Disclaimer: Characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I don't own them, and I never will.
Summary: As Andromeda Black's beliefs change, so does her opinion on parties.
Parties
Life was a whirl of parties, veiled insults, and gossiping for the women of prominent and wealthy families, like the Blacks. Andromeda could not remember a time when she wasn't dolled up in fancy robes, expensive jewelry, and alluring make-up at least once a week.
As a young girl, she loved the parties with the beautiful women and the handsome men, all from the most respectable and pure wizarding families. Above all others, Andromeda and her two lovely sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa, were admired. Not only was their family at the top of the social chain, but the Black sisters could charm their way into anyone's heart. Every option in life was open to them.
When she arrived at Hogwarts, Andromeda could only attend the parties during the holidays, and they lost some of their glamour. Cygnus and Druella Black could no longer shield their daughter from muggleborns and blood-traitors, and news from the real world could not be twisted to suit her parents' purposes. At the parties, the men no longer seemed correct in their views and the women no longer seemed ideal role models. Andromeda was not in Slytherin for nothing, however, and she lied, pretending that nothing had changed.
Fifth year came, and Andromeda was made a prefect, the perfect opportunity to throw a party. That summer had aged her well, and men started to look at her as a possible bride for their sons. After all, she was the perfect candidate for marriage: Slytherin prefect, top of her year at Hogwarts, wealthy, beautiful, clever, charming, graceful, from a feared and powerful family, and a descendant of the most pure of bloodlines. Every dance found Andromeda with a new partner, vying for her love and favor. She wasn't alone in this, either. Bellatrix and Narcissa were just as highly sought after, and it was decided that the Black sisters truly were the most desirable brides imaginable.
This should have pleased her, as it did her two sisters, but Andromeda was indifferent to the matter. Grades were her focus during fifth year, for not only did she have O.W.L.s, but a mudblood in Ravenclaw was starting to show her up, stealing her title as the top of the year. Bellatrix offered to "sort him out" for her, but Andromeda refused. She had to beat him on her own, otherwise she would never be able to tell if he was letting her win, or if she really was. In the end, she just barely passed him, and she knew she would have to work harder her next year.
O.W.L.s came around, and she passed them all with ease. Every grade was had an "Outstanding" or "Exceeds Expectations" following it. Druella Rosier Black was pleased immensely, not because she loved her daughter, but because this would be appealing to men. Intelligent mothers often were gifted with intelligent sons, or so Druella liked to claim—the pureblood women took this chance to point out, with smug grins, that she had no sons.
Bellatrix graduated that year, and a party was thrown to celebrate the end of her Hogwarts career. Rodolphus Lestrange danced many times with Bellatrix, who looked dangerous and seductive in her scarlet robes. Whispers followed the two around, about how lovely they looked together and how they would make a perfect couple. Mrs. Lestrange actually drew Druella Black aside to whisper and gossip about a possible marriage between the two, which would satisfy both the families' desires.
Lord Voldemort attended, though only for a short time, and Bellatrix hastened to introduce him to her two little sisters. Narcissa was awestruck; Andromeda was cold and distant. His eyes flashed red at Andromeda's obvious distaste, and Bellatrix glared at her furiously. Andromeda didn't care, this Lord Voldemort character seemed dodgy to her, especially in the amount of control he had over Bellatrix, and was starting to gain over Narcissa.
Sixth year brought with it news of war, during which deaths and torturing became were mentioned daily in the papers. Slytherins didn't seem worried, however, as they knew which side they were allied with. Andromeda was unsure; she didn't like Voldemort, and she was started to question the pureblood ideals.
Ted Tonks, that mudblood Ravenclaw who had nearly stolen the top of the grade title, didn't seem nearly so bad now that they were in the same N.E.W.T. classes. As the only Slytherin continuing in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, she had been forced to sit, in both classes, with Ravenclaws. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, while available to sit next to, were out of the question.
Naturally friendly, he forgave her every time she insulted him and called him a mudblood. In truth, Ted fascinated her, especially since he came from a large and loving muggle family. Forgetting herself, she would often listen with rapt attention when he described his family, and only when others noticed her listening would she become aloof and closed off again. His jokes never failed to get her to chuckle, and his laugh, so full of sheer amusement, always caused her to join in, no matter how much she tried to fight it.
That summer, the parties lost what little appeal they had retained, and they became rather boring for Andromeda. Against her wished, Ted Tonks had changed her views on blood status, and she found herself thinking longingly of school, where she would see Ted once again. The distance between Andromeda and her family grew into a gaping chasm, causing the previously inseparable Black sisters to divide.
The school owl came, and the Blacks received a delight. Not only was Andromeda made Head Girl, but Narcissa was a prefect. To make matters even better, later that day, Rodolphus Lestrange proposed to Bellatrix. Naturally, this meant a party. Men were more insistent in their attempts at wooing her, for she was entering her last year at Hogwarts and was of age, and would soon after be married off. This should have been the best time of her life, in which she would actually get to chose her husband from a huge group of men, but Andromeda felt sick instead. While trying to see whom she could love from her admirers, she realized that her heart was already captured, by one who would never be accepted by her family.
Classes were harder than ever before, but this was only natural since it was her last year of schooling. Ted had been made Head Boy, and so Andromeda had an excuse to talk to him if the Slytherins ever caught her. Without realizing it, she was completely open and friendly to Ted in a way she had never been with anyone else, for she had missed him so desperately, she refused to push him away. This surprised Ted, as he had never gotten the impression that she liked him before.
Narcissa was studying for her O.W.L.s, which was lucky, or she might have noticed when Andromeda started to date Ted, spending much more time with him than the relationship of Head Boy and Girl warranted. Bellatrix would have noticed for sure, but Narcissa had never been as observant.
N.E. came around, allowing even more time for Andromeda and Ted to be together, with the excuse of going to the library to study. The tests were much harder than O.W.L.s had been for her, but she felt she did well on them.
Seventh year drew to a close, and she found she couldn't give Ted up like she would be expected to. He was too dear to her, but Andromeda would be engaged to a wealthy and influential pureblood shortly after graduation. For about a year after graduation, the two dated secretly, until Ted started to want more commitment. She loved him by this point too much to bear losing him.
While wondering how to tell her family about Ted, Bellatrix's wedding finally took place. Bellatrix looked lovely in the wedding dress, sweet and innocent for the first time in years, and Andromeda was able to forget her dilemma and be happy. At the wedding party, however, her parents decided to make a choice for her husband themselves, as Andromeda showed no inclination to do so.
Until an hour before the party a week later, she had no idea she was engaged, and that the party was her engagement party. Her fiancé, Cassius Wilkes, was the heir of a family that, though less pure than the Blacks, was incredibly wealthy. There was no denying that he was incredibly handsome, but he was very full of himself, too, and not someone Andromeda would have even considered if she could chose.
Parties jumped from being boring to unbearable. Every time she looked at Cassius, she felt sick at the way he admired her approvingly, bragging to other about his future wife. Two options were left to her: she could marry Cassius, making her family happy, or abandon her family, and marry Ted.
As she saw her fiancé making her was towards her through the crowd, Andromeda made up her mind. She weaved in and out of people, putting distance between Cassius and herself, while making her way to the exit. Once the door had closed behind her, she broke out into a full run, not stopping until she reached her room.
With a simple flick of her wand, everything soared through the room and neatly landed into her open trunk. Grabbing a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, Andromeda wrote a few lines to her family, not bothering to put it into an envelope. In a few minutes, her absence would be noticed, and if she was caught, she would never have a chance to escape again until after her marriage, when it would be too late.
She couldn't help but worry what Ted would say when she showed up on his doorstep, especially since it was well past one in the morning, but she needn't have worried. Even though it was very late, his entire family was still awake. A young girl opened the door, her mouth falling open as she gazed at Andromeda's face, at her dress robes, and at the trunk in her hand.
When Andromeda started to speak, the young girl squeaked in terror and slammed the door in her face. Questions could be heard from within about who was at the door, and when the girl told them about the odd outfit and the trunk, pounding footsteps rushed towards the door. A few seconds later, the door was thrown open, silhouetting Ted's frame in the doorway.
His gaze passed from Andromeda to the trunk in her hand, then back to her face. No words were necessary, and with a bright, loving smile, he took her hand in his and led her inside the house. 'No more pureblood parties,' she thought with satisfaction.