Us or him ~ Black sisters centric ~ 1446 words ~ past honeycluster ~ endgame tedromeda ~ marauders romance week ~ based on familia supra omnia (family over everything) ~ @princesswidget cw swearing and homophobia implied (also on ao3)
Andromeda had been playing their last argument in her head over and over again for years now, by now she couldn't even remember what it started as but she remembered the last bit like it happened yesterday. All these years later she still wished she could go back and change things, change it. She had missed her sisters, her whole family even her invasive aunt that always found her way over to her asking if she'd found a husband yet. She missed seeing someone with features that matched her own. She missed the odd love that only the Black Family gave. The hard cold love that any other person wouldn't be able to understand but when you were a Black you knew that deep down whatever they said, however they acted there was a love underneath it all.
Luckily Andromeda hadn't had the same childhood as her younger cousins, she grew up in a more happy home where her mother only tried to give her all the things she'd wish she had and her father never harmed them even if he was cold at times. She had all a kid could wish for, anything she could ever dream of she had. Even her sisters were amazing, back then she thought Cissa was a little whiny at times and Bella could be a little quieter but now she missed that desperately. Her heart ached at the memory of Cissa picking out her dress for her first official family holiday party, she'd finally been allowed to go and had been practicing her dances and smiles for weeks until she got sick and couldn't go. Or when Bella had came bursting into her dorm room and rambled on about this Rita that was driving her mad! All those little moments she took for granted because she never thought there would be a time where she didn't get to share life with her sisters.
The beginning of the end happened, Molly had just lost her brothers. She said she couldn't do it anymore, she couldn't risk it, she was bad luck and she didn't want Andy to get in the cross hairs of her misfortune, as if Andy didn't have her own demons. Andy didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was, 'I'll give her her time to grieve alone and then we'll be able to be together' she thought, She'll come back and we can be happy." she naively thought. Andy was in pain and that's when she started seeing Ted, they'd known of each other for years at that point and they trusted each other so they began seeing each other as more than friends. He'd just recently broken up with Arty and so they were both upset and needed someone to lean on and because they didn't know what they were doing they didn't realize they were in no shape to be in a relationship. She loved him, she really did but it wasn't the same as Molly.
When she read in the paper Molly eloped with Arthur a part of her broke, she supposed a part of Ted did too. The innocent part of them that thought it would all work out in the end, that they could be with the one they truly wanted but once that was no longer the case they decided to get serious, actually consider a life together. It was risky, very risky for Andy, she knew her parents wouldn't approve and she knew Bella didn't care for muggles and Cissa seemed indifferent but she never thought they would abandon her, shun her. She never imagined they would hate her. Cissa had asked why Andy looked so happy quite a few times back when she was with Molly and because admitting to being with her was completely off the table she thought saying Ted wouldn't be as bad, sure he was a muggleborn but being queer seemed even worse!l to admit. She didn't want her to hate her for something she couldn't control so she settled, "Tonks" she lied all those years ago, the face Cissa made was forever etched into her brain. She wondered now what she would have said if she'd have said if she had just said Molly instead. For once, perfect crafted Narcissa looked as though she had no clue what to think. Her face was neutral, as it always was when she was confused or speechless, when she couldn't decide what the proper response was. "But- I am just glad you're happy Andy." was her cordial response, the best she could come up with. "I don't know how to feel about this but if he makes you happy than thats all that matters to me" was what she really meant, Andy knew she didn't know what to think but she was sure she would come around eventually.
Now that she really was with Ted she felt terrible keeping that from Bella. She had a feeling he'd be the one so she had to tell her and she'd been pitting it off because Bella was, as always a complete mystery as to how she'd react, Andy wasn't stupid she knew what was really going on with her and Rita, she had done that with Molly what felt like ages ago. She just didn't know how Bella would feel about that with someone else, when it wasn't she could excuse just for herself. When Andy eventually got the courage to tell Bella she didn't seem to fully hear or at the very least understand what she said. "You, you're what? No, no Andy, sweet sweet Andy you wouldn't, you aren't! You- with a? No, no! You- you can't!" She exclaimed
"Bella you have to quiet down someone will hear you!" Andy said softly
"Andy, I will speak as loudly as I want! You can't! You won't I forbid it!" Bella said at the same volume as before
"Bella, you can't forbid me from dating who I want." Andy said
"I can too! Andromeda Druella Black i forbid you from dating that, that Mudblood!" Bellatrix stated like it a curse, it was
"You have no right! You may be my older sister but you cannot just forbid me from dating him! You can't! I won't let you!" Andy said now beginning to match Bellatrix's volume
"Andy you will stop seeing him or I will tell father." Bellatrix stated as if it was a simple request
"Bella, why are you acting like this? I am your sister!" Andromeda pleaded reaching her hand out to Bella
"No sister of mine will fuck a Mudblood!" Bellatrix nearly screamed jumping back from her hand as if Andromeda was diseased
"Stop calling him that! she demanded, Bella, I love him." Andy admitted for the first time
"So you love him more than me? You love them more than my family? You live him more than the blood running through your veins?" Bellatrix questioned
"Bella, it's not like that and you know it. I can love him and you, I do!" Andy said knowing this wasn't going to end how she'd hoped.
"You can't its him or us Andy? And it seems to me like you've made your choice." Bella stated
"Bellatrix" Andy said not knowing what else to say, she knew she was wrong but what else was there to say. She knew how Bella was once she made her mind up and she seemed to now.
"So you have then, shall I tell Cissa or do you want to?" Bella said crossing her arms staring daggers at Andy as if she was her enemy, she was now. She tried to keep the anger at the forefront but Andy saw the slight quiver of her lips before she clenched her jaw
"Bella"
"What will it be?!?" Bella demanded
"I'll tell her." Andy said a single tear running down her cheek It's all over isn't? she thought and it was. The life she'd naively imagined was now changed forever it would never be the same again.
"You might want to start packing first because once father hears you'll be thrown out." Bellatrix said before Andromeda left her room for the last time
"Thanks for the sisterly advice." Andromeda said harshly
"It'll be the last time you get any advice from me. Goodbye sis- Andromeda." Bellatrix said her voice breaking as she said her name
"Adieu ma chère sœur" Andromeda said before shutting the door to her sisters room
She didn't even bother trying to figure out how she would tell Cissa she had to go, she knew she'd be devastated. She couldn't take having to imagine her face crumple like that.
The End
@space-girliee (lmk if you want to be tagged)
I hope you enjoy it! I think Bella and Andy's relationship (or all of the Black sisters dynamic in general) needs to be explored more! Like yes there is hatred on once they decide what they believe in and their own personal morals and make choices off of it later on but I really think there is a deep deep love there too. I think Bella probably felt a little jealous of Andy being able to be with (who she believed) Andy truly deeply loved and wanted whereas Bella couldn't get that in the end. I would also just like to say I am not a Tedromeda hater at all I just think it's very complicated. (I should just make posts about this bc I am going to write another 1k+ words down here lol). Anyway thats all for now, see you all for day 4 tomorrow!