, suddenly feeling like a small child again and wanting his cousin to think the best of him. They were all older, he always wanted to impress them. Andromeda was always the one to just accept him for who he was. “Would it be strange if I asked you for a hug?” He questioned, feeling awkward about the request, but it was Christmas and they were family, despite what the tapestry said.

“Always.” No matter what happened, Andromeda would always be there to take care of Regulus – at work and outside. Hopefully he wouldn’t be like his brother, showing up to her home with injuries (something that happened far too often for her liking; what was with the Black men and getting injured?) but even if it was, there would never be any hesitation. He was her family, and she knew that he was more like her and Sirius than the others. She just knew it. The very least that she could do was be there for him, to let him know that he always had someone to lean on. It was something that she never had, after all. Andromeda was the first to leave – the first to venture out, and it was done entirely alone. Sirius had her and James, as well as his other friends; and Regulus had her, should he ever need it.

“Of course, I’ve kept you too long.” Andromeda knew that it was a bit of a gamble for him to come here at all, and she could only hope that he knew how much she appreciated it. Perhaps she would write him later, depending – if it was intercepted, it wouldn’t go over well. If it was ignored, as all her letters to Narcissa were, it would be… devastating. “Thank you for visiting. I’m so glad that you did.” She was proud of the life that she created for herself, and it brought her joy to know that Regulus saw it all and thought of it as good. It was. Especially today. Going to walk him out the door, his question was so quick yet it nearly brought her to tears; it likely would have, had she not thought it would be a bit too awkward for him. “Not at all.” A genuine smile in return, dimples popping as Andromeda wrapped her arms around her cousin, not having been able to do so for many years.

[andrmdablck]

lucxmalf​:

“Forgive me for not being very enthusiastic about this situation,” Lucius said, trying to hide his irritation. Throbbing pain in his head slowly increased, and he had to cover his eyes with hands, as the light made it even worse. “And I’m not questioning your capability to do your job or your magical skills. I never did. I thought you know me better than that.”

The Malfoys and the Blacks didn’t just share the same pureblood social circle- they regularly kept in touch, even if it was only a courteous visit now and then or an owl. It wasn’t the first time Andromeda came to the manor, but now the circumstances were entirely different. Lucius wouldn’t say they were close friends, but they knew each other well enough to have a decent relationship during school times and even stayed in touch for some period of time after graduation. The thing he remembered about her the best was those little glimpses of an attitude she showed, which wasn’t very common among the pureblood ladies. Lucius never approved of forcing women to shrink themselves for others’ convenience, so it was fair to say Andromeda earned his respect for refusing to do so. 

And then, everything changed. When Lucius heard the news about her sudden decision to leave the family, he thought it’s just another rumor and didn’t want to believe it. He even wrote to Andromeda, but when an owl came back without the letter, it confirmed it was true. Now, she was standing here, as nothing happened. There was no actual bad blood between them, but Lucius still held a little grudge about the way she cut ties with him. Not that he had the right to expect any explanation from her, but it still hurt a little more than just a bruised ego. After all, he never did her wrong in the past.

They were many things Lucius wanted to say to her, but in his current condition, he wasn’t able to find the right words. He wasn’t even sure if it could change anything, so just focused on the problem. “I had to pull a few all-nighters at work, and I used this potion a few times too many,” he waved at the flask on his desk without even looking at Andromeda. “Do you think you can fix this, so I could go back to work today?”

Andromeda knew she was too quick to react, as it was behaviour she so rarely engaged in. Growing up in the Black household, she learned early on how to remain calm – at least on the surface. To remain level-headed and to keep her composure, and to always think through what you are going to say before you do. While she no longer had it down to a science, allowing herself more freedom with her thoughts and feelings and words, there were still times when she knew an invisible line had been crossed, and she often knew why it happened.

It was a defense mechanism, really; that innate need to prove that Andromeda made the right choice and that she had a good life. She was a great Healer, she had friends who loved her, a wonderful home – everything that she had wanted. Yet to so many people from her past, she was a failure; a traitor. Someone who turned back on everything and for what? For everything, if you asked her – for nothing if you asked them. When Lucius wrote her, she couldn’t bear it. So many had been delivered; so many accusations, so many words that had so many other meanings. So many that weren’t sent that somehow hurt even more. Her hundreds of unreturned letters to Narcissa. The matched silence from her parents. Truthfully, Andromeda hadn’t been able to open the one he sent her. During that time, she simply could not handle it anymore.

She was a good person. She was. She was also an imperfect one – but she at least knew when to admit that she was wrong. Not that she particularly enjoyed it, but she could.

So, Andromeda took a calming breath, ensuring that her voice was more level and her guards were down. “Of course. I apologize, Lucius.” Walking over to the table, Andromeda delicately picked it up, turning it around with a concentrated stare. It wasn’t an unfamiliar situation; people relied on potions a bit too much, if you asked her. They just didn’t realize it until they hit a wall, much like he had. “That depends. Say there was a way to heal you now – and I’m not saying there is – what is the likelihood that you’ll be using this again? And how soon?”