Dear readers, here is a little nugget I have been working on for ages now but left whilst I was finishing other things. It only needed some editing and plus I have never written Andromeda Black before. Hope you enjoy, please R&R.
Breaking Tradition
The light, floaty fabric danced upon her fingertips as she slid the champagne pink fabric between her delicate fingers. Her dress was breathtakingly beautiful with a low neck, short sleeves and a long skirt. She stuck to tradition with a long skirt and soft colours accompanied with a pair of white lace gloves. On her neck she would wear the Black family pearls that had been worn at every Black woman's debutante, a string of button champagne pearls until the middle an oval pearl and then continued with the string of button pearls.
Tonight was a massive occasion for Andromeda, tonight she would be presented to the pureblood society properly and expected to find a suitor who she would wed and produce many pureblood heirs.
The thought of it repulsed her, having to be presented and paraded around for the Dark Lord to oggle at was not the way she wanted to spend her seventeenth birthday.
She was expected to find a suitable husband tonight, she refused to marry any of those arrogant brutes who would only want her money and treat her very badly. Her thoughts passed to her true love Theodore Tonks, they had been dating since the start of the year. They had to keep it secret, as their love would probably start a war.
She walked over to her vanity and sat down. She looked at herself, seventeen, long light brown hair, chocolate almond shaped eyes and said to have 'aristocratic beauty' by her mother. She went to pick up her blush brush when she saw an owl had come to her window through her mirror.
She turned and hurried towards the window, it was Jasper, Ted's owl. She let the tawny in and fed him a worm she had for her owl Amadala.
"Thanks Jasper" she cooed stroking the owl on his head. She took the letter, it was a cream envelope with 'Dromeda' clearly in Ted's shaky but legible cursive. She hurriedly opened it.
My love, Dromeda,
Tonight is your debutante and is the night I take you away from all this pureblood supremacy you hate so much. I will be waiting outside of Grimmauld Place at 12:00pm exactly, I will whisk you away and we will be married. Hang in there, Dromeda.
I love you,
Ted x
"Married" she gasped, putting her hand over her mouth in shock.
"Dromeda" she heard her sister Bellatrix's drawl as the door was attacked by hurried knuckles.
She quickly grabbed a spare piece of parchment and wrote Ted her reply, giving it to Jasper.
"You know where to little buddy" she said as Jasper flew from her bedroom window.
"Come in Bella" she beckoned confidently. The door opened with a squeak and in strode the elegant figure of her older sister Bellatrix dressed in an emerald green silk dress.
"I brought this for you" Bella said tentatively holding a box in her hands. She sat on Andromeda's bed and opened the lid. Inside was the Black pearl necklace just like Bella had described.
"Bella it's beautiful" Andromeda replied, enveloping her sister in a warm hug.
"Can you put it on me?" asked Andromeda of Bella.
"Allow me" sounded the smooth, manly voice of the youngest Lestrange brother who stood in the doorway. His name was Rabastan, the younger brother of Bellatrix's fiancée Rodolphus. He stood tall in Andromeda's doorway dressed in green dress robes consisting of a white shirt, myrtle green tie, a teal waistcoat, finely pressed black dress trousers and a matching green robe.
"Hello Rabastan" Bellatrix greeted her brother in law rather fondly. Rabastan swaggered forward and rested his hands on Andromeda's exposed neck.
"My love" Rabastan whispered pressing a kiss on Andromeda's cheek.
This however made the girl in question's skin crawl at his putrid touch, the feel of his rough hands as they were dragging her into a dark abyss.
Rabastan carefully picked up the Black family heirloom and set it on Andromeda's neck and clasped in the back, so meticulously that his attention to detail could surpass the skill set of the most precise tailors.
"Beautiful pearls befitting a breath-taking woman. Bella could you leave us and inform the party downstairs that we will be arriving soon?" Rabastan ushered Bella out of the room. He stood up from his resting place on Andromeda's bed.
"I've been thinking about this for ages my darling, we are both from wealthy and influential families. And I love you very much sweetheart and I'd love it if you'd consider becoming my wife. Andromeda Black will you marry me?" Rabastan asked, ending his speech on his right knee and holding a blue velvet box open that held a delicate diamond ring.
Andromeda's heart was beating three times as normal, scared it might burst right out of her chest. She couldn't marry Rabastan, but then again if Ted was killed tonight by her father for declaring his love for her outside their house then he would be her rebound. Plus she could make her parents proud of her for one night.
The little angel and devil sitting on her shoulders were now arguing.
"She can't do that to a sweet boy" the angel protested.
"Yes she can" replied the devil
"Live a little Dromeda, on the edge" the devil advised
"Ohh I give up!" the angel gave in and a poof of cloud wiped her from existence.
"Yes, I will Rabastan" she replied confidently. Rabastan's face lit up as he hugged her and kissed her softly on the lips. He placed the ring on her finger.
"Happy Birthday, my darling" Rabastan said kissing her again.
"Don't smother her Rab" Uttered a harsh, thick voice from the doorframe. Rodolphus, Rabastan's older brother. The one she loathed so much.
"I can do whatever I want to do with my fiancée, Dolpho" replied Rabastan kissing Andromeda again this time looping his arms around her waist.
"Congratulations. May I have a word with my future sister?" he drawled sarcastically and asked politely.
"Of course. I won't be a minute my darling" Rabastan said kissing Andromeda's cheek and left swiftly.
Rodolphus turned to her and clapped slowly and intimidatingly.
"I really to hand it to you Andromeda, you're a right little actress. Promising to marry my baby brother I however am not fooled. I know you're whoring with that mudblood Ted Tonks but my dear sister that stops now." Rodolphus said advancing on her so that he had her cornered against the wall.
"H-h-how do you know about Ted?" she asked very unsure and slightly scared.
Rodolphus ripped open the letter she had given to Jasper and read it to her, poison dripping from his voice
My dearest darling Ted,
I shall marry you and please hurry I hate this ghastly place.
Yours lovingly,
Dromeda
"You d-don't scare me Rodolphus" she said stuttering and uneasy.
"Presently I have four men looking for Ted Tonks. He will be disposed of and then you will marry my brother, whether you like it or not even if I have to drag you up the aisle. Then you will give him heirs otherwise I will do it myself, and it won't be pretty, my dear. Do you understand me?!" he barked his threat gripping her shoulders tightly, digging uneven nails into her creamy flesh.
"Y-yes" she replied, tears forming in her eyes. Rabastan entered back into the room finding his fiancée and brother in this position.
"Rodolphus! Remove your hands from my fiancée's neck!" he shouted, appalled at his brother's sudden change of tune. Rabastan hauled his brother away from Andromeda.
"Leave!" he hissed taking Andromeda in his arms and kissed her tears away. Rodolphus strutted out of the room.
"What did he do to you my love? Oh merlin I know I shouldn't have left him alone with you" Rabastan said regretfully as he ran a hand through his brown hair.
"He was… just not that approving of our engagement" Andromeda lied.
"Shouldn't we make our way downstairs, for Circe sake it's my ball" she said uneasy. She hung to Rabastan's arm as he led her down the staircase until they got to ballroom of the Black Manor. The manor wasn't used very regularly by the family as much as their London dwelling of Grimmauld Place was but the Black sisters frequently used the vast manor and its gardens as an escape especially Andromeda.
"Oh darling you're here finally, thank you Rabastan for finding her" Druella thanked Rabastan over Andromeda as she had the young woman in a tight embrace.
"You look very beautiful my daughter" Cygnus commented as he took Andromeda by the hand and spun her around.
"Thank you father" Andromeda said but a feminine high gasp interrupted them as Hippolyta Lestrange spotted her grandmother's ring on Andromeda's delicate fourth finger.
"I think congratulations is in order" Hippolyta announced hugging Andromeda.
"My darling, why are we celebrating?" asked the elderly and wise Lestrange patriarch Apollodorus, Rodolphus and Rabastan's father.
"Andromeda's has accepted my request of marriage after I asked Cygnus of course" replied Rabastan as he laced his fingers into Andromeda's.
"Cygnus you kept this a secret from me?" asked Druella, a little hurt by her husband's deception.
"Ella I know you, you would have accidentally told Andromeda." Cygnus replied, his voice full of remorse. Andromeda had walked away at that point and went to get some air. She walked down the hallway, past the house elves who wished her happy birthday and finally got to the entrance to the garden where she felt someone tap her shoulder. She swiftly pulled out her wand and stuck the tip in her assailant's throat as she turned around.
"Merlin, Andy it's me!" said a very frightened, dark haired and dashing Sirius Black.
"Sirius do not scare me like that you know how jumpy I am!" She thumped him lightly on the shoulder and lowered her wand. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm engaged to Rabastan" she whispered in Sirius' ear, her voice a little shaky.
"Andy why? I thought you loved Ted." Sirius sighed in disbelief.
"I love Ted with all my heart, Bella was there, I couldn't say 'No I don't want to marry you and by the way I'm in love with a muggle born who is going to marry me tomorrow. Good day' " She replied rather sarcastically, a trait that did not suit the kind, gentle young woman that she was.
"Well I apologise Miss, may I escort you to the ball?" Sirius said as he held out his elbow for his favourite cousin.
"Yes you may sir" she replied, linking her arm through the charming young mans and he led her back into the ballroom where people had started to dance, waltzing gracefully. Women in fine ball gowns and men in dress robes. Soon she saw her 'fiancée' make his way towards the two cousins.
"Ahh Sirius you found my illusive sweetheart, come on Dromeda I'd love a dance" Rabastan interrupted, removing Andromeda from Sirius' arm, her only comfort in this overly drowning place. Rabastan snaked his arm around her waist and started waltzing the music. Andromeda felt like a puppet as Rabastan dragged her around in hold around the dance floor. She looked to see her parents standing aside, her mother tearing up and her father looking very proud. They stopped when the melody halted, he led her to the side and leant in towards her lips, she stopped him with her finger on his lips
"No, Rabastan don't they'll see" Andromeda whispered as her back dug slightly into the pillar where Rabastan was effectively pinning her against it.
"Well, let them see, it's an engagement not a crime. I don't care what those snooty purebloods are thinking, I love you and they'll just have to accept that" Rabastan replied.
"Andromeda what are you afraid of?" Rabastan asked concerned.
"Let's not argue, Rabastan…" Andromeda said but was interrupted when the doors to the grand staircase flew open and caused all the candles to be blown out. There was hushed whisper as the figure entered, his cape flowing behind him to reveal his pale skin and non-existent nose. His lava red eyes darted around as he stepped down the steps toward the floor.
"It's the Dark Lord" Cygnus whispered to his wife.
"Cygnus step forwards" Lord Voldemort bellowed, the short older man scurried forward and bowed before Voldemort.
"My Lord" Cygnus said addressing him.
"I understand your daughter is to be presented tonight" Voldemort asked as he looked around the room, waving his wand he transfigured the last step into a chair.
"Andromeda, present yourself" Cygnus ordered. Andromeda's eyes went wide and nearly bulged out of her eye sockets. Rabastan tightened his grip on her waist.
"I'm walking you to him" Rabastan whispered. Rabastan took Andromeda's hand in his own and stepped towards the Dark Lord.
"What is your name boy?" Voldemort asked inquisitively.
"Rabastan Lestrange, milord" Rabastan said confidently.
"Is Miss Black here you sweetheart?" Voldemort asked as he rested his right leg on his left leg.
"She's my fiancée, milord" Rabastan replied.
"Oh congratulations to you, Miss Black I hear you seek to join us, like your elder sister before you" Voldemort said looking to Bellatrix who was stood with Rodolphus.
"There's no way she'll ever be a death eater" A voice sounded around the ballroom, Voldemort jumped to his feet quickly and looked towards the owner of the voice. A dark crimson robe stood at the top of the staircase.
"If you dare challenge me sir, then I suggest you show your face!" Voldemort yelled threateningly. The figure dropped its cloak, stood underneath it however was a short young man dressed in a shirt and trousers holding his wand. His cold blue eyes looked at Voldemort with determination as he clutched it tighter, appearing not to be swayed or scared by the intimidating Dark Lord stood before him.
"My name is Theodore Tonks and I am in love with that woman right there, so there is no bloody way you are taking her from me, got it?" said Theodore ferociously as he shot a spell at Voldemort and apparated.
"It's the Mudblood from the battle, sir!" shouted a rather portly gentleman as he ran towards the Dark Lord.
"I WANT HIM FOUND!" Voldemort ordered harshly.
"Take her away!" Antonin Dolohov pointed to Andromeda. Rabastan clutched her arm tightly and in comfort.
"Get your hands away from my fiancée!" Rabastan yelled. He pointed his wand at the advancing death eaters.
"Go, I'll cover" Rabastan whispered to Andromeda as he released her arm. Andromeda looked to him with the look of thankfulness in her eyes and apparated in an instant.
Andromeda found herself outside the Manor, Ted stood uneasily by the gates.
"Ted" She said alerting him to her attendance. Ted ran to her and took her in his arms, kissing her neck in the process.
"Let's go my love" Ted said as he gripped her fragile hand in his and kissed her knuckles.
"Where are we going?" Andromeda asked sceptically. Ted looked at her and smiled deviously.
"No clue, but with you by my side we'll be safe" He whispered and closed his eyes, concentrating hard on the location where he wished to be.
Their two hands clasped tightly and a whir sent them on their way to safety, away from the Blacks, death eaters and Voldemort. Somewhere they could be together without constraints of blood lineage or people's opinions.
Hello again, that was quite interesting to write. Please R&R, I do love a bit of feedback.
TTFN,
Rosie xxx