âCissa,â Andromeda reached out, entwining her fingers with her sisters and giving the digits a soft squeeze. It was a small gesture and one that she hoped would convey her feelings for her sister. They didnât do affection, or anything emotional really, but she had to show her younger sister that she cared, had to show her the depth of her love for her. Andromeda had her suspicions that it wasnât as fine as Narcissa was portraying it to be, anyway. âThings have just been rather difficult right now, as you know. I truly am sorry.â She glanced at her sister, her dark eyes warm and bright in a way that they rarely were for anyone outside of their little trio. âYou know I love you and that Iâm always here for you for anything. I always will be.â
That was the truth, and seeing her sister look so casually defiant about it was enough to penetrate through the walls that Andromeda had so carefully built around her heart. Not for the first time she felt flooded with shame and regret towards her previously selfish actions. Isolating herself during that difficult time which lead up to and continued after the Gringotts attack seemed ideal, especially when under the gray haze of teenage angst; she had convinced herself that it was the best course of action so as not to burden her younger sister with her mundane complaints. It wasnât even a conscious decision at first, but rather one that was too late to stop once she noticed. Andromeda sighed, her gaze slipping away from Narcissa and then back again. âIâve been distant from Bella, too. Itâs not anything that you did wrong Cissy.â Admitting it was as far as Andromeda preferred to discuss regarding that matter; she wasnât ashamed to show emotions in front of her sisters, but she felt strangely vulnerable, and didnât enjoy the feeling. She perched herself on her sisterâs bed and, crossing her legs under herself, patted the duvet for Narcissa to join her. This conversation wasnât going to go smoothly, but she could try and ease the tension as much as she could.
Suddenly Andromeda felt overcome with nostalgia and a yearning for childhood, when everything was simpler and the prospect of having a fiance and getting married was so far off that it wasnât even taken into consideration. She levelled a glance at her sister as she worried her lip between her teeth, trying to figure out the best way to come out with it. âThere are someâŚthings about Lucius that I have recently been made aware of. Unfavorable things, really. I donât believe that you would be deserving to deal with such interests should you become his wife. Youâre my sister, Cissy, and you will always deserve better than that.â Andromeda gave a soft smile and reached out, brushing a few loose strands of hair back from her sisterâs face before her expression sobered. âIn fact, your life may very well become endangered if you do marry him as a direct result of these interests. Iâm sure you understand why I refuse to allow that to happen.â
Andromeda eyed her sister sympathetically. She refused to feel guilt over doing this - she had pushed such a feeling away, telling herself she would be wrought with even more guilt should Mulciber fatally injure her sister just for having the misfortune to marry Lucius Malfoy. Lucius was perfect on paper; good looking and well mannered, the Malfoy boy was financially privileged and his family ran in the same circles as hers. But they were all ultimately pawns in their familiesâ games, and Andromeda knew that once she told her sister how to get out of their engagement, their father could easily find another match for Narcissa.
âŚwho still might not be deserving of her, but the chances of having two fiances who loved a sadistic, gay Death Eater were slim.
Narcissa startled a little at her sisterâs unexpected touch. Their family werenât keen on this kind of display of affection, and the gesture made her realize that whatever the matter was, it was far more serious than she had assumed.Â
She listened to her sister without saying a word, feeling very tense. She knew she wouldnât like where this was going - this conversation as well as the future it implied. First off, she didnât like it when her sisters fought. It ended up translating into their relationship with her as well, and Bella would make her chose a side if she didnât make active effort to avoid the controversy. It usually wasnât much of a choice anyway - Narcissa would always end up having to side with Bellatrix, even when she agreed with Andromeda. She was the most forgiving of her sisters, but still, Narcissa couldnât imagine that this was pleasant. It certainly didnât help the distance that was slowly building between her sisters, a distance which scared Narcissa. Lately, nothing seemed to go right, and if she couldnât even rely on her family staying constant she didnât know what she would do.
And now, Andromeda was talking about Lucius. The one thing about her future she knew she could be confident of was their secure match, and Andromeda was disproving even that.Â
She almost didnât want to believe her. She couldnât allow herself that, though. This wasnât a problem that she could ignore like everything else going wrong in her life, because if her sister was right her future was ruined. The actions of her husband directly affected her, and even if they were only betrothed his name was still somewhat linked with hers. Bearing that in mind, she had to be careful.
She sighed, thinking over Andromedaâs words for a moment, before speaking.Â
âWell, are you sure about what youâre saying? If I break my engagement, people are going to talk... Itâs not that I donât trust you - I do, of course, but... What has Lucius done that is so horrible anyway? You know, I can bear marrying someone a little on the violent side, if thatâs the issue. I have tough skin, Iâll survive, â she said hesitantly, almost in a whisper. Her words didnât even sound true to herself, and she doubted that they would convince her sister. She did not have a tough skin, but she supposed she would have to build one. She wouldnât be the first pureblood woman to be in such a situation.
