at W A R

When Andromeda pushed past her into her flat, she stood there frozen. For a moment she wondered if she was having a nightmare, that was the only thing that could explain Andromeda being here. In her flat. But then she turned and saw Andromeda standing there, a sight that she never thought that she would see. Every time she saw Andromeda it ended badly. Narcissa didn’t particularly want her in her flat, but she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to get her out without hearing her out for whatever this was. 

She slowly shut the door behind her and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an explanation. Andromeda had to have one. But then she said that the Order had kidnapped Ted and her eyes widened. It seemed crazy to think that they had kidnapped Ted, but she knew that the Order had been the ones to attack the fundraiser and she realized that perhaps they had had other than create chaos. But Narcissa trusted Lily, she knew that whatever Lily had done, it had been for a reason.

“I need coffee,” she finally said. She couldn’t handle an emotional Andromeda in her flat without any. “Do you want anything?” She offered, figuring that Andromeda wasn’t going anywhere until she dealt with this. “I…you can sit. Make yourself comfortable.” She may not like her sister but she could see how distraught she was and she wouldn’t do what Andromeda had done to her after James died.

“Ted…I’m sure wherever he is, he’s fine. How do you even know that he was kidnapped?” She asked her sister. “Maybe he just…needed a break. Or something. You know? Like was there a note or something? I would think if he was kidnapped then they would have left a ransom note.” 

Andromeda felt her temper flare when Narcissa declared that she needed coffee. Seriously? Andromeda was here because her fiance had been kidnapped, and Narcissa was thinking about coffee? Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tried not to lose her temper, knowing that it wouldn’t help her cause. There was no one else within the Order that Andromeda could go to. Emmeline and Josephine had no idea what was going on -- they hadn’t been let in the loop, and Sirius had been no help when he rescued her back at the Manor.

Andromeda needed to find Ted. None of this was his fault, it wasn’t even his fight. It was her fight, and she had dragged him into it. If something happened to him because of choices that she made? Andromeda would never forgive herself. It was one thing for her or Bellatrix to suffer for the cause. It was their cause, their war, their army. But it wasn’t Ted’s cause. His heart wasn’t even in it -- he was only doing all of this for love of her. And look where that love might have gotten him.

She acknowledged the invitation to sit, but didn’t act on it. Andromeda couldn’t sit still, not when her mind and heart were racing with desperation. She watched Narcissa bustle about, making herself some coffee, and reminded herself that she needed to be patient. She was lucky that Narcissa had even let her into the flat, especially after the encounter between the two of them only hours before. 

“Ted wouldn’t just disappear, not after chaos like that. He would know that I was worried and make sure that I knew he was okay.” Andromeda knew her tone was a little snappish, so she tried to soften it. “Besides, Sirius as good as admitted that the Order had him.” She breathed in, hoping that Narcissa couldn’t hear how shaky it was. That is, unless it would help her case. “I just--I need to find him, Narcissa. He has no part in any of this. All of it is my fault, not his.”