𝓈𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎.

(   *  💀  /  alexxis lemire, cisfemale, she/her  )  —  is that andromeda black i just saw rushing down the corridor? i hear they’re a twenty year old slytherin, returning for their sixth school year, but their friends would tell you that they are diligent & shrewd as well as indecisive & unyielding. if you want to know more about them, i guess i could tell you that they’re pureblood, and from what i hear, they’re currently allying with the neutrals. when our divination professor looks into their crystal ball, they see: an octagon gazebo covered with vines, a dark night sky illuminated by stars and a bright moon, stacked charm books, sense and sensibility, the first bite of a fresh baked chocolate cake, a sense of purpose. 

   while he got along pretty well with the other two black sisters, andromeda had more or less been an enigma to lucius for the longest time. she felt different than the others and he didn’t like that. maybe it was because he couldn’t read her entirely, maybe it was because they just weren’t close. regardless? he was not an andromeda fan at all. “shit, andy.” was the first thing to escape his lips, not even having to turn around to know it was her. “you know what always works? saying please or excuse me. tsk tsk.. you’d think your mother taught you better.” yet lucius steps out of her way, ever the gentleman with the people he likes. or with andromeda, tolerates. he didn’t like her at all, though he’d certainly play nice for the sake of his own future with her sister. “- i really would have moved if you just asked.”

❛  you were just standing by the entrance. don’t you know others have to get through ?  ❜  she gave him a pointed look. ever since she could remember she had always disliked lucius and his arrogance. but what’s more is that she hated the fact that he was going to be a part of the family. as if seeing him in school wasn’t enough, now she had to put up with seeing him a lot more at family functions. it was absolutely absurd.  ❛  but whatever we should probably take our seats already—where’s the professor ?  ❜  it was odd. they were always punctual. her thoughts were interrupted by professor mcgonagall who announced the class’ sudden cancellation along with the usual protocol. andromeda turned back to lucius, brows quirked.   ❛  you heard her mr. prefect. give us the honor and escort us out. ❜

𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅  𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓  𝑓𝑜𝑟  @andrvmedas​  !

location  :  the  library  .

          amelia  finds  solitude  in  the  library  ,  acting  as  a  safe  space  to  some  degree  .  here  ,  people  do  not  try  to  play  twenty  questions  with  her  ,  becoming  somewhat  of  a  celebrity  overnight  ,  but  only  because  if  they  do  ,  the  librarian  will  tell  them  to  hush  and  if  that’s  not  enough  to  deter  them  ,  a  book  would  no  doubt  be  thrown  at  their  heads  .  she  also  discovers  an  escape  in  the  pages  ,  a  way  of  occupying  her  mind  until  the  words  become  a  blur  and  her  eyes  tire  ;  reading  often  the  only  way  she  can  fall  asleep  but  that’s  when  the  nightmares  come  .  the  sound  of  chair  legs  scraping  across  the  floorboards  disturbs  the  rarity  of  her  peace  ,  but  she  does  not  bother  to  look  up  ,  “  i  wouldn’t  sit  there  if  i  was  you  .  i’m  not  the  best  company  right  now  .  ”

ever since arriving at the institute, andromeda hadn’t had a chance to speak to amelia formally, or even get to spend some time with her for that matter. there were a few exchanges of words, and though hers were comforting she felt like they didn’t fully exert her support. so when she found amelia at the library she immediately dropped whatever plans she had there and made her way towards the other.  ❛  i’m just here to check up on you.  ❜  she settled down on her seat, unsure of what else to say next without sounding redundant. reading the heart-rendering news over the summer gutted her. and if it weren’t for her family situation she would have been there for her friend in an instant. the death of a loved one was horrible, but having three more ripped away was unimaginable.  ❛  have you eaten anything today ?  ❜

          they  say  animals  are  the  best  judge  of  character  ,  so  it  is  perhaps  no  surprise  that  andromeda’s  pet  practically  mauls  him  .  it’s  his  own  fault  for  trying  out  something  new  by  actually  greeting  him  ,  not  the  biggest  fan  of  creatures  ,  magical  or  not  ,  and  argus  can  probably  smell  his  disdain  .  the  sounds  of  his  claws  tearing  through  the  fabric  is  enough  to  bring  demetrius  to  tears  ,  if  he  had  any  emotions  that  is  ,  worrying  more  for  the  fine  cloth  than  for  his  own  wellbeing  .  before  she  can  even  attempt  to  pry  him  off  ,  he  is  already  shaking  his  robe  forcefully  to  fling  him  off  ,  as  if  he  was  a  piece  of  dirt  .  in  all  fairness  ,  he  might  as  well  be  .  “  if  that  shit  ever  happens  again  ,  i’ll  have  that  filthy  mutt  put  down  ,  ”  he  says  with  such  nonchalance  ,  as  he  dusts  off  his  now  tatted  robe  ,  and  as  if  it’s  not  a  threat  at  all  ,  but  one  he  intends  to  see  through  .  “  put  him  on  a  leash  and  we  won’t  have  any  problems  .  i’ll  send  you  an  invoice  for  the  damages  but  i  doubt  you’ll  be  able  to  afford  it  .  ”

if she were some other person andromeda might have not cared to ask whether he was ok. however, it had always been in her nature to be polite, but that only went so far as respects to the dispositions these certain purebloods held. and by merlin she hated the lot of them and for this reason she wasn’t afraid to lash out if need be.  ❛  i suppose that really is the only thing that matters to you. now i almost wish he would’ve clawed your eye out, maybe then you’d actually have something good to cry over. merlin knows it might’ve served as a humbling experience too, not that you know anything about being humble, even if a bludger were to hit you in the face with it.  ❜  she shrugged casually, features devoid of any form of expression—a mastered skill she was driven to acquire. not that she cared what he thought, but she also wasn’t going to hand him the satisfaction of seeing her react. she knew far too well the games his kind play, mostly just empty words.  ❛  hmm, well i would offer my apologies instead but it’s clear that you're not deserving of any. maybe it was karma making its rounds. lack of merits really do come back to bite.  ❜

Being out in and among vegetable patches, and generally in the dirt was one of Alice’s favourite places to be. She loved nothing more than sitting, getting her hands dirty as she enjoyed herself. She really did miss the vegetable garden when she was back at home. Living in Diagon Alley really didn’t lend it self to a garden. But Alice had been paying for a muggle allotment over the summer, and that had been fun. She was so excited to be back at the school though. She looked up as she heard her friend’s voice, a few onions in her hands. It was then she realised that Andy wasn’t even paying attention. “Earth to Andy….” The girl laughed, resisting the urge to throw an onion at her head. “I was just saying that onions are good too.”

❛  oh right.  ❜  she chuckled softly as she took a good look at them.  ❛  they really are, though i think last year’s were a bit larger. but regardless i bet they taste just as good.  ❜  in retrospect everything was better last year. it’s incredible how things can change from one instance to the next. the fact that they had to be escorted everywhere they went for the time being was beyond frustrating but she understood why. as much as she hated it she had no other choice but to follow the headmaster’s new regulations. many were wondering what his next move would be though. a professor did die after all, well, murdered to be exact.  ❛  shall we head over. i think the escort is getting a bit impatient now,  ❜  andromeda murmured as she gestured with her head towards one of the prefects.

❛  so it’s really true then ?  ❜  andromeda asked quietly.  ❛  you’re gonna marry mulciber…  ❜  the news had caused her stomach to churn. she couldn’t imagine what that would be like. as if being forced to marry wasn’t bad enough, having a despicable man for a husband was surely worse than death. life wasn’t too kind to women, especially when they came from families of supposed blood prestige. the sacred twenty-eight had definitely become the bane of andromeda’s existence. she was truly fed up with their whole charade.  ❛  my heart definitely goes out to you, marlene.  ❜  she shook her head as she gandered at the passersby from their bench before looking back at the other.  ❛  but hey if you ever need a pick me up we can get together and do each other’s nails. i can curl your hair too if you’d like. i learned this new charm that gives you a different kind of curl.  ❜ 

mornings were usually so tedious and today wasn’t any different, except for the anxiety settling in on her stomach. it wasn’t uncommon these days for andromeda to wake up with the pit of her stomach all up in knots. but by merlin it was turning into such a thorn at her side. maybe some pumpkin juice could help. when she stepped inside the dining hall she became keenly aware of harper and the little flask she just hid within her robes. so she made her way towards the hufflepuff table and plopped herself across from the other, ignoring the stares she received from the few other hufflepuffs there.  ❛  a bit too early for a drink don’t ya think ?  ❜  andromeda remarked as she smoothed out her robes and waited for her goblet to fill up.  ❛  i won’t tell anyone, lest you spice up my juice a little.  ❜  she added before offering a playful smile. maybe a bit of alcohol can sooth her down enough to make her morning a little more tolerable.

after only talking about magical creatures for a whole week, they were finally given the green light to bring their pets. andromeda was excited to say the least. but argus ? not nearly as much. she had a brief struggle this morning with him. argus almost tore down the slytherin common room as he was hellbent in staying inside. it wasn’t until one of her housemates offered him a few indulging treats that he finally settled. and he remained that way throughout lecture, that was until demetrius zabini began greeting him. andromeda saw it coming the moment his ears flattened. she couldn’t have been any quicker though as argus all but launched himself at the other with a low growl. with an unceremonious swipe of his paw, he had his claws all entangled in demetrius’ robes.  ❛  argus, no !!  ❜  andromeda yelled and proceeded to pry him off of the other. the feline knew exactly the bad deed he’d done for he scampered far away the moment he was freed.  ❛  bloody hell, i don’t know what got into him. are you ok though ?  ❜  her voice was laced with full on concern as she examined his torso.

in all her years in hogwarts andromeda had always attended quidditch tryouts of other houses whenever she could, and the same went for any of the matches. the sport had always fascinated her as a little girl thanks to her uncle alphard introducing it to her. he was the one that encouraged her to officially try out in her second year after much practice in her first. ever since then she had secured herself a position of a chaser every year. well, that is until this year. she just had too much on her plate with the many classes and extracurricular activities and then, of course, there was the matter of personal struggles. despite this she still wanted to be among the spectators of the on-going tryouts. and it so happened to be that ravenclaw had gone first followed by her own house.  ❛  the stark difference between the teams shouldn’t really be a surprise right ? and yet…  ❜  she turned towards alecto.  ❛  at least ravenclaw aren’t a bunch of savage animals.  ❜  even their graceful ways were extended towards a dangerous sport, the other houses couldn’t come close to comparison  (  especially slytherin  ).

the last person andromeda ever wanted to see was now standing in her way. she had the strongest urge to shove him aside given that he was idling by the entrance of the classroom with his back towards her  (  but she wouldn’t actually touch him of course  ). could he be any more self centered ? andromeda was usually one of the first students to take their seats but it seemed that today had other plans for her in store, mainly that she was not in the best mood. she cleared her throat to garner his attention but he just kept on rambling and laughing with his friend.  ❛  can you perhaps step aside ? some of us are trying to get through,  ❜  she spoke loud and clear for the other to hear as it took every ounce of self control to mask her exasperation, and probably smacking the back of his head with her history book.

ever since that newsletter came out andromeda had half a mind to pick a bone with rita. but then again so many of the others did too. the self proclaimed journalist wasn't very friendly much from what andromeda’s seen. so far she had done her best to avoid the other and their entrailed passion for writing half truths and lies about the lifes of others. it never piqued her curiosity to even read through their material but the whispers regarding her in the newsletter had eventually reached her ears. the very last thing she wanted was to be dragged into the bedlam that the other blacks were deep in, let alone having it publicized for everyone to read. seeing the other now brought back bitter feelings but she willed herself not to snap at them.  ❛  rita, long time no see.  ❜  she spoke with a chilling calmness, her gaze fixated on the cold water gushing over her hands.

❛  these spinaches are very much ready,  ❜  andromeda called out as she began to harvest them by the bunch and placing them in one of their baskets.  ❛  how are the onions coming along ?  ❜  she turned towards her best friend. those were the only two ingredients they needed to gather for the salad they were going to concoct for themselves. if there was anything that she actually missed from home it would definitely be cooking. it was mostly a distraction now what with everything that had occurred since the start of the school year; things have definitely been uneasy. especially with the news of professor ambarella and what it would mean for their future if things were to escalate in the direction the situation seemed to be heading. she didn’t realized she had paused in her work and was staring off into space until alice brought her back to reality.  ❛  sorry, i got distracted. what were you saying ?  ❜