Andromeda Black

dreamer. heart on her sleeve. half-used jars of ink. from dirt, a flower must grow. unshed tears. bottling everything up. THIS IS ME TRYING. fallen star. trust issues. hiding behind a forced smile.

Biography. Pinterest. Spotify.

Narcissa was not entirely convinced that her sister would let her in, and she really did not blame her. She probably would have been exactly the same if she had been in her position. Of course, she would never be, or very unlikely be, considering that she had actually married a pureblood. But that did not mean that she could understand what was going on for her sister. Losing Lucius would devastate her, and it was the reason she was at Andromeda’s door in the first place. She only hoped that Andromeda would open the door.

The fact that Andromeda had come to the door was a big one, and the blonde was not surprised that she was seeking out to make sure she was actually Narcissa. She supposed she would not put it past any of the death eaters to worm their way in this way. And she was just glad that Andromeda had her guard up. She needed to protect herself, more now than ever.

“You told me…..” The blonde began, biting on her lip. “That Nym had said that they are not your daughter or your son.” She didn’t quite understand it, but she was proud of them for being so vocal about who they were as a person. “Nym would hate being referred to as as your daughter.” She mused, shaking her head. “I told you I was proud of them for being so self-assured at such a young age.”

.

Andromeda almost didn’t let her in. The hesitation was made clear since she paused against the doorway, steeling herself since she couldn’t trust her emotions to remain at bay. Hours of bottling up emotions and needing to remain strong for her child, not being able to find a release since Nym insisted on sharing a bed with her. It was all a disaster waiting to unleash.

She didn’t immediately say anything at first, opting to open the door to allow the space for Cissa to step in. There was mere seconds between her closing the door and practically throwing herself against Narcissa. No words, several shaky breaths, and a few tears.

Laurent managed not to flinch as Andromeda flinched under his touch. He didn’t know if it was devastating or comforting to know that she was as uncomfortable as he was with the whole situation. He didn’t want her to suffer, but not suffering alone had a certain charm to it too that Laurent couldn’t deny.

We. It was a heavy word as Andromeda used it because Laurent knew she wasn’t just talking about herself and the child. This was a reminder of her family, her whole family. Ted might have been gone, but his presence was still incredibly strong in their lives. Laurent hated that he was a wrecking ball slamming into the middle of that.

“Less formal,” he agreed, figuring it was easier to focus on the small talk. Less personal was more safe, although that seemed tragic when he considered what they were supposed to be to each other. “It’s nice to have a casual night together just the two of us.” They were still in public, but it was less pressure this way. They weren’t quite so on display as a place like the Malfoys where they’d failed to measure up. 

❂

The situation could have been worse, Andromeda acknowledged. Laurent seemed patient and she was certain there were many who would have neglected to extend that much respect. The odds could have been worse, with her having been paired with someone that took a more forceful approach on things. It would have been fitting given the poor opinion members of her family seemed to have of her. She forced the thought away though, allowing her focus to shift to Laurent.

“Less formal,” She repeated with a nod. That should have meant less stressful but she was still on edge. The whole ordeal was off-putting in itself with Andy well aware that the other options were even less desirable than the one she agreed to. Everything was done with Nym in mind, solely wanting what was best for her child. She could play along but that did little in easing the nerves that surrounded doing precisely the opposite of the example she wanted to set for Nymphadora.

“We should have done this sooner,” She admitted, unable to look Laurent in the eye when speaking. It wasn’t exactly a secret that she would have preferred ignoring the situation altogether over dedicating time to small talk and trying to make things work.

Regulus started from his deep thought, blinking wide eyed in the direction of Andromeda which more than admitted his guilt. "Sorry,” He apologised, trying to remeber what they had been talking about before he had become so distracted. Memoey failed him and Regulus sighed. “You know, you’d think being a man of leisure, I’d have had plenty of time perfecting becoming the perfection conversationalist but it seems that I just end up getting lost in thought. Perhaps I should consider a career. I think I’d make a rather spectacular politician, although I doubt that Nypmphadora would find me any less dull and tedious.” He put on a smile and hoped that his comment would hit the right mark, not deviating too greatly and having at least a sprinkling of humour.

It was really not an event if Alice and Frank did not end up being separated by the end of it. And the Lunar New Year Celebration was nothing different. She’d come with her husband, and enjoyed mooching around Hogsmeade. But just after they’d released the lanterns, they’d managed to get split up. It wasn’t too bad. They knew enough people that she wasn’t worried. But it would have been nice to actually spend an entire event together. Maybe they’d need to plan the next event they went to with more ease. 

As Alice was walking around, she spotted a familiar face. A familiar, unchaperoned face, and well, Alice was intrigued. She was surprised they’d let her go out alone, and she was happy for the other woman. It must suck to be locked up like that. She hadn’t intended on making the other woman feel lovely. “It is beautiful….” She murmured with a little smile. It was beautiful. “You have good taste Nym. I love Lunar New Year.”

“Yeah. Taking Draco without them knowing probably would not be a good move.” And Alice had a feeling she was going to be in enough trouble, so didn’t need to take the baby to make it even worse.  “Are you having a good time Andy?”

❂

“Isn’t it?” Nym giggled, hair temporarily shifting from a brown that was similar to Andromeda’s to a vibrant pink. “I think I made mum sad but she won’t say it.” Leave it to a familiar face to bring out Nym’s honest opinion. “I’m not sad,” Andromeda attempted to smile but the look didn’t meet her eyes, making her quick to shift her attention to Alice. She was certain Nym could see right through her attempts at seeming unaffected by everything.

“Are too — she won’t smile, Auntie Liss. I shouldn’t have mentioned dad,” That statement earned a cough from Andromeda and a rapid shake of her head. “No, I didn’t say that and certainly don’t want you thinking that, Nym. I miss him just as much as you do.” She threw a glance in Alice’s direction in an attempt at asking for a change in topic, relieved Draco was brought up.

Marlene was almost glad when she saw that it was Andromeda. In a lot of ways, she felt like she could be more open and honest with Andromeda than she could with other people. Ted had gone missing too, the same time that Marz had. But she doubted that Andromeda had the guilt that Marlene had–Ted’s disappearance wasn’t her fault.

Looking at the card, a true smile formed on Marlene’s lips. “Please thank them for me,” she replied, her voice soft. “And thank you. You are too kind to me.” She didn’t deserve it. Sighing, Marlene shrugged her shoulders. “He should be here,” she whispered. It felt wrong talking about her brother in public.

❂

“I will, they will be thrilled to hear you liked it,” She sighed. “I would have brought Nym but their excitement would have been more of a red flag than just my being here.” A silly thought perhaps, but Andromeda was alarmed the family hadn’t done more in discouraging her from consorting with Marlene or James. As rare as the moments were, she was certain she would get an earful if someone let slip precisely where she was.

"They all should be,” Andy whispered in response. The thought was far too traitorous to be spoken in anything above a hushed tone, accompanied by her placing a subtle hand over her mouth in case it turned into her mother somehow having managed to have someone dog her steps. “But they aren’t, so this is the closest we’ll be able to get for the time being.”

Regarding Nymphadora:

Nymphadora primarily uses they/them pronouns, having told both parents they aren’t a boy or a girl and would like to be called Nym. Andromeda supports them and has been doing her best to ensure Nym has gender neutral clothes, not making a big deal out of the days her child dresses in gendered outfits. She is quick to correct people if they get rude, and Nym has enough confidence to correct people before their mother gets the chance to say anything.

Andromeda wanted a strong, independent child and fostered Nym’s curiosity instead of shutting it down. This has proven slightly disastrous since Druella was expecting a well behaved granddaughter and got greeted with a self-assured grandchild instead. While Nym has yet to say anything that could lead to getting Andromeda into trouble, their outbursts are something Druella repeatedly claims she can’t handle. 

Laurent knew he needed to start looking for like he was interested in this relationship. They’d had a few social outings and talked on occasion, but aside from the engagement itself, he and Andromeda hadn’t put in much time. They needed to start. First things first, it would look better for them both at a time when that was the goal. Second and perhaps more importantly, this would be their life. Whether or not they liked it, they were going to be stuck together. 

He’d dressed nicely and was running a little behind where he wanted to be, so Laurent flushed slightly as he walked in and found Andromeda already there. He was supposed to taking charge probably, but when she was so capable, he wasn’t going to argument.

As she leaned in to kiss her cheek, Laurent put a hand on her arm. That felt normal. “You look lovely, Andromeda,” he said. And that was true. She looked beautiful. “I hope I didn’t leave you waiting long.” Although she’d already been sitting, Laurent moved behind her chair to push it in after she’d sat down again before circling the table to his own.

✵

Arriving early was a habit, with Andromeda regularly adding fifteen to thirty minutes to spare with travel time. It was a little easier for the evening since she didn’t need to trick her kid into leaving “early.” Ten minutes early had been deemed reasonable since it wasn’t early enough to grow tired of her surroundings (just enough time to peruse other shops in search of something for Nymphadora) and not close enough to the time they set to not want to leave her parents’ home at all.

She nearly shied away when Laurent touched her. The response came out in a brief moment of hesitation where she didn’t immediately say anything.  Breathe. The thought served as a reminder that they were supposed to be trying to make things work. It wouldn’t do any good to flinch back or seem scared of touch when she was the one that initiated it. “Thank you,” She exhaled and leaned into his touch, willingly taking the lead to return to their table.

“And hardly,” She added with a shake of her head then sat. “I tend to arrive a little early since Nym has a habit of dragging their feet. We used to have to say we were leaving half an hour early to arrive on time.” She had almost referenced Ted after that and thought better of it, opting to change the subject instead. “Not my first choice in a location, but I think it’s a little better than having opted for one of the high end restaurants.” More intimate and few familiar faces. Acknowledging that came as a relief since it meant being able to risk being more open in speaking. Anywhere else would have meant too many eyes on them and she planned to relish in having time that didn’t involve her mother breathing down her neck.

The date, if it could even be classified as that, was an unexpected out for Andromeda. It had come at the cost of needing to look the part, meaning she was dressed nicely and had taken the time to do her hair and makeup. It felt ridiculous to play into expectations but the praise for attempting to make things work was better than being chewed apart for not trying hard enough. Not that she had wanted to try as it was. The betrothal was a topic she didn’t like thinking about since it meant acknowledging being used as a pawn for the family’s own interests.

She had opted for an understated gown. Nothing showy or form fitting and red in color. It was more than she would have done for Valentine’s Day with Edward but those thoughts were pushed aside before they so much as came to the front of her mind. There was no room for doubt for the evening and she knew not to expect anything from it. She had her mind set on nothing coming out of it and had a child back home that would have her head if she did anything to disrespect Ted’s legacy. That made playing the role of future wife-to-be all the harder.

Andromeda felt like a kid again, having snuck out from the family’s watchful eyes to take Nym to the Lantern Festival in Hogsmeade. It was just the two of them, smiling and behaving as though they hadn’t a care in the world for the first time in weeks. She wouldn’t have changed it for anything. At least, that had been the thought on her mind up until the time to release lanterns came about. “I hope daddy comes back,” served as the unexpected quote of the evening, with Nymphadora glued right to Andromeda’s side when they whispered and released the lantern. Andromeda’s voice cracked when she answered, “me too,” and there would be no more trying to mask her emotions for the evening.

Things had taken a solemn turn and she was all too ready to bring Nym back home and face the consequences of having left without stating where they were going. “How does a hot chocolate and -” The rest of her thought trailed off and she instinctively moved closer to Nymphadora, grabbing hold of the seven year old’s shoulder. As if on instinct, Nym shifted to give a small curtsy. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Nym quickly filled the silence between their mother and the adult that joined them, mimicking Andromeda’s awkward smile.