Written For:
The Friends Competition: TOW Phoebe Runs
Prompt: Write about a complicated relationship.
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Have to Be Enough
Lucius and Andromeda watched each other from afar. They did their best to be discrete about it, but they were always watching.
They must have done a good job because Narcissa never suspected it.
They had to bide their time until they could finally be alone. It was torture, but while they were at Hogwarts, they did their best.
One night, Lucius entered the dark Charms classroom. He was only waiting for a few minutes before Andromeda walked inside.
He held out his arms and she almost ran into them. "I missed you, Luc."
If anyone else had dared call him Luc, even Narcissa, he would have hexed them. But it sounded so sweet coming out of Andromeda's mouth. "I've missed you, too."
They saw each other all day every day, but it wasn't the same. They couldn't speak too much to each other because it would look suspicious if he talked that often to the Black sister that he wasn't contracted to marry.
With her lips brushing against the side of his neck, Andromeda murmured, "Edward Tonks asked me out today."
Lucius felt himself grow cold. He didn't really know anything about Tonks, except he was a Muggle-born Hufflepuff. Surely, he wasn't good enough for the lovely Andromeda Black. "Oh really? And what was your answer?"
Even though he kept his arms around her, she pulled away so she could look into his eyes. Her dark eyes held nothing but pain and wistfulness. "I told him I'd think about it."
Lucius took a step back as his arms fell from her waist. "What's there to think about? Surely you'll say no to that mudblood."
Andromeda's eyes narrowed.
Too late, he remembered that she hated that derogatory term. One of the biggest reasons for contention between them was she didn't believe that Pure-bloods were the best, and she thought Half-blood and Muggle-borns should be treated equally.
"There's a lot to think about. For example, he's sweet, compassionate, loyal, and he really likes me. And the most important thing is he's single and won't be marrying my sister as soon as they both graduate from Hogwarts."
Lucius' eyes closed, and he took a calming breath so he wouldn't explode. Proper Malfoys never exploded, at least not where others could see. "And what about me?" he finally asked.
Andromeda pressed her hand against his cheek. "I love you. I really do. But you will one day marry Narcissa. I'll never be anything more than your dirty little secret, and I don't know if I can deal with that. I want to be your wife. The mother of your children. Is that so wrong?"
Lucius rested his hand on top of hers, and he kept it against his cheek. "It's not my fault; I didn't ask for the contract. And if I thought it was possible, I'd make them change it from Narcissa to you."
"I know; I don't blame you for the situation, but you can't ask me to be happy with the little secret rendezvous you'll be able to give me, while you go home to your wife. My sister. That's not fair to me. Don't I deserve a husband? A chance to be a mother?"
Lucius thought about Andromeda, her stomach round with a baby. When he thought of her as a mother, he always saw the child with blond hair, grey eyes, and the Black family complexion. Or maybe the child would have black eyes, dark hair, and the Malfoy family complexion. That would never be possible, though. And Andromeda would be such a great mother. She was warm and nurturing, and she'd be in her element when she had a child. "You should have a chance to hear someone call you Mummy," he finally answered.
Andromeda bit her bottom lip. "I love you, but we can't be together. Not for real."
"I know," Lucius finally agreed. It was the sad truth, no matter how much the both of them wished otherwise. "So, what do we do?"
Andromeda stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "For now, we keep doing this. Until you say your vows, we can be together. We enjoy our time for as long as we can because we both know how fleeting it is. And when you marry Narcissa, I'll marry Edward or some other boy. And that will be the end of it."
Lucius swallowed. He wished he could have more time than that, but he knew that as soon as she or he had a wedding ring on their finger, her morals wouldn't allow her to continue the relationship. He would just have to accept would he could get.
So with a sad smile, he nodded and then pulled her into a deep, probing kiss, pouring his all of his feelings into it.
This would have to be enough.
Fin
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(word count: 811)