Some Introductions are in Order
As I walked down Diagon Alley, I saw my father's face staring up at me from every direction. I only knew it was him from a ratty old picture that my mum had. His face was under a terrifyingly wrong headline;
Wanted.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I guess some introductions are in order. Hi, my name is Andromeda Black, and yes before you ask I am the daughter of the framed murderer, Sirius Black. He was imprisoned for murder when I was only a few months old. I now attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I'm a 4th year transfer from America.
I came to London when my mum died of cancer. Before she moved our whole lives to New York, and my father went to Azkaban, he named me after his favorite cousin Andromeda Tonks. She married a muggle for love, and didn't believe in the whole pureblood bullshit, and neither did my father. That's why my mum loved him. Don't get me wrong I love him more than anything, but there's only so many times you can hear people tell you that your whole family is evil. And when they're right except for a few small exceptions, it's hard to cope with. My story at Hogwarts started at the airport, where my Uncle Remus picked me up.
He wasn't reAlly my uncle just my dad's best friend. He always used to come and visit my mum and I when she was in the hospital. I think he loved her too, but I'm not sure.
"Hey Andromeda, how was the plane?" Said a voice from behind me, I immediately recognized the voice as my Uncle Remy.
"Hey Uncle Rem, what's up, and I've told you like a hundred times call my Andy,"
"Well we better get a cab to the Leaky Caldron to unpack you then we'll grab some dinner, ok?" I loved London, even though I've only, a been a couple of times, but that was before my mum died of cancer, it was before she got sick. We walked down the to the street, and he flagged down a cab.
"Good morning Tom, can I have two butter beers," the barkeeper smiled at me in a loving way that reminded me of my mum, I turned my hair pink in embarrassment.
"Andy, since when are you a metamorphous," he sounded shocked.
"Since like always, I tried to keep in under raps, it made life easier in New York,"
"Oh, if you showed up with different color at the hospital you might be put in an asylum,"
"Yup," the rest of lunch was eerily quiet, and I was bored I wanted to go to Diagon Alley.
"Hey can we go to Florean Fortescue's, for ice cream, pretty please with a cherry on top," I smiled like an angel, batted my eyelashes , and turned my hair the color of my mums. My mum and uncle Remus were best friends before they went to Hogwarts, so I thought it would help my cause if I looked like her.
"Fine" he said narrowing his eyes "god Andy you look just like your mother"
We got up and went outside, out behind the Leaky Cauldron is the entrance to Diagon Alley, he took his wand and tapped the third brick to the left. As we entered my uncles eyes narrowed once again.
"Watch where you're going!" said a boy with pale hair that stuck up all over the place,
"you look familiar. My names Draco Malfoy, what's yours?" He said jokingly.
"Andromeda Padfoot Black, your cousin moron" I said smiling I loved my cousin for bringing out the best in me.
"Oh, I remember you," he said laughing.
"Draco, who are you talking to," said a voice I recognized as my uncle Lucius
"Oh hello father, just a professor and a cousin"
"Hello Remus, and who are you my dear?" He said smiling, Aunt Cissy and Draco used to come to NYC alone when they visited, so he never met me. He hated my father and the fact that he diverted from the family. But my aunt loved my mum and me, she was my godmother.
"Hello sir, I'm Andy Black, Sirius's daughter,"
"Ah yes, we'll hopefully you follow in many other Black footsteps and not your fathers, come Draco we must find your mother," he said the last part rather coldly, I think the almost were divorced but I believe they stayed together for Draco.
"Sir, please tell Aunt Cissy I said hello,"
"Will do my dear, I hope to see you in Slytherin,"
"Uncle Rem, mummy always said never tangle with Lucius Malfoys, he only brings trouble, you think it was him she was talking about?" I was serious about my uncle, he never
wanted to get to know me why should I get to know him.
"Yes darling, yes I most certainly do," he said seriously. I think he disliked my uncle for same reason I did. Uncle Lucius hated my mum and he hates me for some reason.
Sorting and Meeting
When I walked into Hogwarts for the first time, all I could think about was how alien it all was to me. I missed my little brownstone in Brookline, and visiting my mum in the hospital and I missed my mum telling me stories of my father when he was at Hogwarts. But all my problems started with the sorting. I was talking to Draco, mistake number one.
"Hello Andy, how was your summer sorry to hear 'about your mum, my mum told me" he said rather kindly for being a Malfoy. We've been good friends since we were little, so I guess it made sense.
"So Draco gonna introduce us to your new girlfriend?" Said a rather pudgy boy. How rude I thought to myself. He thought I was dating Draco that's so gross.
"Crabbe, Goyle, this is my cousin Andromeda, a pureblood Black layoff got it" then to me "don't mind them they're total asses, I hope you're placed into Slytherin" he said with a smile.
"Honestly I don't know what I want to be placed in yet, I think I'll go back to New York if I'm placed in Hufflepuff though,"
"You're funny 'Dromeda," they said laughing.
They had started the sorting. I man in a white robe and long white bread I recognized immediately as Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts for another wonderful year, now before we sort all of our first years we must sort a fourth year transfer from America" everyone started talking to each
other saying things like "I wonder who it is" and "why isn't he talking about Sirius Black, isn't
he still free?" I grumbled at this last statement, I hated when people judge me for who my father is, and they hadn't even said my name yet.
Professor Mcgonagall stood up and took out a long sheet of parchment and said in a voice as clear as day "Andromeda Black" the whole room erupted when I stood up and went
to the front, sat on a stool, and had a hat placed on my head. I voice started whispering in my ear. "So the famous daughter of the famous Black
Gryffindor has finAlly come to Hogwarts."
"Not Slytherin please" I mumbled to the hat. I couldn't stand the idea of being with those goons that were Draco's friends, they were evil foul little meanies.
"Well if you say so, better be... Gryffindor" shouted the hat
What Andromeda didn't see is that Draco was super pissed off, he reAlly loved his cousin, every summer Draco was sent to New York with his mother to visit Andy and her mother, his mother loved Andy's mother dearly they were close as children. Andy rose from the little stool and walked over to where the other Gryffindors were seated and sat down where no one else was sitting. After the sorting of the first years a couple of kids came and sat next to her.
Dumbledore stood up and said, "Let the feats commence!"
One of the kids, who had shaggy black hair that reminded her of a man in one of the
pictures of her father, said "Umm, we don't mean to be rude, but are you Sirius's daughter?"
"What's it to you?" I asked nervously, I hated when people judged me for what he didn't do.
"He was my godfather, I see him every so often," said the strange boy, who was this fool.
"He was you're what?" I asked shocked, "what's your name?"
As I said this the boy seemed to get slightly offended, and the red haired boy sitting
next to the first boy said "This is-" he was cut off my Draco strutting over to me, he was
always such an arrogant little twit, that's one of the reasons I loved him.
"Ah Potter, I see you've met Andy," he said smirking,
"I have, who's she to you?" This dark haired no name kid was starting to get on my
nerves, why was he being so mean to second favorite cousin after Draco.
"Why Potter this is the lovely Andromeda Padfoot Black, my dear cousin that I spend
every summer with" he said still smirking, god I wanted so bad to wipe that arrogant little
smirk from his face, then it got worse.
"She transferred from a magic school in New York, when her mum,Marlene McKinnon, died," I inhaled sharply and smacked him upside the head.
"Ow, that hurt," he mumbled
"Drac shut up, I don't even know these people, stop telling family secrets!" I said hotly.
"So you used to live at Grimmauld Place?" Said the first boy, how the hell did he know?
"How the hell do you know these things about my family?" Just then the mail came.
Owls swooped in gracefully through the air, bringing mail to the kids who had parents who gorgeous tawny owl swooped in and dropped a letter in my lap. Then another. Two letters in one day, my very first day. I ripped them open, the first one read-
Dear Andy,
How was your first day of school? I miss you at home, have you seen Draco yet? Give him a
hug for me. Owl me when you get sorted, personAlly I don't care if your get sorted in the
same house as your father, but Lucius does. But don't worry you'll still come for Christmas I
promise!
With all my love,
Auntie Cissie
I got up and walked, as everyone collectively gasped, over to Draco. I gave him my
letter. He smiled as he read it, "who was the other one from? You did get two right?"
"Well, the other one was from Grandmother, she wanted to know which house I was placed in, I don't think I will tell her. I mean I wanted to be with you, but both of my parents were in Gryffindor so I kinda thought that's where I would be placed. Please don't tell Grandmother though, I mean she already hates me because of dad and I would hate to be shunned like my name sake," I mumbled the last line. My hair turned auburn with worry.
Everyone around me was staring because if my hair, "Yes,I'm a metamorphus, get over
yourselves" I snapped.
"I won't tell grandmother if...you help me with my charms homework for the rest of the week ,"
Fine," I said giving up, and there was no way in hell I was going to let my grandmother, the purist pureblood maniac, know which house I was in "see you in the morning Drac," I said smiling
I walked up to the common room. The fat lady in the poster said password, holy crap I thought to myself, it talks.
"Um I don't know I just transferred here from America" Again she said password. Shit, I was screwed, I would have to sleep outside.
"It's Lion's Pride" the door opened.
"Thanks" I said it was the strange boy again. "I never did catch your name, Draco interrupted"
"Draco," he scoffed, as if he couldn't believe he had a first name, "Mine's Harry James Potter, what's yours" he asked kindly, he was watching me as if he was waiting for a reaction
"Andromeda Padfoot Black, you can call me Andy, wait are you James's son by any chance, he was quite close with my father," I said not wanting to say his name
"Yeah I am, I can't believe that Sirius named you after himself, I never thought he could be so vain," he said laughing.
"ActuAlly my mum gave me my middle name, it was my fathers code name in the Order," I said the smile on my lips melted away.
"Yeah, how would you like to meet your father" my eyes widened to the size of a
dinner plates.
I had met Hermione and Ron. And within a span of a month we became best friends, I was particularly close with Hermione. The next Hogsmeade trip was only a week away. I would meet my father for the first time in 13 years in one week, I was ecstatic. FinAlley the day had come, since I got to bunk with Hermione we got up at about 6am, I wanted to look perfect for my first meeting with Snuffles. I chose to wear, after much deliberation, a simple pair of muggle jeans and a red and gold tee shirt that said Gryffindor: Where Dwell the Brave at Heart. I wanted my father to know that I followed in his footsteps, I couldn't wait. At noon Hermione and me met the guys in the common room, ready to disembark for Hogsmeade. I was ready to explode with anxiety.
Hermione whispered to me "Don't worry, everything will be okay, I'm here for you," she
was such a good friend, I loved her for that. FinAlley we got to the cave where we were to meet
him.
A huge black shaggy dog entered the cave and transformed into a man. "So Harry," the man said, "what's so important that I had to come to Hogsmeade?"
"There's someone I would like to meet,"
"Hi," I said stepping forward, stupid that was such a stupid thing to say.
He recognized me right away, "Hello sweetheart, you look like Marlene, I miss her so much. Why have you finally come to England? Come to meet dear old dad and go to Hogwarts?" He said smiling.
I started to cry.
"Mum's died of cancer, I watched her go through it alone!" I screamed at him, I had no
idea where this anger was coming from and by the looks on my friends faces they didn't either, "and where were you? Oh yeah you were here with your godson not your own daughter!" My hair turned bright red with anger, " You couldn't come to help your daughter when the woman you once loved had CANCER! You know what mum named me after you left, after you went to azkaban?" I sneered, secretly hoping the guilt trip/ letting out the feeling thing was working," She named me Andromeda Padfoot Black, not Andromeda McKinnon, do you have any idea how hard it was for her when her child didn't have the same last name as her?" I took a deep breath, and said, "people called her a... a slut, saying she probably got knocked up by her high school boyfriend who never even loved her!" I emptied myself of all the feelings I held up inside me for so many years now. I waited for his answer. I started to sob.
"My god sweetie, you have no idea how much I wanted to come to America. How I wanted to see your mother. People say that I broke out of prison to get Harry, but that's not
true I broke out of prison for you. I missed you. I wanted you to grow up with a father, I love
you. I wanted to marry your mother right after you were born, about 10 months after we graduated from Hogwarts you were born, happiest day of my life. But then James and Lily
died, they were murdered, and I was blamed. I was going to James's that night to show him the ring I had bought for her. I was so excited. I was going to propose. I came to find their house in ashes and found little Harry in the rubble. I was framed by that Pettigrew, I wish I killed him when he came to Hogwarts last year, but he escaped. When they took me in without a trial, I was heartbroken. You mum went to America, and when I was framed she wanted nothing to do with me. She took you. That broke my heart even more." He sighed
"you know they say the dementors don't effect me, that's not true they couldn't break me because I had all those happy memories of you and your mother, you being born, I imagined you growing up getting your letter, going to some private which school in America, probably Salam Institute for Gifted Witches, I love you sweetheart and I understand if you want nothing to do with me," he sighed again.
By this time Hermione had burst into tears when I hugged my father for the first time
that I could remember.