Andromeda wouldn’t heed that, she didn’t answer him. She didn’t want that. That hovering persons and loose tongues would’ve told anyone. That she wasn’t sure if it was a trusting nature, or the willingness to see the good within all the bad that people pointed towards her. The way people looked at her and considered her just as evil. The pill was as hard to swallow as the truth. That she felt inflicted, hurt deeper than anyone would’ve ever known. “I’m—I’m so—sorry, I just—“ She could do nothing from her pitch but gesture to his forearm.
“Evan—“ She whispered his name, and all that had to be said fell in a single syllable. How she wished he hadn’t. How everything seemed to change but the signs were coming to light. It was fear, pure, deep fear that rose to the surface. How she wished she could just vanish it off his skin, allow the sign to disappear. That she expelled everything that settled within, all those fretting fears that she knew shouldn’t have come to light but did. Because she was scared. For herself, and now Evan. For her sisters, for Sirius, for Alecto. The world was changing. “You should’ve told me. I—I could’ve—” Could’ve done what? Taken his spot? Violated her body in the tact that it might’ve saved him? Put in a good word, pleaded with her parents for it to be stopped, knowing her head would’ve been on the line? Her voice was shattered, resolve broke in front of her cousin. The words were futile. She didn’t say anything, tears rolling down pale cheeks, as she hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand.
They both saw what happened to people in their families when someone chose to run.
“Don’t say that—“ She reached out, hands trembling as she hastily rolled down the sleeve to hide the mark. “We’ll get it off.” She begun the line, knowing she didn’t believe it. Knowing there’d be no chance in hell they could, knowing he didn’t have a mark. Her head shook, not looking him in the eye. It was Evan. It was Evan, how could they do this to him? Hands shook, unable to keep steady. “We’ll get it off, I’ll find a w-way to—to get it off, you need to get it off—I won’t—I won’t let you be like them.”
You know I’d be fucking dead by now if I didn’t have this mark. Her movements froze. If she looked him in the eye, she’d snap. That tears dried up, and a sickened sense fell over her whole body. That she wondered and feared the very thing she knew hanging over her head. If she wanted to be free, she’d seek the same sticky end as Sirius. Perhaps less forgiving. When her family sunk their hooks into you—that was it. You belonged to them. Swaying on the spot with the admission, she finally looked up. “I’m not going to let you die for some silly war, are you out of your mind?” She shook her head. “Who else, Evan?” She whispered, hoping to all the stars it was him. “Who else do we know has this?”
Her words fell on deff ears, Evan physically recoiling his arm further away from her as she motioned towards it as if she was hurting him. Maybe this is what he’d been waiting for. A push in any direction, the most likely being Voldemort’s of course. Maybe he’d been waiting for someone else to make the decision for him and now Andromeda was taking the first steps towards that, her anger and disappointment pushing him towards a side he’d never be able to turn his back from. Never be able to escape.
This time he closed his eyes, taking a step back from her, trying to shield himself from something, anything. But she caught him, rolling down his sleeve to hide his mark. Shame. He hadn’t wanted to make the decision, he didn’t like making the decision to get it carved into his body. But the shame that came rolling off her hurt him like no other. Like maybe he’d been wishing that she’d be able to understand, to not condemn him for doing what he thought was necessary for survival. “Andromeda,” he said calmly, stating her full name. “There’s no way to get rid of it.”
Joining the Death Eaters was a life long commitment. He’d gone too far, left to a place he could not run from anymore. These delusions of being able to escape we’re starting to feel silly and far away. Looking back at her he wanted to wipe away her tears but he let his arms lay limp at his side. She had inadvertently pushed him away with her first reaction and all he was doing now was protecting himself. He wasn’t prepared to defend himself against her and knew just like his thoughts about escaping this war his efforts and building any walls she couldn’t climb over were futile. Andromeda meant too much to him for him to give her up, but he certainly would never forget this conversation. There was nothing he could do to forget her screams. what the BLOODY hell do you mean YOU DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE?
“You don’t want to know the answer to that Andy,” he warned her. And he didn’t want to tell her. If she reacted anywhere near the way that she had a few moments ago telling her that her own sister, her cousins, her friends held the same mark would not go well. He didn’t want to go through a repeat and he most certainly didn’t want to be some kind of snitch. And when it actually came down to it, deep down inside, she could probably tell who wore the mark already. “You shouldn’t go around digging for information that will just hurt you.” And information that would most certainly put her in danger.
He pulled back further, everything in his body telling him that it wasn’t time to leave yet, that he shouldn’t leave things unresolved. But he didn’t want to stay, he didn’t want to do this back and forth with Andromeda to only leave them both crying in the end. He couldn’t, wouldn’t lose it today. “I should get going, I told–” he stopped himself before speaking a name, not wanting to give Andromeda any thoughts towards who also held a mark on their arm. “I’ve got things to do.”