Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Written for;

Last Ship Sailing Competition - Ricochet, Candlelight, Navy, Cauldron, "Well, to be fair, you are pretty reckless.", Lazy, Yellow.

Ultimate Pairing Diversity Challenge - RabAndie

Valentine Making Station - Ice cream cone - Set in summer.

Greek Mythology Competition - Demeter - A Slytherin

Pocket Mortys - Red Shirt Morty - Red

In Another Life

She stirred the potion evenly, counting in her head. It was almost finished, but with Narcissa and Bellatrix bickering in the background, Andromeda knew how easy it would be to muck it all up during the final stage.

"But I wanted to wear a red robe," Narcissa whined out.

Andromeda glanced up from the cauldron to look at her little sister.

"Bella gets first choice as the oldest, Cissa, you know that," she reminded her gently as she stopped stirring. "Besides, you look beautiful in any colour. Why not wear the yellow one? It is the summer ball after all."

"What colour are you wearing?" Narcissa asked.

"Navy, what else?" Bella replied with a laugh. "It's all our Andie ever wears."

"Actually, I was thinking white," Andromeda replied calmly, dousing the flames beneath the cauldron.

Bella shrugged, then smirked. "I suppose you are the only one of us that could wear white honestly."

Narcissa frowned. "What do you mean?"

"White means innocence, Cissa. Bella certainly isn't... virginal, and what with you and Lucius... I'm the only one left that is truly untouched."

Narcissa giggled. "We should work on rectifying that, sister."

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "It will happen what it's meant to happen and not before. Now, are either of you going to help me decant this? Since I made it more for your benefit than my own."

"But you're so good at potions, Andie. Surely you wouldn't want us to injure ourselves or, Merlin forbid, blow the house up, by attempting it ourselves."

Neither of the girls made any move to get up and help.

Andromeda sighed, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "lazy pair of banshees," and decanted the hair care potion that her sisters would make liberal use of for the ball.

"I thought this might make things more interesting," Bellatrix announced as she closed the dressing room door behind her and produced a bottle of muggle champagne. Narcissa squealed with delight, while Andromeda just raised her eyebrow.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, glancing back at the mirror critically. It was times like this that Andromeda couldn't help but wish that her parents were a little more open to their daughters using magic outside of school. Doing make up by candlelight was a nightmare.

"A little owl dropped it off for me," Bellatrix replied, a smug smile on her face. "Do you want some or not? I'm quite happy to drink it all myself."

"Sure," Andromeda replied calmly, applying blush to her cheeks. "The glasses are in the usual spot."

Bella nodded, and with a few taps of her wand, opened up the wall panel that the girls often used to stash their alcohol. Bella took out the three glasses and placed them on the table, before she turned her attention to the bottle. She tried to pull the cork out of the top, but it wouldn't budge.

Growling, she aimed her wand at it.

Andromeda watched the cork fly from the bottle, ricochet off the wall to the ceiling, before it fell and bounced off Narcissa's head. The look on the face of her youngest sister was too much, and both Andromeda and Bellatrix fell into peals of laughter.

Narcissa huffed, standing up and snatching the bottle away from Bellatrix, pouring herself a glass and leaving the bottle on the table.

"What, none for us?" Bellatrix asked, unable and unwilling to wipe the amusement off her face.

Scowling, Narcissa huffed, "Pour it yourself!"

Bellatrix laughed again, but poured herself and Andromeda a glass each.

"You know Mother will go spare if she smells that on us before the ball?" Andromeda asked, taking the glass offered.

Bellatrix nodded. "I do. Do you think I care?"

"Well, to be fair, you are pretty reckless. Are you going to be sneaking off with Rod again this evening?"

Looking somewhat surprised, Bella grinned. "I didn't realise you were paying so much attention, sister. Looking for tips on how to snare a man?"

Laughing, Andromeda shook her head. Oh, if only Bella knew the half of it.

The ball was well underway, and Andromeda could see both of her sisters dancing the evening away.

Bellatrix, an absolute vision in red, was dancing with Rodolphus, her betrothed. Andromeda was quite glad that their mother hadn't seen the two of them sneak off for twenty minutes earlier in the evening. That was a headache waiting to happen, though she was sure that Bellatrix didn't really care. She was an adult now, after all, so there was only so much mother could do.

Narcissa was hanging, as usual, off the arm of Lucius, who was strutting around the dance floor rather like an excited peacock. Andromeda knew she shouldn't be so harsh, but the Malfoy heir just rubbed her up the wrong way. He was arrogant, egotistical, and rude, simply because he felt his surname gave him leave to be so.

Preferring to stay on the edges, Andromeda had found a rather secluded spot, and was rather enjoying her people watching. She didn't notice that she wasn't alone until a hand lifted to rest on her shoulder.

Jumping in fright, she turned quickly to find herself looking into the stunning stormy eyes of Rabastan Lestrange.

"I need to attach a bell to you," she growled at him. "You seem to have a habit of scaring the magic out of me!"

Rabastan chuckled. "Perhaps if you paid more attention to your surroundings, I wouldn't startle you so much."

She shook her head. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought your father was insisting you find a wife this summer."

"Hmm. We both know how often I listen to my father, Andromeda," he replied, eyes twinkling. "Besides, you are far more interesting than the bimbo's clamouring for my family fortune."

"A compliment to be sure."

He chuckled. "I've told him to petition your father for your hand, Andie."

"Rab..."

"I know. But.."

"We both know it's a waste of time."

"Dance with me."

"What?"

"Dance. With. Me," he replied, holding his hand out to her. "Please."

She hesitated for a moment before putting her hand in his. "Okay."

He led her to the edge of the floor, and she couldn't help but notice they were in full view of both their parents. She raised her eyebrow in question to him, but he shook his head minutely as he set the pace to the music.

"You know, if things were different..."

"Rab... you know if he wasn't an issue, I'd marry you in a second. But... I can't live like that. I won't live like that."

"If you'd let me come with you, you know I would, Andie. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth."

She closed her eyes against his words. "Don't do this. You wouldn't be happy, Rabastan. You'd hate me."

"Never."

Letting her head rest against his chest, she let the feeling of being in his arms take over her. The song ended far too soon, but they reluctantly parted.

Rabastan lifted her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles.

"Thank you for the dance, Miss Black. It was a pleasure."

"Thank you," Andromeda whispered. "I love you, Rabastan."

He smiled sadly. "I love you too, Andromeda. Perhaps in another life."

"Perhaps," she agreed with a nod as a single tear dropped to her cheek.