5Written for QLFC
Chaser 3, Falmouth Falcons.
CHASER 3: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole: Write about someone who ignores an important warning.
OPTIONAL PROMPTS:
(season) winter
(word) greed
(setting) nighttime
November 27, 1953
Grimmauld Place was a bundle of seriousness. A beautiful baby daughter had just been born to Cygnus and Druella Black. They named her after the Andromeda galaxy, the closest galaxy to the Milky Way. Andromeda Black.
"Has a nice ring, doesn't it?" Druella asked. Cygnus merely grunted in response.
"She'll get into Slytherin, grow up into a respectable pureblood, marry into a good family; perhaps the Lestranges? I've heard they had a son recently" She continued.
"We'll see. She will" Cygnus boasted.
ooo
March 15, 1961
"Andy! Come, let's play a round of Gobstones!" Bellatrix yelled.
"Bella, I've told you. I don't like Gobstones" Andromeda protested.
"Then what else do you propose?"
Andromeda pondered for a second. "How about broom racing?"
"Gosh, that's so tiresome. Why don't you-" She didn't get to finish her sentence before their mother came in. They stood up politely.
"There is going to be a ball on Tuesday." She started. "I expect you to behave. I will not have anything like last month to happen again"
Andromeda shuddered. The last month's party had been utterly mortifying. Bellatrix had spilled pumpkin juice on a revered guest. The punishment that followed...she put the thought out of her mind.
"Yes, mother" they chorused. Andromeda turned back to Bellatrix.
"I guess that will have to wait," she said. Bellatrix stuck up her nose in the air and started to walk off. Andromeda yelled, "Bella, wait!"
"What is it, Andy?" She asked, impatient.
Andromeda caught up to her and asked, "What had happened last month?"
"That's none of your business" She stormed off. Andromeda looked on sadly.
ooo
September 1, 1965
Andromeda and Bellatrix were off to Hogwarts. There was a long dispute on whether she should attend Durmstrang or Hogwarts. After several long discussions and a few temper tantrums, it was decided that she will attend Hogwarts. As they walked towards Platform 9¾. Her mother was hissing instructions in her ear.
"Make sure you get sorted into Slytherin. Make friends only with purebloods; half-bloods if you must. Your sister will be keeping tabs on you. Behave yourself, you hear me?"
"Yes, mother," She said, not indenting to follow her directions at all. She didn't believe that muggle-borns were that bad.
"What are you blithering for now? your sister has gotten in already. Now, chin up! Blacks never look down" Druella said.
Andromeda climbed onto the train, lugging her trunk behind her. After scouting a bit, she found a compartment with a girl and a boy in it. They were chatting away without a cared in the world.
"Hello? May I sit here?" Andromeda asked tentatively. They looked slightly surprised.
"Sure. We're not expecting anyone anyway" the girl said. "What's your name?" She asked.
"Andromeda" replied Andromeda.
"Nice name. I'm Elizabeth and he is Kitty Kevin" she said, beckoning to the red-haired boy. His face turned as red as his hair.
"Kitty Kevin?" Andromeda asked, barely suppressing a giggle. She wiped the giggle off her face. Her mother had told her that purebloods never giggled.
"She's being silly. I'm Kevin Franklin " said the boy.
"That's not a wizarding name. Are you a muggle-born?" Andromeda asked. She fought hard to keep her slightly malicious tone out of her words. That worked because Kevin replied easily
"Nah. Half-blood. Dad is a muggle"
"Nice..." Andromeda said, unsure of how to reply.
ooo
April 3, 1968
"What do you think? Arithmancy, Runes, and Muggle Studies? Or should I drop the last one?" Eli asked. Andromeda pondered over her list.
"I'm gonna take Care of Magical as my second choice. "Kevin declared.
"Right. Make sure you don't lose a leg" Dromeda (as she was fondly called) teased.
"Well, what do you think I am gonna take? I'm not taking Arithmancy"
" Aw... I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to stick with their friends" Dromeda cooed
"Not when it involves taking a subject full of numbers!" Andromeda laughed.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. I'm gonna take Arithmancy and Muggle studies. Eli, you?"
"Yeah. Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies." Eli replied. "Do you think I could take Divination too?" She asked as an afterthought. Andromeda immediately started making weird noises, imitating the Divination Professor.
"Eli dear, even Ravenclaws have a limit on what they can handle. Maybe you should drop Divination. I heard she is a fraud anyway" Kevin said. Elizabeth mused on it for a few seconds.
"You're right, Kitty Kevin -" at which point, Kevin protested loudly " - but Dromeda, will your parents agree to you taking Muggle Studies? I mean, the Blacks aren't exactly on best terms with Muggles, are they?" Eli pointed out.
There was quite a bit of truth in what she said. There was no way Cruella and Druella would agree to this without putting up a fight. She was already on rocky terms with Bellatrix, she didn't want to make it worse.
But on the other hand, she did want to know about Tonks. Although Andromeda would never admit it, she sort of liked the muggle-born. She'd shed her pureblood beliefs in her first year. Then she'd met Ted Tonks (or more like, slammed into him on her way to potions). Now she was torn between her family and love. Elizabeth didn't know what to do either. All she could do now was wait and watch
ooo
May 18, 1970
Groups of fifth years were vacating the Great Hall after their last OWL exam - Charms. Elizabeth was hyperventilating.
"Kevin, I think I messed up Neelit's Laws of Charms, I missed the fourth law-"
"Eli" Andromeda tried to interrupt.
"-I thought I'd have time to write it at the end, but then I got caught up in the fourteenth question-"
"ELI!"
"What?"
It was Kevin who replied "You'll do fine! It doesn't matter if you missed a point worth less than ¼ marks. You'll wear yourself out"
"Besides, I'm not gonna write an exam two times," Andromeda said.
"Easy for you to say, you're excellent at Charms!" Eli shot back. Before Andromeda could reply, she caught sight of Ted Tonks.
"Hey, I'll be right back," she said to Kevin and Elizabeth and made a beeline towards him. She didn't see the two of them exchange worried looks.
"Hello, Ted. How was your exam?" Andromeda asked.
"Good. Not expecting an outstanding, but still okay, I think" He replied, smiling. But before she could say anything further, she spotted Bellatrix walking along her way.
"I'm so sorry, Ted, but I have to go. How about we meet beside the Black Lake at 3?" Andromeda asked, her lips curving in an inside joke. Without waiting for a reply, she set off in the opposite direction.
Her friends found her in an hour.
"What are you gonna do? You can't date Ted, not under Bellatrix's watch." Eli said.
"Then we'll go out next year." She replied confidently. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were still skeptical.
"Just be careful. Your mother had warned you to not interact with him again, right? You'll get disowned" Kevin said.
"Are you saying I should be just like those pureblood fanatics?" Andromeda asked heatedly.
"Of course not!" Eli said before Andromeda could explode with rage "I only say that you shouldn't get kicked out of your home before you are of age."
ooo
January 21, 1974
Andromeda sneaked out of Grimmauld Place under the cover of darkness. She disapparated once she was sure the big manor wouldn't hear the crack of an apparition. She landed gracefully in a plain on the banks of River Thames. A wizard was sitting, gazing at the flowing water. His face was partially illuminated in the moonlight, and the identity put Andromeda at ease. The wizard turned around to face Andromeda.
"Hey, Dromeda"
She sat down beside him and pecked him on the cheek
"So, why did you want to meet in the dead of the night?"
"Oh... It's just - I wanted to talk to you" Ted stammered.
"Uh huh. Well, I wanted to talk to you too. It's been a long time, isn't it?"
"Uh... Yeah, so... You remember what I said about...uh...the future?"
Andromeda furrowed her eyes. "Yeah...?"
"So...um... How do I say this?" Ted ran his hands all over this hair, messing it up.
"What's gotten you so nervous? Is it my family?"
"No no no no no, it's not that. It's just... Can you stand up?"
"What?" Andromeda asked, startled by the sudden question.
Ted gulped. "Can you please stand up?" He asked, getting to his feet. Andromeda did the same.
"Dromeda, I've known you for years, since we were in third year. You've captured my heart, and I believe I captured yours." He fumbled for a bit in his pocket and pulled out a small black box. Then he got down to his knees, at which point Andromeda's eyes started to fill up. "Andromeda Black, will you marry me?" He asked, showing her a golden ring, with a small green stone on top of it.
"Yes yes yes! I will marry you!" Andromeda shrieked and hugged Ted. Ted laughed in relief. Together, they lay down in the grass and looked up at the crescent moon witnessing what just happened.
ooo
December 5, 1975
A hall was decorated, mostly with white. Trumpets blew on two sides of a long red pathway. Winter snow poured lightly, giving a cool hue to the whole place. Guests sat on either side, while a man and a woman stood in the front saying their wedding vows. Elizabeth was the bride's bridesmaid, and Kevin was the groom's best man.
"Do you, Andromeda Black, take Ted Tonks, as your lawfully wedded husband, with whom you will share your joys and sorrows, for the rest of your life?"
"I do," Andromeda said.
"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife!" The priest called out.
The hall erupted into cheers. Poppers and pieces of cake burst everywhere, as a result of a child's accidental magic. Everyone danced and enjoyed themselves. Andromeda and Ted felt like this was the best day of their life.
The only flipside is that the Black family had disowned Andromeda and blazed her face off the family tree. The family vowed to never associate themselves with her again. But that didn't bother Andromeda here. She was happy away from her greedy family, the lot of them infested with lust for power. She was even happier with Ted Tonks as his wife, Andromeda Tonks.
Word Count: 1,842