ѕтar / croѕѕed

She has the moon in her mind, that’s why stars spill off her lips. ANDROMEDA BLACKtoujours pur

[bollydastaan]

[dromvda]

quillskeeter‌:

there is something about andromeda’s tone that sounds almost like an accusation, but rita knows better than to cause a scene – with a black sister, of all people. instead, the blonde allows a shrug to roll off her shoulders. “firewhiskey is not a beverage for everyone, i am telling you. but luckily the zabini’s house elves seem to be fairly effective on their jobs”, she replies, discreetly pointing at the staff already cleaning the vase. turning back to andromeda, rita allows a genuine smile to make its way to her lips. “why thank you, andromeda. you look just radiant yourself. i am guessing it is the excitement about the wedding?” she replies. as for the bidding, rita shakes her head slightly. “oh no, i’ve got my eyes on something particularly special – nothing that can be exposed in a living room. what about you? anything you bid on tainted with the memories of a witch who drank too much?”

“ The Wilkes getaway seems interesting, but I’m sure plenty of people have their eye on that. Come on, Rita, there must be one thing you could reveal? For someone so privy to the lives of everyone around them, it must be exhausting not being able to reveal anything about yourself. I don’t imagine you make many friends in your line of work? ” There was not a single item that had caught her eye, the luxury getaway seemed decent, but for the first time in her life, she didn’t want anything. Hell, most of the items Andromeda had put her name down for had been out of spite. She hated that despite being at a party she would have enjoyed weeks ago, the entire situation left her chest feeling tight. But it was the mention of the wedding, that made her stomach turn. Must be the nerves. Any reservations she had about her intended had no foundation to them anymore, but the nerves surrounding her nuptials had created a home in her body. “ You know what they say, there is nothing more radiant than a woman in love. ” Except, she didn’t love him. Not that it mattered. “ What about you, Rita? Will you be reporting your wedding anytime soon? This is a manor full of eligible bachelors, I’m sure there is a willing candidate. ”

[dromvda]

quillskeeter‌:

date: july 14th, 1979 time: 5:49 PM location: zabini estate status: open

delicate fingers circle back and forth on her champagne glass, a disinterested gaze gracing emerald eyes. she had never expected a gala to be such a bore – especially not one she is supposed to write a gossip column about. rita is so desperate she is considering causing a drama – if anyone can do it, it is rita skeeter. the blonde looks down at her golden gown making its way to the floor, eyes focusing on her sandals – eyes sparkling with a bright idea. at the first sign of incoming, rita sticks her foot out slowly. within a few seconds, the disaster has taken place. her victim has fallen on the floor and dropped champagne on everyone nearby – including one of the vases on auction that night. clearing her throat, rita makes her best concerned face as she leans forward to help the other. “oh merlin, are you alright?”

“ — how unfortunate, I do hope they send someone to clean up the mess. ” The woman deserved an award, feign all the concern she might, Andromeda had not missed the foot that sent the poor fool flying to their embarrassment. Thankfully, she had found herself in the opposite direction of where the champagne went flying, despite the charms performed to protect the dress, it would make for horrible publicity — especially when the handler of what could be considered the most dangerous quill was right next to her. “ Rita, darling, you look beautiful. I do hope you hadn’t bid on anything that was tainted? No doubt they’ll have a spell to clean it, but it’s hard to wash away a memory. ”

[dromvda]

oflngbottom‌:

date: july 14, 1979 time: 5:03 PM location: zabini’s estate status: open

Frank already voiced his opinion about this night directly with the Minister only for his worries to be tossed aside and the accommodations the Ministry were making to ensure the safety of all those who enter the doors of the Zabinis’ were the bare minimum. To him, anyone and everyone is now in potential danger, anyone and everyone could present as that danger. If gathering a group of individuals together in one room will be anything like last time, well, Frank isn’t about to take any chances. Which is why he volunteered to be one of the Aurors working this night. He kept close to the walls as he watched those who enter, trying to judge who could release some hell that night.

It was going to be a long night.

“ Why do you look so miserable, Longbottom? It’s too bad you never quite learned how to enjoy a party. ” Andromeda held the champagne glass close to her chest. Despite the lavish arrangements and decor that were meant to disguise the horror this night was attempting to remember, she could not fault the Zabini’s hospitality. With the press surrounding the event, she had practically been forced to seem engaged. “ You’re not actually on duty, so indulge me for once. Have some champagne and caviar, you might just find yourself having a good time. ”

[aashiqaanah]

[wishfulromancing]

[padukonekapoor]

[dromvda]

reguluslegatum‌:

date: july 5th, 1979 time: 9:22 pm location: black family manor status: closed for @dromvda​

Things were complicated to say the least. It had been about a month since… everything had happened, and they weren’t getting much better, at least not for Regulus. They felt that at this point, since fingers were being pointed and guilt had boiled up inside of them for long enough, that they should speak to their cousin apart from asking vaguely how she was without looking into her eyes while she was recovering. They weren’t exactly on the best terms with Bellatrix, so they visited his cousins’ house when it was more likely that his eldest cousin would be in her own home, and went straight to Andromeda’s room, not exactly keen on making conversation with anyone else at the moment. They knocked on the door softly, maybe soft enough so that she wouldn’t hear them, so she’d ignore them, and so they could leave, telling themselves that they’d definitely tried.

It seemed like every noise left her startled. Whether it was someone slamming a book closed, or the knock on her door, Andromeda was constantly searching for the face in a crowd that would just click. There had never been something that she had wanted and not received, but her own mind had gated itself against her. But, it wasn’t a stranger on the other side, just someone she was afraid would begin to feel like one.  “ Reggie, what a pleasant surprise. ” 

Waving her cousin in, Andromeda slumped into the seat in front of her vanity as the doors closed behind them. “ It’s a bit of a mess in here. I wasn’t expecting company, or else I would have had all this cleaned up. ” The usually pristine suite had clothes tossed across every possible surface — it had been the one place that was quiet and untouched by the chaos of their household. “ How are you? I’ve been meaning to come by, I’ve just been so busy with the —uh, wedding. Speaking of which, have your robes come in yet? I’m having them specially tailored in Paris. ”

[dromvda]

date: july 10th, 1979 time: 2:30 pm location: three broomsticks status: open

“This is all the menu has to offer?” Picking up the flimsy menu with a napkin, she flipped it over, hoping that pages offering something more to her tastes would magically appear. Andromeda had come through the establishment —- if it could even legally be called that, many times, but this has been the first time she had touched something. The rustic charm of it might have appealed to others, but she had a hard time looking past what looked like years of grime grown on most of the surfaces. Where was the veal ossobuco? “Pardon me —” Carefully shifting in her seat, she gently tapped the shoulder of the person behind her. “Am I missing part of the menu? It just looks rather incomplete...would you mind lending yours?”

[princesskapoor]

[dromvda]

rabvstanlestrange‌: 

date: july 6th, 1979 time: 3:34 pm location: ministry of magic status: close for @rabvstanlestrange

      fresh flowers. pearly petals. roseate sentiments. he should have anticipated her arrival as the telltale sweetness of spiced florals steeped into his august office, a room with a lofty, rib vaulted ceiling and its walls adorned with a collection of florid art in gilded frames.  he sat curled over in his chair, a captive to the parchment on his desk; its inky lettering as dark and foreboding as its message. hard eyes lifted to andromeda and his expression melded into something closer to concern. ❝ —– - mm… hm. ❞ her shape in her gown came as a distraction, voice hitching in his throat. ❝ not even the minister of magic would dare stand between a black sister and something she wants. ❞

surreptitiously, the parchment was rolled and placed into the inside pocket of his suit jacket as he stood. ❝ how are you ? ❞ his inquiry bore the weight of a thousand other questions. do you remember the voices ? how the hands curled around so delectably around your delicate throat and squeezed ? she hadn’t made a sound. ❝ you look well. ❞

“ Well, in that case, the Minister is a smarter man than most assume. ” Hanging her cloak on the chair across from him, she perched herself on the edge of his desk. “ With all this work you’re doing, you might as well be named the Minister of Magic. What is all this anyway? ” Her fingers itched to open the files, hoping there would be the name she was looking for. The one that would break through the wall keeping her memories from her, but instead she contented herself with the man, rather than his work. 

Her fingers traced along his jaw. He had proved himself to be everything good someone would want in a partner. Rabastan had saved her life and stood by her side through her recovery. The nightmares that would leave her screaming in the middle of the night, his presence had calmed them.  A gentle side of him that she would have never anticipated. It was up to her to make the effort, or this marriage would be everything she feared before her attack — empty. “ I am better, thanks to you. Could I tempt you away from your work for some lunch? I’m famished and you’ve got to eat at some point, so why not now and with me? ” 

[dromvda]

narcissatic‌: 

     Cissa’s eyes widened at the mere suggestion, already imagining how badly that would go over. She could practically hear their mother’s shrill cries of betrayal and rage if anything disrupted all of the carefully laid plans. “As fun as that might be for you, I would hate to have to clean up the mess.” She silently reminded herself that these were words said in jest, not something to truly worry about. Andromeda was a smart woman. She wouldn’t worry over it.

     She let herself instead be swept away in the compliment, letting the topic shift, only to feel herself shut down once more when it turned on her own pending wedding. It seemed far off, past the haze of summer and her sister’s own marriage. That was where she had been keeping it; in the far-off places, she didn’t have to care about it yet.

     She couldn’t pretend with Dromeda, though. Her shoulders fell slack, eyes wary but as real as they ever were. “Every party is a coffin nail.” She loosed a sigh that came from deep inside her chest. “Lucius seems a good man, and loyal, but…” She paused, letting one of the elves pass through the room, “I’m not used to so few choices.” 

“I hope he is a man who understands his place, if anything happens to you, I would destroy him myself.” The idea of her sister being harmed in the crossfires of what their family had become so deeply entangled in enraged her. There was no pulling the eldest Black sister away from something she had set her mind to, but she would do everything she could for Narcissa. Her little flower. 

They needed to leave this place. For a little while at least, be free of the constant demands their mother was soon to be barking around them. “Come on, we’re leaving for something — anything that will keep us away for a little while. How about a new dress, I’m not sure I want to wear the pieces we have upstairs. Or go trekking through a rainforest, I can handle the travel and wardrobe. Whatever you want to do today, we are going to do. Doesn’t matter how crazy.” Especially considering the consequences wouldn’t be anything they couldn’t handle. 

[dromvda]

afortescue‌: 

  “It is not ghastly,” she argues, shocking herself with her will to argue with one of the daughters of the most Ancient and Noble house of Black ( but she’s had it with her day – perhaps she needs this ). “Uncle Florean takes too much pride in his work to try to push off his flavors. As for French Crisp ? We’re out.” She knows there’s probably some in the back – but suddenly she feels less than inclined to go and take a peek. 

“ I suppose I should credit your patrons for taste. Anything else you would recommend in it’s place, Ms. Fortescue? Nothing that sounds like something you would feed a child to silence them. ” She had ceased to be a name and face that Andromeda simply saw through the day her pictures were splashed across newspapers. Looking down at her, she looked so young —- was she even trained to handle the case that she took on? Not that it really mattered to her, Andromeda just needed answers. Her nightmares had gone from blank faces to his face, but what good was that if it wasn’t even the culprit. To live her life looking over her shoulder in fear was not an option, not for her. “ I was wondering if we could talk? I would be more than willing to pay for whatever time is docked if you go away for an hour. Do you they dock your pay? I’m not quite sure how that works if I’m being honest. ”

[dromvda]

afortescue:

date: july 4th, 1979  time: 7:00 pm location: florean fortescue’s ice cream parlor open to: all 

    “The flavor of the month is pumpkin pasty – would you like to try a scoop today ?” Her smile wanes with every word – for the last place she hoped to find herself after a long shift at the auror office was behind the counter at the family-owned shop – but with one of the shop-girls calling out sick, it was up to reliable ol’ Alice to step up in her absence. 

“Pumpkin pasty sounds ghastly. Do you have any french crisp left?” Little had changed of the ice cream shop in the years since she had graduated from Hogwarts. The same sweet flavours that she had gorged on during exam prep, but it just felt smaller. “Do you just pick the ice cream no one is really eating and make that the flavour of the month?”

[dromvda]

date: july 6th, 1979 time: 3:34 pm location: ministry of magic status: close for @rabvstanlestrange

With the flick of her wrist, the ornate buckle clipping her cloak together snapped open, before the fabric slid off her shoulders and settled itself into the crook of her waiting arm. Her finger smoothed out the crease in her dress, as she came upon the doors of Rabastan’s office. The past few weeks had been spent recovering in the confines of the country estate, but even as the bruises on her body faded to nothing, the scars of her memories were ripped open in her dreams. This would be the distractions she needed, or at least it was what she had been ordered to do. Resting against the doorframe of his office, Andromeda crossed her arms over her chest, a playful smile spreading across her lips. “Where can I lodge my complaints around here? I’ve got a bone to pick with the Minister. Does he have no idea whose fiance he’s keeping so busy?” 

[dromvda]

narcissatic:

date: july 5th, 1979 time: 3:34 pm location: black manor - dining room status: close for @dromvda

     The table was set and the meal was being prepared, Narcissa keeping a watchful eye on each and every house elf that passed through the room. It was one of many dinner parties she had hosted at the manor since the start of the summer and each had been a roaring success, so it was only fitting that she be sure this one followed suit. 

     “No, no, that’s called a centerpiece because it belongs in the center. I think that makes more sense, now don’t you?” She barely even noticed the way the elf flinched as she spoke, simply staring the creature down until the vase was in the proper place. She heard the main door but she watched until the elf disappeared back to the kitchen to retrieve another, her frown turning to a smile as soon as she realized who had come to join her. 

     “Dromeda! You’re several hours early, you know.” Not that she’d ever been upset to see her sister. 

"I thought your company might be a tad more pleasant than mothers bridge club. If I have to hear another comment about my nuptials, I might just elope." Her mothers' reaction would nearly make the absurd idea worthwhile. To watch all the preparations for the society wedding of the year go down the drain would be utterly satisfying, but there wasn’t a chance in heaven or hell that would happen. Andromeda didn’t have a doubt in mind that her mother wouldn’t animate her corpse to walk down the aisle, should she die beforehand.

From the centerpiece to the decor looked absolutely exquisite. Leave it to Narcissa to bring life into the otherwise cold manor. "You've done wonders with this place, as usual. But, I wanted to make sure you were doing okay." The gilded halls were just disguising the prison that had clipped their wings. Despite knowing for years that their futures would follow a similar path, it had been hard watching her little sister being pushed into biting the same bitter pill. "Mother might not understand — no, she definitely won't understand, but I'm here if you need to talk."

[rangeelas]