TITLE: Turning Point
SUMMARY: Andromeda Black's life begins to change--thanks to both Rodolphus Lestrange and Ted Tonks. Gen. Written in July of 2005.
Andromeda is made Head Girl, and for once, her mother is proud of her. Sort of. "It's an opportunity for you to come out of your shell, dear," her mother says. "It's a pity that the Lestrange boy wasn't chosen as Head Boy, isn't it?"
Andromeda disagrees; Rodolphus would make a terrible Head Boy. She has been his housemate for going on seven years now, and sometimes she thinks she's the only one left unimpressed by his flippant carelessness and unabashed arrogance. Every time her mother hints at what a nice boy Rodolphus is, Andromeda is left biting her tongue and smiling weakly, unable to say anything.
The person who iwas/i chosen as Head Boy is a Ravenclaw Muggle-born, Ted Tonks. Andromeda finds him fairly bland, but he is calm and responsible, and he color-codes the prefect patrol schedule, so Andromeda has little to complain about. She mostly worries about herself; with her reluctant, hesitant nature, she had never considered herself as a good choice as a prefect, let alone Head Girl, and yet, here she is.
During her first few weeks in the position, she finds herself struggling. She gets flustered easily as she scolds and assigns detention, her words catching in her throat when she clumsily attempts to wield her authority. Her incompetence leaves her frustrated, and when Ted attempts to gently sympathize with her, she ends up yelling at him, miraculously articulate with her misdirected tirade. She apologizes profusely to him the next day, but Narcissa overhears the apology and, amused by what she saw as her sister's awkward obsequiousness, she later repeats the entire apology in shrill, mocking tones to the entire Slytherin common room. Andromeda rolls her eyes and pretends to ignore her sister's display of immaturity, but when Rodolphus corners her later that evening, she lets her nerves get the best of her.
"I have a favor, Andromeda," he says smoothly.
She hesitates, considers telling him to ask someone else, but she finds herself asking, "What is it?"
"I need to borrow a book from the Restricted Section of the library." At her startled glance, he holds up his hands in a gesture of innocence. "It's for a project for Defense Against the Dark Arts," he says, not skipping a beat. "I need the book tonight, you see, and it's too late for me to get the professor's permission, and as Head Girl, perhaps you could..."
The smile he gives her is hopeful, deceptively effortless, and Andromeda, in her mind and in her guts, knows not to trust him. Putting this sentiment into words, however, is difficult. "I-I can't," she says, her voice catching, and she almost pinches herself for how weak she sounds.
"Oh, but--"
"I'm sorry." Before he can say more, Andromeda pushes past him and heads for her room, the encounter leaving her trembling.
It doesn't matter, however, because the next day, she catches sight of Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan, their attention wrapped up in some thick, dusty text that she is certain is the book Rodolphus wanted her to help him procure. This makes her nervous, but she doesn't intervene.
Two nights later, Andromeda is patrolling after curfew with Ted. It's a quiet night, no sign of even her cousin Sirius and his friends. Ted is earnestly explaining his research project on memory charms, and Andromeda's mind is on that and on how interesting it is that Ted, with his uncanny knack for remembering series of precise details, is planning to become an Obliviator. She barely notices when they round a corner and Ted stops short, his chatter falling off sharply. He's gaping, staring uncomprehendingly at a spot on the wall in front of them--
DEATH TO MUDBLOODS, written on the wall, in some red, shimmering substance--Andromeda's first panicked thought is that it's blood, until she notices that the letters are not on the wall, but rather, glowing and hovering against it. She barely processes this before Ted pulls out his wand and is about to charm the words away, but the letters spark and disappear before he is able to say anything.
Her face flushed with anger, Andromeda manages to unclench her fists and remember to breathe. Somehow, she persuades Ted not to go straight to the headmaster, and when they finish their rounds, she storms down to the Slytherin common room. Just as she suspects, Rodolphus is there, studying at one of the tables.
She sits down across from him. "That was unacceptable," she says, the words tumbling out, faster than she can keep track of them, and it's as if she has been waiting to say this for a while now. "If any younger students saw it, they would have been terrified. Do you get some sick sense of thrill out of that? A feeling of satisfaction that you're causing terror among the students? That's really unnecessary, Rodolphus."
He looks up from his book, a look of boredom painted across his face. "I've no idea what you're babbling about."
It is almost enough to throw her off, this convincing act of his, but she thinks of the look on Ted's face when he saw what was written on the wall, and she thinks of how she felt as the inexplicable anger flashed through her. "The Headmaster isn't going to be happy, and it's not a good idea to lie to him. Or to me."
"You have no proof."
"There's my word."
Rodolphus keeps his face passive. "Not good enough."
Andromeda stares at him, at this boy protected by his aloofness and his privilege--not so entirely different from her, but still completely, utterly different. She knows he has everything going for him, that he impresses even her mother, but when Andromeda looks at him, she only sees how much he has to lose. Remarkably similar to everything she has to lose, but she's certain that she has something more.
"My word is good enough for me," she says, rising from her chair and heading for the headmaster's office.