the world forgetting by the world forgot

  “I was born free, and that I might live in freedom I chose the solitude of the fields; in the trees of the mountains I find society, the clear waters of the brooks are my mirrors, and to the trees and waters I make known my thoughts and charms. I am a fire afar off, a sword laid aside.”   

[madeline-nottyourbabe]

Madeline was sitting in the library with a heavy book open on her lap. Her dark hair fell into her eyes and she appeared exhausted though determined to finish reading. As she turned the page she heard you call her name and she looked up from her book.

[vndromedablck]

“Madeline.” Andromeda said by way of greeting as she dropped her stack of books onto the table, ignoring the looks of annoyance the students at the table next to them shot her. She made herself comfortable as she took a seat across from the other girl, crossing her legs as she did so. A dark eyebrow arched as her eyes roved over Madeline, taking in her appearance; she appeared to be exhausted but was clearly deeply involved in whatever book she was reading. Andromeda found the company of Madeline Nott pleasant enough, but did not care enough to inquire about her reading habits; in truth, she found herself distanced and yet morbidly enthralled by her after hearing of Nott Senior’s imprisonment. It was a fate that Andromeda knew her own father could very well share. “How was your break? I myself found it more mundane than usual to the point I nearly welcomed being back at this blasted castle.” 

[vndromedablck]

nicomulciber‌:

“Sounds like a personal problem to me. Must suck to fucking suck.” Nicolas retorted with a huff of hot air. Andromeda was getting on his last nerves, but she was successfully pressing all the buttons she needed to press. He tried to be subtle about it, but nothing about Nicolas Mulciber was ever subtle. “It’s not our problem you don’t have best friends.”  Mucliber’s temper flared more than ever as he took a punch towards the couch, blue eyes aflame with spite. “I’m not acting like one.” He spoke between clenched teeth.

He was like a caged animal unhinged and unpredictable to what lengths he would go.  Harming Andromeda and obliviating it from her mind did cross his. How easy would it be to accomplish? No doubt Lucius would figure it out and then he would have to deal with his wrath.  Was it worth it? Nicolas wasn’t sure about that part. It was an option he hadn’t fully discarded, because honestly which option would Lucius want?  The boy was avoiding him which was already making him pissy. Though she wasn’t incorrect in her assumptions, it was dangerous. Especially if she or someone she told got ahold of Veritaserum.

Possibly one of the only reasons he just didn’t storm away from her right here, right now.  The thought of somehow numbing his own emotions to save them this quandary, but he wasn’t quite sure how to do that himself. He took a pensive look on his face after he had thrown the pillow harshly at her. That didn’t heal his feelings, and if anything it made him more perturbed. “Oh my parents? They have something else in their budget. Want to fucking trade?” There’s a malicious curve to his lips and something darker that lights up in his eyes.  Probably a new scar or some emotional hell that he wouldn’t be able to escape. Mulciber clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth with another high-pitched chuckle. “Does it look like I fucking care about your baby sister? Does it look like I care if she wants to be fucking married or not?” No one was too young to die really, is what he thought about silently. Nico tapped the cigarette in his hand allowing the sparked bit of ashes to fall wherever they might. If they burned something he wasn’t inclined to fucking care. However, Andromeda was exhausting him mentally and riding nerves she shouldn’t even know he had.

“There is no situation here. It’s just like everyone else. None of us want to get fucking married.” He stared at her pointedly, silently applauding his wanker parents for not having set them up in betrothal. Because surely all the Black family would die. He would release the Basilisk himself to make sure everyone was slaughtered except a select few. Surely that would remove her from his list of people that he couldn’t attack. “Please. You ignorant twat, we both know Lucius would never tell his father such a thing. Abraxas is a completely different topic. Fucking asshole probably deems himself his own treasure and sits in his empty Gringott’s vault.”  The mental image caused Mulciber to cackle wildly, feeling the tears slide down his cheek.

A plan. He could device plans, but the fact remained he wasn’t sure he trusted Andromeda Black completely. Lucius Malfoy had at one point, but he rarely trusted a soul with such precious secret knowledge of himself. “There is no dalliance.” Nicolas hissed still trying to not outright speak of their indiscretions. “What sort of unsavory rumors are we talking about? I don’t want to ruin Lucius’s reputation he’s worked so hard for.” The last bit of his words uttered bitter in tone.  That’s the whole reason they couldn’t be open on what exactly they were.  Her last bit of words taunted him as he took in a sole breath. There wasn’t a question that he wanted Lucius for himself, but Lucius didn’t want him.  “I want better for Lucius.” Mulciber commented evenly, which only meant exactly what she had said. “How bad does the rumor have to be?”

Andromeda remained unfazed. “Hardly a personal problem when I don’t care.” The only friends she needed in this world were her sisters and maybe Regulus; everyone else who came after them were simply acquaintances and she was fine with that. Keeping the circle of friendship small made room for little errors in judgment, and the few that trickled there way in could be dealt with quickly and efficiently. She bit back a smirk as Mulciber seemed to be unraveling by the second in front of her. Good breeding taught one to keep their emotions in check and it was hardly surprising that he lacked that; unsurprising but beneficial, as watching him lose hold himself proved to be an amusing sight, though there were still lines she would not cross. “Of course you aren’t,” Andromeda mocked with a roll of her eyes as she took another pull from her cigarette. 

Everything was starting to come together - albeit very, very loosely - and Andromeda found she barely felt surprised anymore. Lucius had, for whatever reason, always remained close with Nicolas Mulciber. It was a friendship that Andromeda never much understood since the Malfoy family was financially above that of the Mulciber’s, and the Mulciber heir himself always rubbed her the wrong way. Lucius held much of the same ideals that all of them had ingrained into their minds from an early age, but he lacked the blood-thirst and love of violence that his lover was fond of. The discovery of their relationship was interesting and showed how you never truly knew anyone in this school, or even in this life. And now Mulciber was, however stubbornly, willing to go along with any plots she could devise in order to keep what he’d claimed as his. The thought of loving someone, anyone to the point of near sacrifice was mad. It unnerved Andromeda; she would not ever fall prey to anything that would make her act so disgustingly vulnerable. 

As much as Mulciber clearly showed his disdain for her, he needed her. The thought nearly had Andromeda swell with pride which she kept controlled. There was a reason the boy didn’t just go stomping off in a tantrum, but she would not gloat...much. Andromeda examined her nails, not caring much for the topic of his parents or anything pertaining to the personal life of Nicolas Mulciber beyond the scope of what she was forced to care about. “Seeing as how your parents can offer me nothing of substance, I’m quite content, thanks.” She cast a quick Glamour on her nails and made a hum of approval before the sound of Nicolas’ rather crazed laughter forced her to glance over at him. Sure, they were planning something sinister, but Andromeda still would not trust him as far as she could throw him. Ash began to fall over the carpet in a small dusting and Andromeda followed suit by ashing her own, quickly Accio-ing another from his pack as soon as she was finished. She lit it and took a large pull. “Wow,” she breathed out, smoke billowing from her lips. “With such charm, it’s a wonder you’re not already married.” 

Andromeda regarded him with a cruel glint in her eyes. “Is that what they’re calling it, these days? And here I thought the appropriate term for--your kind was ‘eligible bachelor’.” It was a low blow and Andromeda knew it but couldn’t find it in herself to care. There remained a dark side to her, not quite as reckless as that of Bella’s, but Andromeda was not above cruelty or playing dirty. She would go for the jugular if needed. Her eyes softened fractionally as she found herself laughing along with the image of Abraxas Malfoy sitting in his Gringott’s vault. “You’re fucking mad,” she hissed as she wiped at her eyes. Her lips parted once the full weight of what Nicolas said hit her. “Their vault is empty too?” Dark eyes squinted at the boy across from her as thoughts were flitting through her mind. If the Black vaults remained safe, how could the Malfoy vaults be drained? 

“Of course there isn’t,” Andromeda said, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. She reached out and pat his hand in another display of sickeningly sweet, false condolences. “We won’t cause harm to his reputation because no one outside of our families will find out,” she replied, pointedly ignoring the first part of his question. The rumors would be left up to her, and even then, Andromeda was unsure of where exactly to go with them. Could she tell her father the truth and claim Malfoy had relations with other men? “I will merely tell Father that Lucius’s desires don’t sync up with those of Narcissa’s and that she cannot ever amount to what he wants.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she lifted a challenging eyebrow. “Unless you have any other ideas? This is for you after all, Nicolas. But I would suggest making it quite bad, or at least bad enough for the betrothal to be called off. Something that will shock my father at the very least.” Andromeda covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the chuckle that was bubbling out between her lips. “Merlin forbid, can you imagine if this ends up with you being betrothed to Narcissa after all of this instead? Not that Father would ever allow you for his youngest, but wouldn’t the irony be hilarious?” 

[vndromedablck]

moonysecrets‌:

Why did Slughorn hate him? He wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe he knew, but that was his paranoia screeching in the back of his mind. Remus rubbed his eyes and ran a finger though his unkempt brunette locks that seemed wild in nature, which fit him perfectly. Andromeda wasn’t like the other two he had deducted a long awhile ago.  But still the little rest he got had started to stress him out. The tall young man lifted his shoulders up before they sagged down with a slow shrug.  “I don’t honestly know, which is why I was asking.” He rebuked softly, but her next question caught him off guard. Sirius’s family caring about him? Was this.. real? Remus blinked slowly as he started to gather the materials in front of them for the potion they were brewing. A secret way so he didn’t have to stare her in the eye. “About the same as me, but he’s holding up. Do..Sh-should I tell him hello for you?” Remus asked mildly, though he was genuinely curios for her answer.

“Perhaps not every question is meant to be non-rhetorical.” Andromeda didn’t bother to spare Remus a glance as she replied, making sure to keep her voice its usual bored, unaffected drawl. The topic of sleep was still a touchy one for her even if the other boy likely didn’t mean it to be anything but friendly, casual conversation. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t rankled by it; why was Remus asking her about her sleep schedule when they were hardly even acquaintances? Did he suspect her, or her family of something? Had Sirius complained about their family and in doing so, give his fellow Gryffindors an even wronger idea about the Blacks? It was highly improbable - even Sirius knew better than to divulge where the family’s loyalties truly lay - but lack of sleep and stress was not kind to Andromeda. 

Even so, there was always something she had liked about Remus Lupin. The boy was not like the rest of Potter’s group. While Potter, as the de facto ringleader, was belligerent and Pettigrew was smarmy, Andromeda had rarely observed Lupin going along with their behaviors. He was studious and kept to himself when not with the rest of them; had Sirius struck up a friendship with only him, she doubted his mother would have reacted in such a way. She regarded the tall boy next to her and came to the conclusion he needed better friends; it was a conclusion she would keep to herself for now. “And how are you doing?” The question was not posed out of concern for Lupin but for Sirius, if the two truly had similar emotional states. Determined to catch his eye, as well as make sure no one was listening, Andromeda leaned forward. “Yes, if you can, I would like that,” she released a small breath before continuing. “That is, if he would care to hear it.” Displaying a rare side of vulnerability towards Remus Lupin was not how she envisioned her day going, but stranger things had happened.

[vndromedablck]

puff-tedwardtcnks‌:

He was sure that he noticed a change in the girl at the mention of the club. Ted had to stop himself from smiling at it, worried that if he reacted then it would ruin the moment. It didn’t stop him from thinking that she was cute though, making it difficult for him. Thinking of how cute she was only made him want to get to know her more, something he was sure she would get annoyed with. He was fairly positive that the reason she was so distant was him was because she was a pureblood, a fact he knew a lot of people cared about. Even more so she was a prominent pureblood, someone who had status and money that he didn’t have in either society. While he didn’t care about that sort of thing, he worried that she did. Worried that she thought less of him because of the fact that he was a muggleborn and would probably just laugh at him if he told her he wanted to be friends. Let alone anything more. 

Which made him feel so silly, to have a crush on someone he knew wouldn’t like him back. Or worse, having a crush on someone that he knew wouldn’t even be allowed to like him back made it more difficult. Why would she ever bother looking his way when it was obvious to even him that nothing would come of it? “Yes,” He nodded happily. focusing on Charms club rather than her. Both seemed to make him happy so it worked to cover up his happiness toward one rather than the other. Plus, Charms was how he discovered his love for healing. Considering all the extra and seemingly unnecessary work he put towards it, it was obvious that loved the work he did. Plus the club was where he had first really talked to Andromeda, as well as made friends outside of his house. 

Hearing that she was considering taking the Charms N.E.W.T. made him happy as it would give them a reason to possibly talk to each other. “I am! I’ve been done well in the class and club, so I figured taking the test wouldn’t be too difficult.” Ted shrugged, though he definitely didn’t assume they would automatically be easy. He just knew that he would rather takes those N.E.W.T.’s then one for a class he hated or had done bad. “It’ll at least be easier then the Potions one I have to take.” He chuckled. While Ted was by no means stupid and passed all of his class, that didn’t mean he didn’t have to study. 

Her excitement was noticeable, she was sure, and so Andromeda silently reigned it in, letting the mask of stoicism fall back into place. School was not something that filled her with a sense of elation and her high marks resulted from a cocktail of her expectations to not fail, her family name, and her own intelligence. Charms was different - she had always excelled at the topic, and as she grew older and more interested in the machinations of charmwork rather than just casting it, Andromeda found herself even more drawn to the topic. Flitwick was a pleasant enough professor as well, and when he invited her to join his Charms club Andromeda knew it was based on the merit of her work and not her family name. Aside from being a nice contrast to Slughorn’s behavior, it was the first time she was ever acknowledged in that sense - for who she was and represented, rather than her family as a whole. 

The club served as a way to provide more diverse interactions as well. Andromeda, as a general rule of thumb, shied away from socializing much during meetings; the likes of the members, which included the Prewetts, a weird Ravenclaw, too many Hufflepuffs to name, and the infuriating Evans, were not people who she was itching to make part of her social circle. Even with that disdain towards them, Andromeda still found herself missing certain members on days when Flitwick cancelled meetings. It wasn’t that she necessarily liked her fellow peers, if they could be called that; she had simply gotten used to their presence. It was, in a way, one of the few things she had for herself. Not even her sisters knew that about her, and that was for the better. Narcissa would hide her disappointment in silence as always, but Bella would object, and loudly; no doubt she would find her fellow Charms members below Andromeda’s station, as though even breathing their air was insulting. 

Maybe it was, as she now was conversing- there was no other way to describe it- with Tonks. “The exam should be easy enough, so long as you practice.” Andromeda said, not unkindly. Her lip curled at the mention of Potions. “Surely Pomfrey would help you with that since you are her...helper.” The word sounded strange on her tongue, and it was said in an almost distasteful, haughty way - the attitude of a girl used to thumbing her nose down at the help. She raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you planning to do in your post-Hogwarts career, anyway?”

[vndromedablck]

lilymxrie-evans‌:

“For someone who got a bit uppity with me for lumping you with the rest of those Slytherin lot, you certainly make a fair few generalisations of your own, don’t you?” Lily quipped, completely unaffected by the sneer that the other girl was throwing her way. At this point in her school career she was more than used to receiving the odd dirty look, and she and Andromeda certainly weren’t friendly enough that she’d expect anything less—this conversation alone was enough proof of that. She knew that Gryffindor’s were labelled as proud, and honestly a lot of the time Lily did find her own pride getting in the way, but if she genuinely believed that she had stepped over the line, she had no problem with owning up to that. She was proud, not an arrogant arsehole.

The nickname had slipped out without her really thinking about it, calling him Sev was a reflex reaction, stemming from the 7 year long friendship she had with the boy. She’d never really called him anything else back when they were friends, and the fact that she had so easily slipped up just proved how easy it was to fall back into old patterns. He wasn’t Sev anymore, he wasn’t her friend, he was a silly little boy that had stabbed her in the back in favour of playing with the dark arts, and she had to remember that.

She couldn’t be sure whether Andromeda was deliberately trying to get under her skin, or whether she was generally interested in the odd friendship that the two had maintained for 7 or so years, but either way, Lily didn’t want to let her see that she was perhaps getting a little upset over the whole thing. “Are you honestly that bored that you have to spend your spare time speculating about what’s getting Severus down? That shouldn’t be any of your concern if you think so little of him. God knows I’m not concerning myself with it anymore.” Not entirely true, of course, there was a part of her that was always going to care about the boy, but it was a part that she was desperately trying to squash down. “So if you’re looking for gossip you’re looking in the wrong place.”

Evans had a point to which Andromeda conceded with though she was loathe to admit that in public, or ever, for that matter. She gave an unaffected shrug and raised her eyes to meet the emerald gaze of the other girl. “Never said I didn’t,” she replied airily. “Although my generalizations don’t hinge on destroying your house’s reputation, do they?” The challenging lift of her chin contrasted to the lilt of her tone, although Andromeda was secretly impressed that Lily wasn’t intimidated by her, another fact which she would take with her to the grave. Generalizations were often incorrect and prejudiced, Andromeda knew that way more than anyone, but the emphasis on all Slytherins being harbringers of evil had always irked her. Dumbledore made no secret in showing who his favorite house was, even if he never explicitly stated it, which left the old man in few Slytherin’s good graces. Family played a role in the choices her fellow peers made, of course, but what other choices was one left with after being considered ‘evil’ ‘dark wizards’ since eleven years old? 

There was a heavy implication that Severus and Evans were no longer friends, and Andromeda blinked as it hits her, lips pursing in contemplation. It wasn’t a complete surprise; Severus had never been particularly pleasant even if she was on a civil basis with him, while Evans seemed to be adored across most of Hogwarts. She only wondered what it was to make Lily Evans finally sever that tie as she doubted Snape would distance himself from what very well could have been one of the only girls to tolerate his presence. Even the few indoctrined Death Eaters seemed to only engage with him for the spells he created, and Andromeda couldn’t see Snape ending the friendship due to anything they asked, not with the way he trailed after Evans like a lovesick puppy. 

Looking back, she could not say what it was that caused her to show the Gryffindor the kindness she had so carefully hidden; kindness that probably wasn’t what Evans was used to, but was a kind sentiment from someone like Andromeda. Maybe it had to do with the unfamiliar feeling that welled in her chest at the idea of the girl in front of her befriending someone only to be unaware of their true actions and character. It felt a lot like sympathy and was overall unwelcome. “Please, Evans, if I wanted to concern myself with gossip I can do better than this.” She rolled her eyes before focusing them once again on Lily. “I just think that this is for the best, since Severus has several interests that don’t exactly align with yours. If I were you, I’d keep an eye out for some of his... associates. Not that I care.” She added the last part quickly, suddenly finding the carpet very interesting. 

[ratboypettigrew]

Three days. It only took three days for the questions to become too much for Peter. He didn’t want to keep having to come up with new and ridiculous lies about where he’d been, why he’d been gone for so long. The lie that he had given to his mates was meant to be a closely guarded ‘Resistance’ secret, they couldn’t let the average student know that people were being ‘taken’ after all. The number of lies he had told his fellow students so far ranged from ‘out with a bad case of dragon pox’ to ‘my uncle got married and i had to fly to South America for a while. It was getting old coming up with conflicting stories, watching the confusion at each ridiculous one that contradicted the one they had heard from a friend. 

For once in his life, Peter was tired of fucking with people.

So as he sat in the corner of the library, hunched over a book and trying to get caught up on the work he had missed, he couldn’t help the soft groan that left his mouth the moment he noticed a shift in the air and a shadow fall over him. “¡Demonio! Can I get through one bloody hour of studying without questions, is that too much to ask, mi amour? Just one hour. Una hora with no interruptions.”

[vndromedablck]

Despite her social nature, solitude came easily to Andromeda and oftentimes she found herself all too capable of becoming short with people and shutting into herself for days on end. It was a terrible habit to have; that was how the fiasco with her sisters had started and remained something that she was still reluctant to completely forgive herself for. Being paired up with idiots during classes for most of her Hogwarts career had long since taught her to leave socializing out of studying, which led to her seeking out quiet spaces in the library, away from gossiping students and that stupid bint Pince. 

Someone sat alone in the corner she sought out today, and Andromeda repressed a sigh. Whoever it was looked busy themselves which gave her hope of not being bothered. Hopes that were dashed as soon as the smarmy voice of her cousin’s irritating friend reached her ears.

“Not your anything, Pettigrew,” she reminded him as she made herself comfortable in the seat across him, her nose wrinkling as though the very thought was disgusting; which it absolutely was. She cast a quick glance at their surroundings and raised an imperious brow. “You’re alone. Has Potter let you off of the leash he has you on for once?” 

[redeemedjustice]

Send me 🍺 to find my muse drunk

Send me “🍺 reverse” for my muse to find yours drunk.

[moonysecrets]

@nicomulciber @breakalegprewett @qtqatch

[vndromedablck]

puff-tedwardtcnks‌:

Ted simply nodded, unsure if he should explain any further. Unsure if she even wanted him to explain any further. There would be no point in going on about his relationship with his family and the magical world if she truly didn’t care. Though she probably wouldn’t have asked if she didn’t care, but it felt rather presumptuous of him to just assume she did. Still, his families feelings about magic were complicated. He only told them so much about what actually went on. Enough for them to believe he was having doing his best, and also know not everything was sunshine and rainbows. The boy didn’t want to scare them, but he also didn’t want them to be shocked if something every happened directly to him. 

That thought terrified him more than anything. If something happened to him, would it be because he was a muggle born? Most likely. Would it be at the hands of his bullies or some other more centralized attack by death eater type of people? That much was unclear. He knew that he definitely wasn’t as safe as he led his family to believe though. Ted felt bad that for hiding things, but he knew that his father would prefer him living in hiding in the muggle world than possibly putting himself at risk. The boy truly loved being a wizard though, and wasn’t willing to give it up or let someone else scare him into giving it up. It wasn’t as if he asked to be a wizard, this was simply how he was born like everyone else he went to school with. 

Ted wasn’t even sure what he should say to her at this point. He didn’t want to just say nothing though, make them walk in silence. That would most likely be uncomfortable, but surely no more uncomfortable than a forced conversation. He needed to find something easy for them to talk about. There wasn’t much that the two had in common though, at least not that he could think of right off the bat. Perhaps charms club, the place where they had first really interacted outside of class. Not that it could really count as an interaction, seeing how most of their conversations went much like how their current one was. In fact, this might’ve been their best conversation yet. Something that slightly disheartened him. 

“So, are you looking forward to charms club Andromeda?” He asked. It felt odd to call her by her first name. But he certainly couldn’t call her a nickname and saying her whole name again felt even stranger than it did the first time. Her last name would come across as much more distant than he would like, so he settled for her first name. Though he could have gone without saying her name at all considering they were the only ones really around at the time. 

Silence covered the pair in a steel blanket of tension as they walked, the sounds of their soles hitting the floor seeming to reverberate in the hall. The day was young yet and already shaping up to be bizarre, if this discussion with a muggleborn was anything to go by. Andromeda normally wasn’t opposed to silence, having grown up in the snakepit where words could be conveyed through a simple raise of an eyebrow or a malicious sneer, both expressions hiding a depth of a multitude of emotions if one knew where to look. This quiet that hung between her and Tonks wasn’t entirely pleasant and Andromeda couldn’t pinpoint exactly why when such happenings wouldn’t have bothered her even a day before. All she could do was walk alongside him, her arms resisting the urge to cross over her chest. 

The topic of families was--strangely intimate, even if her own responses were elusive and provided little insight as to how her family life was. She could glean certain details about Tonks’ parents and apparent siblings based on how he talked about them and it painted a picture in stark contrast to her own, as did most of his personality and interests from what she observed. Andromeda was just simply unsure as to why she found the conversation so pleasant in the first place - dare even say she enjoyed it. She was well aware of the lore and gossip surrounding other influential pureblood families; some vital details were used to gain favor with them, and more sordid tales had their use in blackmail. Discussing anything with Tonks offered her neither and there was nothing to be gained or lost from it so the fact that she found the boy not intolerable to be around was puzzling. 

She blinked, her brows furrowing as she realized he had asked her something. The mention of Charms club brought a small twitch to her lips, close enough to a smile as she would allow. “I am, yes,” she admitted, turning to him to briefly consider him for a moment. “I assume you are as well?” Charms club was fun enough despite the lack of snakes and overwhelming abundance of lions but Andromeda was skilled at charms and she knew it. “Will you be sitting for a Charms N.E.W.T next year? I admit I’ve been considering it.” Reigning in her excitement towards her favorite subject - because it was unseemly to be this emotional over coursework like a bloody Ravenclaw - Andromeda maintained her usual demeanor as they walked, though her eyes were considerably brighter.

[vndromedablck]

narcisenoire‌:

Narcissa startled a little at her sister’s unexpected touch. Their family weren’t 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. 

She listened to her sister without saying a word, feeling very tense. She knew she wouldn’t like where this was going - this conversation as well as the future it implied. First off, she didn’t 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 didn’t make active effort to avoid the controversy. It usually wasn’t 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 couldn’t imagine that this was pleasant.  It certainly didn’t help the distance that was slowly building between her sisters, a distance which scared Narcissa. Lately, nothing seemed to go right, and if she couldn’t even rely on her family staying constant she didn’t 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. 

She almost didn’t want to believe her. She couldn’t allow herself that, though. This wasn’t 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 Andromeda’s words for a moment, before speaking. 

“Well, are you sure about what you’re saying? If I break my engagement, people are going to talk… It’s not that I don’t 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 that’s the issue. I have tough skin, I’ll survive, “ she said hesitantly, almost in a whisper. Her words didn’t 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 wouldn’t be the first pureblood woman to be in such a situation.

Andromeda gave her sister’s fingers a reassuring squeeze. It was a chore to be sympathetic but not overly so, even if she did miss her sister spectacularly. To the outside world their family might seem cold, aloof, or uncaring but Andromeda knew how to decipher every emotion hidden beneath blank faces and casual touches. There was a heart that beat under that stony exterior and it remained unspoken that Andromeda would kill for her sisters if need be just as they would certainly do the same for her. Such acts required nuances, along with meticulous planning, and not rash bravery that would not befit a Slytherin. 

Narcissa was being more receptive than she originally thought. If this behavior continued, her sister could hopefully be betrothed to another and safe from any of Nicolas Mulciber’s twisted desires. Andromeda considered her next words carefully, pressing her lips into a thin line as she did so. She couldn’t divulge too much about what she knew to Cissa, because while it wasn’t that she didn’t trust her, it was simply too risky. If that information fell into the wrong hands Merlin only knew what could happen, and while she was never particularly charitable, Andromeda didn’t want anything to stain her conscience. Innocence was long since divorced from her but if this was one thing she could avoid, she would. 

Andromeda gave a slow shake of her head. “No, he isn’t violent, but don’t be foolish. You won’t have to marry a brute Cissa, Bella and I will make sure of that.” Andromeda was never one prone to violence either but she would take delight in exacting revenge on any man who deemed it fit to be violent with either of her sisters. The thought, hypothetical as it may be, had her blood run cold for a moment for there was no telling who Narcissa could be matched with next. Lucius was, on paper, a safe and respectable choice - his relationship with Mulciber didn’t even bother Andromeda as he wouldn’t be the first pureblood husband to keep someone on the side, although Narcissa did deserve better. How ironic that her sister feared violence from Lucius when it was his boyfriend to be feared. 

Andromeda sighed heavily before continuing. “It isn’t...horrible,” she paused, wondering at the best way to word what she wanted to say, taking another deep breath as the words came to her. “It’s not necessarily what he’s done as much as it is what he wants. His desires won’t--align, truly, with yours.” Her legs crossed together as she peered up at her sister, imploring with her eyes for the other girl to understand, waiting for the moment that the shoe began to drop for Narcissa. The quicker she figured it out, the better. 

[vndromedablck]

puff-tedwardtcnks‌:

The frown was something he caught out of the corner of his eye. It had disappeared rather quickly, so he wondered if he had just imagined it. It certainly didn’t make much sense for her to be frowning in that moment. Unless she didn’t like something that he had said. But he had been rather careful with his words, picking and choosing them as to not offend her or make her regret walking with him. Maybe it was because they were talking about family, though she had been the one to bring it up so that didn’t make much sense either. It wasn’t something he should dwell on though, seeing how he wasn’t even sure if he had seen it correctly considering she was still standing a bit behind him. Still he couldn’t help but think of how he didn’t want to see her frown. At least not because of him. 

There wasn’t much he could really do about that though, not while she was so distant. Truthfully, he didn’t mind her being distant because it stopped her from getting to close to him. There was plenty about him that he’d prefer for her not to know. Even though he wanted to get to know her, he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted her to get to know him. So he was fine with her being distant. A bit more friendly would be nice, but it was definitely better than her hating him. He was fairly certain she didn’t, which made him slightly hopeful. There was always the possibility that she did and was just hiding it though. It was something he tried not to think about as he tried to stay positive. 

He shook her head at the question, nearly offended by the suggestion but understanding where it came from. It was slightly a lie as his mother had been afraid of him at the time. It’d been the main reason why she had finally decided to leave him. His mother wasn’t someone he wanted to think about though, she was someone he avoided thinking about. Ted was thankful for the short story she told, letting out a short laugh. “Oh no, they all have their own lives. They think magic is cool and all, but they also think it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Probably right about that.” He chuckled, albeit a little bitterly. He only thought so because of everything he’s had to endure as a muggleborn. It wasn’t something he particularly expected her to understand, if anything he often wondered if she held the same type of prejudice as many other purebloods did. 

Ted turned towards her, raising an eyebrow. “Of course, have to get them from the potions cabinet. Slughorn has everything I need.” He began down the proper steps to get there. He almost questioned her about why she would ask such a thing. Had she thought that he was simply walking around aimlessly? Simply wasting her time in an attempt to be with her. It wasn’t as if he didn’t appreciate the chance, but he wouldn’t do something so silly. Walking around aimlessly would only lead to him embarrassing himself which was something he tried not to do, no matter who he was with. 

All fault was on herself, really, for opening the floodgates of decency that led to this conversation. The conversation wasn’t even half of the problem - ignoring muggleborns and halfbloods, while something the Black family would consider ideal simply wasn’t realistic -the enjoyment of the interaction was. She set out with a simple mission in mind and here she was, swapping family stories with Tonks as though they were best friends or something worse. 

All for some potions, too. Somewhere her ancestors were turning in their graves. Bellatrix herself would get quite the laugh out of this before promptly hexing him and giving Andromeda the equivalent of a verbal hex if she were to find out. 

Maybe she was going insane. That would certainly make sense with her family’s interesting, tight-knit bloodline. While her own parents weren’t related, Sirius’ definitely were, and there was always a possibility (however slim) that she had simply inherited her Aunt Walburga’s...eccentricities. Andromeda bit back a grimace at the thought of her aunt; she imagined if she told Tonks any stories about her, he would likely run in the opposite direction screaming. She wouldn’t necessarily blame him for that. 

And so Andromeda hid behind the usual stoicism, the defense mechanism she’d known so well since girlhood. She kept her back straight and her face a blank mask, giving no indication she was listening to Tonks except for the occasional raise of a groomed eyebrow. That his family found magic to be - evidently - troublesome did not shock her in the least; her father had made sure Andromeda was always aware of just what muggles thought of them and the means they took to erase magic from their world. The irony of muggles finding magic interesting and yet still wanting to eradicate it was not lost on her. The mask was still on but her eyes hardened, narrowing slightly. “Is that what they think? How interesting.” Her usual drawl was back although accompanied by an edge that was not present before. Sometimes it was difficult to feel muggles were inferior when they made it so easy. 

She met his gaze head on, raising an eyebrow in return. There was a fire in Tonks that she hadn’t expected and could almost respect given the right circumstances. “I would certainly hope so,” she replied evenly, lingering in the stairway. She waited until he was several steps ahead before accompanying him down. Merlin, this potion better be bloody worth it. 

[vndromedablck]

nicomulciber‌:

“Lucius is my best friend, It’s just sad if you have no best friends.” Nicolas pointed out rather pointedly, as if he had a dagger and made a random jab towards the girl as she sat. He rolled his eyes skyward at the mention of Hufflepuff. “Never refer to anything about me as a Hufflepuff again.” He hissed out in warning. Mulciber was predictable in his unpredictable temper. Though he tried to control what his facial expression he could. Why hadn’t Lucius been there yet to get him from his Hell? At least then he could admire his ex-boyfriend instead of be sitting here trying to lie about his relationship and his undertone feelings in the first place.

He stared right through Andromeda counting the seconds in his mind. Where the fuck was Lucius? This meeting between the two of them was getting uncomfortable and wearing his last nerves dangerously. He already found his temper fickle around the Blacks, unable to get rid of the mental image of Lucius’s wedding to Narcissa. It would no doubt get worse once the day got closer, but part of him whispered that perhaps Andromeda wasn’t fibbing. Maybe she could stop the wedding. But at what cost? Lucy wanted to stay in the closet, and it wasn’t Mulciber’s place to out him as he wouldn’t out himself for the domino effect. There’s only a few other males he spent lots of time with, and those were counted for.

“I’ll believe it when I see it. I bet you’ll get pink stationary with fucking fairies on them.” Nicolas retorted with a grumpy grunt. One the pillow sacked her his grin and an odd jovial nature came upon him. It was almost seemingly his second nature, but it didn’t last long. Not this close to her and thinking about Narcissa it never would last long. Part of him wondered vehemently, what would happen if he just drowned Narcissa? Would people notice? Would they be frightened?

He drums his fingers against the arm rest of the couch merely nodding when she agreed with his observation. “Aye she should –“ He watched her closely, scrutinizing any detail he could get his hands on. “Why wouldn’t she want to go?” Mulciber asks quickly almost defensively.  Sure, he didn’t want her to join them at the manor, but he sure as hell didn’t think she would pass the chance up. Who would if they were openly engaged with Lucius Malfoy? The conflict thickens and churns his stomach.

One cynical scoff leaves his lips as he regarded Andromeda with the slow shake of his head. “I know it’s your father. But if you could change such a thing, why wait?” The aggressive lick to his tone becoming thicker and full of spite. “Lucius doesn’t have proclivities. Neither of them need to be married.” Nicolas grumbled, and then that sardonic bone chilling apathetic laugh resurfaced. “Money? Oi. Did you not forget that my vault blew up with Gringott’s? “ There’s the slow judgmental shake of his head, but deep down he knows where all his money is. “Again it begs the question. If you say you’re going to do this for your sister, why haven’t you already done it?” Because whether Narcissa Black became dead on her wedding day didn’t matter to Nicolas Mulciber at all.

“I don’t have a best friend like you do with Lucius,” Andromeda countered evenly, keeping her face impassive. Her words were double edged, of course - she didn’t have one in the platonic sense or in the sense of whatever twisted relationship Nicholas had with the Malfoy heir. And now, watching Mulciber act beside himself over Lucius, Andromeda certainly wasn’t lamenting her single status. She rolled her eyes back at him, a sneer curling her lips. “Then stop acting like one and perhaps I’ll consider it.” 

Teasing Mulciber about his predicament was a dangerous game, but it was amusing nonetheless. There was a thrill to it that accompanied most reckless activities, although Andromeda was beginning to understand that she held the upper hand here. While not one who thrived on power and fear the way her elder sister did, the middle Black sister couldn’t deny that holding power over someone, especially someone like Mulciber, was gratifying. If she were an evil person, and if her sister’s wellbeing didn’t quite literally depend on this, she would have blackmailed him about what she knew so far; it didn’t matter that she didn’t know the whole of it, she knew enough, and the rumor mill could always fill in the rest. But as it happened, she was keeping this to herself, something that Andromeda hoped Mulciber was fucking grateful for. 

She observed him impassively and found that she almost pitied him. During the six years she knew Mulciber, she’d never seen him act this way over anyone; she wasn’t even sure if he ever had anyone else prior to Lucius. Love, she was beginning to notice, made people weak. A Slytherin was no exception and she found that the thought unsettled her before she shoved such lines of thinking away. Andromeda wouldn’t have to worry about love, not now at least; and even if it was love for Narcissa that was pushing her to enact these plans, at least she wasn’t acting a maudlin fool about it. 

Andromeda clutched the pillow to her chest, relaxing against the plushness of it. “Quite imaginative. Is that what your parents get you, then? I suppose it certainly would be in your line of budget,” she let out a low laugh at her own joke as she tossed the pillow to one of the cushions of the couch before smoothing down her skirt and robes. She furrowed her brow at his question, her eyes rolling once more. That seemed to be becoming second nature around Nicolas Mulciber - that and smoking cigarettes. “Have you ever considered that my sister doesn’t want to get married? She is only fifteen and practically a child still.” Andromeda explained slowly as though she was talking to a particularly annoying first year. She took another heavy drag of her cigarette, feeling the smoke flood her mouth for a few seconds before exhaling. She knew her sister well enough to know that while Narcissa would put up no fight and simply go along with whatever her parents expected, it did not mean that she was happy about the engagement. Andromeda couldn’t blame her. Her own engagement was likely on the horizon and she only hoped that her father found a suitable match for her. Preferably one with no such baggage attached. 

"Merlin’s fucking beard. I only waited, as you so eloquently put it, because I was unaware of the situation with Lucius. Do keep up, Mulciber,” she snapped before harsh laughter bubbled out of her mouth at what can only be described as the pure delusion of a fool in love. “Such an idealistic way of looking at it. Why don’t you tell Lucius to inform his father that the arrangement our fathers made is unneeded,” Andromeda suggested dryly, knowing that the suggestion would do nothing save for perhaps causing Abraxas Malfoy a good laugh. The very image almost caused a smirk to form on her lips before it did emerge at the reminder of the Mulciber’s financial situation. A familiar jolt of pride swelled through Andromeda as she recalled her own family was left relatively unharmed in the Gringotts incident. The thought that she held financial power over the boy as well was quite thrilling, as was the distinct impression that she was playing politics. 

Andromeda cast a quick privacy and silencing charm around them to ensure no one overheard their discussion. If this got into the wrong hands, the plan would be moot and everyone involved would get into a considerable amount of trouble. “The reason why I haven’t done anything,” she spoke quietly, leaning forward so that Nicolas could hear her clearly. He would need to, because she wasn’t feeling up to repeating herself. “Is because we need to devise a plan first. There will be no second chances, Mulciber, so we must ensure that this one is foolproof. Now,” she clapped her hands together and considered the boy who would cost her sister her engagement. “I’m assuming you want to keep this dalliance between you two a secret, yes? So what I was thinking is this: I can write my father a letter outlining reasons why Lucius isn’t an ideal match. I won’t out him, of course, just use some unsavory rumors.” That most of the rumors would have more than a grain of truth to them was left unsaid. Andromeda’s mind was already buzzing with what she could tell her father; attacking Lucius’ reputation, socially and financially, was definitely on the forefront of her mind. She almost felt guilty that someone she considered a friend would be the one wronged in this, but she told herself it was better him than Narcissa. “The rumors being, of course, about some of his unsavory interests that would not benefit a Pureblood, Black wife.” Andromeda kept her gaze on him for several long moments before shrugging. “I’d ask if you were in, but I suppose you have no choice if you want Lucius for yourself.” 

[vndromedablck]

narcisenoire‌:

“It’s okay,” Narcissa replied at her sister’s apology, “ I haven’t exactly gotten out of my way to speak to you either.” 

She hoped that her crossed arms and narrow eyes would betray that she felt the exact opposite of what she said. She would never admit it out loud, because that would be a bit too needy and a bit too much like she was giving her sister all the power in the relationship, which Narcissa wasn’t ready to do. But the truth was that she had missed Andromeda, and her sister not even looking at her direction on most days wasn’t very pleasant. She knew that Andromeda was busy, but she would have appreciated it if she made the effort of at least acknowledging her existence  once in a while, because her distance made Narcissa feel cheated, weak, like they’d never really been close and she had only been foolishly mistaken in thinking that her sister actually liked her.

“But why are you asking about Lucius,” she asked warily, her features forming into a frown. Narcissa wasn’t an idiot, and it was plain to see that her sister wasn’t very fond of her fiancé. Not that Narcissa was either - she barely knew him. But he was a good match: from a dignified family, not stupid enough to embarrass her, and, from what she had seen, not unmanageably violent or controlling…. She could do much worse and she was aware of it, so her sister not liking to visit them at home was just something she would have to bear.

“Cissa,” 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t as fine as Narcissa was portraying it to be, anyway. “Things have just been rather difficult right now, as you know. I truly am sorry.” 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. “You know I love you and that I’m always here for you for anything. I always will be.” 

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 wasn’t 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. “I’ve been distant from Bella, too. It’s not anything that you did wrong Cissy.” Admitting it was as far as Andromeda preferred to discuss regarding that matter; she wasn’t ashamed to show emotions in front of her sisters, but she felt strangely vulnerable, and didn’t enjoy the feeling. She perched herself on her sister’s bed and, crossing her legs under herself, patted the duvet for Narcissa to join her. This conversation wasn’t 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 wasn’t 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. “There are some...things about Lucius that I have recently been made aware of. Unfavorable things, really. I don’t believe that you would be deserving to deal with such interests should you become his wife. You’re my sister, Cissy, and you will always deserve better than that.” Andromeda gave a soft smile and reached out, brushing a few loose strands of hair back from her sister’s face before her expression sobered. “In fact, your life may very well become endangered if you do marry him as a direct result of these interests. I’m sure you understand why I refuse to allow that to happen.”

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 families’ 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.

...who still might not be deserving of her, but the chances of having two fiances who loved a sadistic, gay Death Eater were slim. 

[vndromedablck]

lilymxrie-evans‌:

Lily knew that she had gone a step too far the second the words had left her mouth, and honestly she did feel an odd sort of guilt over the whole thing. She hated over generalisations, she often made a point of avoiding making them, because it would mean she was grouping people together based on her own perception instead of facts and that wasn’t fair. The accusation—was it an accusation?—had slipped out without her thinking, she had a nasty habit of putting her foot in her mouth at times, and she knew that she owed Andromeda an apology for it. She would never pretend to think that she knew anything about the girl, and although she suspected her loyalties would lie with her family, she had no way of knowing, and even Lily had to admit she’d never heard Andromeda so much as hint at sharing their beliefs.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” she admitted after the silence had dragged on for a couple of moments, because as stubborn as she could be, if she genuinely believed she was in the wrong then she had no problem with admitting as much. “But whilst we’re on the topic, you were the first one to draw judgment and your own conclusions from a comment that I truly didn’t mean anything by in the first place.” She honestly hadn’t expected to cause so much offence with the use of the word loitering, and if she’d known Andromeda would get so defensive about it she probably wouldn’t have opened her mouth in the first place.

“And Sev’s shampoo needs aren’t my concern, unfortunately. You’ll have to find someone else willing to invest in him.” I’ve already invested far too much of my time, she added silently to herself. “You’d better tell them to be careful, though, he’ll probably throw it back in their face. He’s got a knack for that.”

The apology, when it came, did not go unnoticed. It was a quite shoddy excuse for one when if she was being honest with herself, Andromeda wasn’t truly offended in the first place; she was used to the generalisations that other houses seemed to be so fond of when it came to Slytherin, a house that their own headmaster seemed to curl his lip at. Being a Black, she was also used to being lumped in with anyone who even so much as dared to appreciate dark magic or sneer at muggleborns; she learned to let it stop bothering her long ago and so most days only found it painfully predictable. That was before the recent events, at least - now, when every imbecile looked at her and her family with suspicion, that old rage was starting to build again. She had to calm down, she knew, lest she begin to look overemotional or sensitive about such a subject. 

“An apology from a Gryffindor, and she admits she was wrong? Color me surprised. Perhaps I should check to see if erumpents are flying now as well.” She isn’t touched to the point of weeping over the apology, nor is she necessarily grateful, but she appreciates it. The feeling makes her uncomfortable and so Andromeda retreats to her usual defense mechanism of sneering and looking as though she remains unaffected. She eyed the girl in front of her, and her decidedly muggle outfit critically for good measure before tightening her own designer robes tighter around herself. Bizarrely enough, Evans’ (not entirely incorrect) assumption that she was loyal to her family’s ideals wasn’t what initially bothered her; taking a door to the face wasn’t entirely pleasant either, and her cheek still throbbed with the memory of ten or so minutes ago. What truly bothered Andromeda was the thought following Evans’ clumsiness, and how in her subsequent rage she had thought of the Gryffindor as a mudblood. Saying it wouldn’t prove detrimental to her reputation; in fact, it would probably increase respect in her own house, but she had always felt disgusted by the word, and felt a stab of guilt for even having thought it. Perhaps she wasn’t so different from what everyone thought she was after all. 

“So he’s Sev now, is he?” All feelings of guilt aside, Andromeda cocked her head as she considered the other girl, eyes keen with interest. The thought of calling Severus by any type of nickname was amusing and was a privilege he obviously reserved for Evans, as no one else was close enough to do so without getting hexed. The weirdo was always making his own spells, or attempting to anyway. Andromeda shrugged, her mouth twisting into a wry smile. “Doubtful, Evans. Everyone already knows that Severus broods far more than what was previously thought to be humanly possible. Salazar only knows how you can deal with it. I don’t even know what he’s upset about most of the time, though I have my suspicions.” She kept her gaze on Lily as she continued, her tone deceptively casual as she added, “He certainly acts like a fool in love, much of the time.”

[vndromedablck]

puff-tedwardtcnks‌:

Ted was unsure if he should mention his own siblings, unsure of whether or not she would care. He already felt like she may be bored or tired of the conversation in some way. Or maybe it was simply being with him that was boring and tiresome. Either way, the simple thought of it was enough to make him keep his mouth shut and not ramble on about his own siblings. Surely it would come across as self-centered and redundant considering his siblings never even attended Hogwarts. There had been a brief period of time, when he was younger and in primary school, that they had been in the same school as him. Though that time had been so brief, he could barely remember it. There were photos of it though, the three of them together before going off to school. 

He couldn’t help but smile, chuckling fondly at her comment. Being with siblings all the time certainly had its downfalls. He found it to be exceedingly true, as he was the youngest and his older siblings always seemed to feel the need to rub it in his face. As if it were somehow his fault that he was born last. Ted wondered if it were the same for Andromeda and her older sister, and if they did the same to their younger sister. Though not every family was the same, so he knew better than to just automatically assume that it must be true. Plus, he had heard about what being a pureblood was like. The stories always seeming much colder and stricter than what he had experienced with his own family. Once again though, he tried his best not to assume as he didn’t actually know what her specific family was like. 

“Mental? No, no nothing like that.” Ted laughed a bit, though it wasn’t the first time someone had asked him about his family. He supposed that people were just curious, and he didn’t blame them because he was too. “When I was younger, I accidentally lifted my sister in the air and to the ceiling when she made me angry. Pretty hard to deny that.” Looking back at it now, the incident had been funny. While scary at the time, cause it was before his 11th birthday, even his sister was able to laugh about it now. All he had wanted was for her to go away at the time, and it was exactly what he tried to make her do. “They really like hearing about my time here, though I think they’re kind of happy they’re not magical themselves.” 

The topic of family was one that Andromeda usually didn’t mention first in conversation unless she absolutely had to, or knew the family in question. It was often a touchy subject for people, and being part of the family that she was, she was no stranger to knowing the intricacies and drama that plagued most other pureblood families. There was no shortage of dysfunction in the lives of many of her parents’ acquaintances, let alone in her own household, where secrets bred amongst them for generations, dark and hid away and never to be discussed or resolved. She wondered if Tonks’ family was like that, but she doubted it, even though he wasn’t very forthcoming with talking about them. Not that she minded, if she was being honest, as she didn’t care about his family on a deeper level. She was simply making conversation, and it wasn’t all unpleasant. 

A frown tugged at her lips at that thought, and she forced it away as soon as it appeared, locking it in the deep confines of her mind that she made sure to not revisit. The conversation wasn’t totally unpleasant simply because Tonks was a surprising good conversationalist, not because she enjoyed interacting with him. She almost let out an inelegant snort as she realized she was frowning at the same time as he smiled; Merlin, he’d probably think of her as a stone-cold bitch now, not that the assumption would be completely incorrect. The likelihood of that is rather small, however, as Andromeda had gone through most of her Hogwarts career ignoring Tonks’ very existence or otherwise looking down on him and others like him, and he didn’t seem to have caught on. He was still insistent on remaining constantly, infuriatingly nice to her, which was bloody frustrating in a way that she couldn’t pinpoint. But he did have his uses, she supposed, as he was hopefully going to pull off getting the potions for her today. 

She did let out a snort then, at the story of him performing accidental magic on his sister. “They weren’t scared of you?” Andromeda tucked a lock of thick hair behind her ear, easily reminiscing of her own pre-Hogwarts years. Her parents were always thrilled with her displays of accidental magic as it meant she wasn’t a squib. “I enlarged a slug once to frighten my sister, before I went to Hogwarts,” she confessed, face softening at the memory. “Though of course, I was always aware of being magical.” That she was expected to be was left unsaid - her family expected perfection and so she had been nothing less. As a child, she had wanted magic just so she wouldn’t disappoint her parents and deal with their ire. Her sister and cousins would tease her sometimes, claiming she was a squib, simply because they knew it bothered her and they thrived off that in the way that children often do. As she grew older and started her education, however, she began to realize how much magic was a part of her outside of her family’s expectations; she really did love it and couldn’t imagine being a muggle, being so...boring. She couldn’t comprehend how Tonks’ parents would be content with mediocrity. “How are they happy about that? It must be rather dull, no?” 

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, and Andromeda swallowed a sigh. She just wanted to get her potion and go, not be bogged down by small talk, however enjoyable it might hypothetically be. Silence hung in the air for an uneasy moment before Andromeda cleared her throat primly. “You do know where we have to go for the potion, I presume?” 

[vndromedablck]

puff-tedwardtcnks‌:

Ted nodded his head, appreciative that she wasn’t going to try and push him to take any more. He could only argue with people for so long, and he had no interest in arguing with Andromeda. Part of him wondered why she wasn’t walking next to him, but he just figured that she wasn’t comfortable with him. Not that he didn’t understand that, as they really didn’t know each other. It made him nervous though, as if he were walking to fast for some reason or like he smelled. Both he knew to be untrue as he was walking slower than usual, and had showered that morning. Which meant that she probably just didn’t want to walk next to him. Even though he understood, it was still discouraging. 

He could feel his muscles tightening a bit at her question. Surely if they had been looking at each other he would have made a face, which almost made him thankful for the fact that she wasn’t looking at him. Ted wondered if the question was pure curiosity since he didn’t have any family at the school with him, or if it was due to her actually wanting to know him. Either way he was going to answer her, “Yes, though not nearly as much as I did back in first year.” There was an awkward smile on his face, which felt ridiculous as she couldn’t actually see his face. But that didn’t mean he was just going to stop from having reactions completely. 

Part of him wanted to ask if she missed her family, which was silly as so much of her family seemed to go to the school. The only family she could miss would be her parents. “Do you uh- like going to school with your sisters?” He asked, feeling like that was a safe enough questions. Sisters were generally close enough, he himself was pretty close to his siblings. Plus he was pretty sure that all of the Black sisters were in the same house, which meant that they probably saw each other quite often, regardless of them being in different years. And she had been the one to bring up families first, so it felt rude to not ask about hers. 

An awkward tension filled the air now as they walked, but Andromeda forced herself not to feel it and become affected by it. Her childhood would likely be considered cold and detached if anyone outside of pureblood society were to hear the details of it, but the formal, stiff demeanors of her parents taught her to remain in control of her own emotions. Emotions, her father always reasoned, were an easy weakness to spot; and any weakness had the ability to be manipulated and exploited. And so with a silent nod in response to his own, Andromeda kept her head held high and back ramrod straight, eyes locked on the hallway ahead of them determinedly as she strode along purposefully. Giving the appearance that she knew what she was doing was something Andromeda knew and knew well. 

It occurred to her that perhaps the question about his family was the wrong question to ask. Andromeda knew nothing about Tonks; perhaps his family was of the muggle sort that hated magic and everything associated with it. She suddenly remembered sitting on her fathers lap as a child, and him telling her that there were two types of muggles - those who were jealous of magic and would take any chance they got to steal power, and those who hated it and wouldn’t hesitate to injure or even fatally harm wizards. She wondered briefly which category Tonks’ family fell into, but there was no proper way to word such a question. 

"It’s certainly not terrible,” she remarked dryly, eyes still focused ahead as she considered his question. Andromeda often felt as though her heart and very being was divided in threes between herself and her sisters, but sometimes she felt the weight of being practically joined at the hip for the past forever suffocating. Any real spats between them was far and in-between, however, and there was nowhere else she’d rather her sisters be. They all lived independent lives, or tried to, but still looked out for one another; though of course, good intentions could always be understood as slightly skewed. “Although, it isn’t without its downfalls. If you have any siblings then you understand how that can be.” She rolled her eyes, though it lacked the usual heat behind it, as she recalled all of the times her sisters had annoyed her over the years at school; all the times she had considered transferring as a daydraem fantasy, because to actually engage in such a thing would be improper and nigh impossible. She doubted Tonks would find such a story amusing, though; he probably would spout off about family values and choices, or lack understanding completely. Unable to hold back her curiosity, Andromeda glanced over at him, eyebrow raised in interest. “Does your family actually believe in m agic, or do they reckon you’ve just gone mental?” There was no inflection to her voice even though she didn’t really care for the dynamics of Ted Tonks’ family, but she figured this may be the one chance she had to ask about a culture and experiences she knew little to nothing about. 

[vndromedablck]

puff-tedwardtcnks‌:

Ted enjoyed helping out Madame Pomfrey a lot. In fact it was one of his favorite things to do in his free time. But it wasn’t as if he got nothing out of it. As he helped more and more, he also learned. It was helping him to begin his healer training. He liked to think of what he was doing as an accelerated course. It was something he wished that the offered as a course here. It was almost surprising that they didn’t, considering they offered so many other introductory subjects that could go towards future professions. Still, he was grateful for the opportunity to help out, even if it was exhausting at times. 

He had no reason to believe that Andromeda was lying to him. He also didn’t have any reason to believe that she was telling the truth either. Some others that he knew would have automatically assumed she was lying, and would want to hear the words from Pomfrey herself before giving the other student anything. But that was simply because she was a Slytherin, so it felt wrong for that to be the only evidence as to why she would be lying to him. The thought of asking her if she were telling the truth, of clarifying what she had said, crossed the boys mind. It felt rather insulting to do such a thing though, and so he wouldn’t dare. That certainly wasn’t going to help them to become friends, or even close acquaintances, if he showed her that she thought her to be untrustworthy. So he would simply have to take her word for it. 

“Alright.” He nodded, albeit hesitantly. “Why don’t you come with me while I grab them, it’ll probably be faster than waiting here for me to come back.” Ted nodded his head down the hall, signaling for her to walk with him. It was something simple, but it also meant he got to spend more time with her. Hopefully it would also seem less suspicious, than him just handing a random potion to her in the middle of the hallway. Plus the further away they got from the Hospital Wing, the better chances they had of Pomfrey not catching them in the case that Andromeda was indeed lying to him. Though he wasn’t one to judge, having swiped a few healing potions for himself when the situation arrived. Perhaps that was why he was willing to look the other way and not push on the matter, as he didn’t want to be hypocritical. 

Ted didn’t look like he completely believed her, but either he didn’t care for the lie or was gullible enough to go along with anything Andromeda told him; not that he would be the first. Power, intimidation, and beauty often proved to be a trio that could be just as effective as a love potion or amortentia. Sometimes she felt that such behaviors would help her in life better than most subjects taught by Hogwarts - for the life she would be expected to live, anyway. An empty and shallow one, but these days she found herself preoccupied with more pressing matters than dealing with future crises. 

The fact that he believed her enough to get them brought her no small amount of relief, and so Andromeda decided not to push it, swallowing her pride and silently walking with him even if the idea of doing anything but was favorable. As Pomfrey’s apparent stock person, the blame would fall on Tonks if anything were to look suspect, and Andromeda had no doubt that Pomfrey would be shrewd enough to dismiss the boy’s services completely if she had any suspicions. For some reason, Andromeda didn’t want that to happen - it would be a harsh punishment not to mention an overreaction - and so she found herself telling him, “Only take one.” It wasn’t that she cared if Tonks got permanently dismissed from whatever false pretenses of apprenticeship he had with Pomfrey, no - she simply didn’t want her own name involved if he decided to snitch and lay blame elsewhere. 

Andromeda found that she didn’t want to walk beside him, a feeling that had nothing at all to do with any concerns about Tonks potentially getting in trouble with Pomfrey, and so she quietly stepped to the side to put a careful amount of distance between them. It wouldn’t do for her to be seen interacting with someone so below her; in class was one thing, it was almost understandable and unavoidable, but being seen together in the halls before classes was the stuff rumors were made out of. She didn’t want the whole walk to be silent however and there were some facets of muggle culture she was curious about; they were strange and borderline barbaric, and it was a morbid fascination. “Do you miss your family when you’re at school?” Perhaps the answer to that question was obvious, but Andromeda was genuinely curious. Going to Hogwarts was an expected tradition for her and so she had spent her early childhood knowing it was coming; the fact that her family, and by extension Andromeda, frowned upon affection made the experience easier. She could only imagine how a muggleborn child would feel, being away from their parents for months at a time. 

[vndromedablck]

lilymxrie-evans‌:

“I can’t help but notice that that isn’t any of your business.” Lily replied, perhaps a tad more defensively than she’d intended, but Severus had always a been a bit of a sore spot for her—more so since everything that had happened beside the lake at the back end of their previous school year.

When she’d been a bit younger she had gotten defensive whenever questioned about why she was friends with Severus in the first place—and she supposed in a way she understood why, she and Severus didn’t have an awful lot in common, and he had been hanging around a rather darker crowd lately, but she’d always insisted those people just didn’t understand. Severus had always been exceptionally kind to her, he was her best friend and she didn’t want to believe that he bought into all of that propaganda, she’d never heard him utter the m-word (not until that day, at least) so to her it was mostly just rumours. He’d introduced this brand new world to her, he’d told her that being a muggle born made no difference, and turning her back on their friendship hadn’t been easy. She still felt guilty sometimes, but she had to keep reminding herself that if it was so easy for him to use that word, then a part of him must believe it, and how could she be friends with someone who deemed themselves above her?

“And besides, I don’t recall saying I thought you were up to no good… But you lot don’t have the most stellar of reputations lately, do you?” She added, feeling ashamed of herself afterwards, because she’d always avoided overgeneralisations—she thought them unfair and more often than not incorrect, but the one person she had truly believed didn’t fit the stereotype had proved her wrong, so what was to say Andromeda wouldn’t as well? She cleared her throat awkwardly, stepping to one side, “But if you were on your way out, please don’t let me stop you.”

Andromeda blinked at the bite in Lily’s tone, raising an eyebrow at the other girl. She hadn’t been expecting that sort of response; she didn’t know what sort of response she had been expecting, since Severus was prone to acting the same whenever his Gryffindor friend was brought up, but Severus was also generally less pleasant than Lily seemed to be. Not that Andromeda thought anything about Lily Evans was pleasant, definitely not, she had merely observed that the red-headed Gryffindor was kind, and one of the few in Hogwarts who didn’t worship the ground Potter walked on.“Well, in any case, I’m not exactly mourning his absence. Though if I may, I suggest gifting your friend some of your shampoo this Christmas. In the spirit of giving, and whatnot. Hogwarts will thank you,” she drawled, a sneer crossing her features. At the very least, Lily’s reaction when being asked about Severus was highly interesting, and Andromeda mentally filed it away for later to bother the moody git about. 

Severus and Lily’s friendship had always been a favored topic in the Slytherin dungeons and she suspected it wasn’t any different among the Gryffindors. She had seen the way Potter and his cronies - her stupid cousin being one of them - loved to get a rise out of Snape, teasing him for his appearance and any other ‘creative’ insults they could fashion. They were nothing more than childish bullies, but Andromeda knew from the few times she heard Severus’ friends discussing Lily Evans that the things said about her were truly vile. She wondered if Evans was aware that majority of Severus’ in-house friend group were Voldemort loyalists and felt a small pang of sympathy for the girl before shoving that thought away. Although, come to think of it she hadn’t seen the pair of them together for awhile and Severus was being even more insufferably moody lately, a feat Andromeda hadn’t thought possible. Perhaps he fucked up and there was now tension between them. That would explain the earlier hostility.

As quickly as the odd sympathetic feeling appeared it was gone as Andromeda felt a white hot anger course through her veins. It was so narrow-minded, so fucking typical, that some Gryffindor muggleborn would bring up current events and try to pin direct blame on Slytherins and purebloods for it. Showing such anger would be unseemly, however, and Andromeda merely regarded Lily cooly though her eyes were blazing. “My lot?” she echoed quietly with a shake of her head. “A bit presumptuous to assume you know me at all, Evans. Tell me, what else do you know? Or are you just deluded enough to project Severus’ loyalties onto anyone you believe fits the bill?” In hindsight, she was glad that she hadn’t voiced what she thought earlier and called her a mudblood. It would only demonstrate a loss of control and further serve to make Lily a victim to anyone who would find out. Andromeda drew herself to her full height and leaned against the door frame before crossing her arms, her lips molding back into their trademark sneer. She wanted nothing more than to hex something - or someone - right now, but wouldn’t lower herself to doing so.