A Little Bit Reckless
A stiff, biting wind greeted the newcomers as they arrived at the Briedgeway Harbor. It was a small place, unremarkable in every way except one: the only people who could find it were the ones who knew where to look, and it's single ship only sailed to one destination- Durmstrang.
Brushing soot from their cloaks, three cloaked figures stepped out onto the harbor, one tucking a small drawstring bag of floo powder into her pocket. Despite it being nearly summer, the overcast sky seemed to mirror the dreary landscape. With a frown for the approaching rainstorm, Bellatrix led the way towards the docked ship, tugging irritably at her dark cloak which twisted around her with the gusting wind. Behind her, her younger sister Narcissa buttoned up her white fur and raised the hood to frame her porcelain face. She glanced back, as if to make sure Andromeda was still following, and then sped up to walk with Bella. Andromeda, lagging a couple of yards back, merely shrugged and tucked an unruly strand of brown hair behind one ear.
The girls crossed the empty square and reached the loading ramp of the massive ship. Portholes lined the bottom deck from the galley at one end to the stern at the other. Dim candlelight glowed in a few grimy windows, though more would've been lit had this been a regular school supply run. At the ramp, a tall sailor approached the three teenage girls, deferentially asking for their invitations. Leading them onto the deck of the ship, he gave them each a cabin number and offered to take their cloaks before returning ashore.
Yellow orbs resembling muggle light bulbs hung fastened to the mast and dotted the ship's outer rail like golden snitches hovering against the vast ocean. Aristocratic guests in all manner of formal dress were chatting as house elves scurried around, offering trays of exotic delicacies. The scene was familiar. She hated attending the parties Igor Karkaroff hosted every year during Easter Break at his second-rate school for her parents' and their peers. Donning an expression of casual disdain, short of condescending, but with a definite air of haughtiness that most guests here would associate with, Andromeda began her rounds, kissing powdered cheeks and exclaiming over the "exquisite taste" of each beau monde, who would, in turn, gush about her dress. It was one of society's mandatory rituals that was performed at every soiree, though this one was larger than most. She'd lost count, but thought there had to be at least a hundred people here. While she mingled, the call was made for the ship to set sail.
At the bar, she requested a champagne and stood there sipping the drink as she gazed out over the waves, wishing she could've ordered a butterbeer here. Wishing she'd found an excuse to not be here. Her mother had been insistent though, failing to grasp her daughter's loathing of formal gatherings.
As if she'd been called, Druella noticed her daughter loitering and made her way in that direction, waving and calling out to people as she did so. Frizzy, painfully curled black hair was a close cap around her tanned face, and Andromeda thought her mother looked rather like an Egyptian, tall, tan and dressed all in gold. Druella seemed to assess her daughter similarly, noting the girl's floor-length dress, a red so deep it looked brown in the poor lighting. Thickly braided brown silk hemmed the neckline, made up the thin shoulder straps, and cinched tightly at her waist. The skirt flowed smoothly to her feet, it's heavy fabric draping beautifully over her thin frame. Brown silk braids adorned her wrists as well. Her mother smiled, much, Andromeda thought, like a shark would before it started biting.
"Andromeda, dear, I'm so pleased you could make it this year," her mother trilled, hooking her arm through her daughter's and steering her towards yet another group of people. "If you don't mind, darling, I'd like you to meet a business associate of your father's… A young, good looking, marriageable business associate. He's just come here from London …" Andromeda listened to her mother gush on, trying to hide blatant irritation . After all, Druella was constantly on the prowl for suitors, hoping to make a match for each of her three daughters. She'd succeeded with Bella and Narcissa, who were both engaged, but Andromeda was more wary, knowing the characters of her two soon-to-be brothers in law. As she approached the group of men, she assessed the twenty-something blonde before her. Her mother was right, he was good looking, but in a suave overly charming way that gave you no real scope of his character. When the two ladies approached, the men ended their murmured conversation in order to greet them. Andromeda allowed her father to take her hands, and smiled slightly to hear herself called "ravishing". He then moved on to speak with her mother and she was left alone again.
Sipping her champagne, Andromeda looked out over the rail, wondering how far it was to Durmstrang. She came out of her musings abruptly, feeling a presence behind her. "So this must be Andromeda?" he murmured for her ears only. It was the blonde business associate. He stood right behind her, not even a foot away. She felt instant discomfort, but couldn't take a step forward, away from him. For one, it would be insulting, and for another, one good rock of the boat would then send her over the rail. "Your father raves about you, but even he did not do you justice." His husky voice breathed in her ear. She cringed. What a creep.
Andromeda forced a demure smile, shifting away to face him. "You flatter me…" She glanced up into his eyes as she took an inconspicuous step back and he smiled, showing off incredible dental hygiene.
"Please, call me Samuel." Okay. Please go away Samuel.
She managed to lose Samuel by route of the restroom, and the next hour went by with much chatting and, Andromeda was surprised to see, more drinking than usually went on before dinner. She pursed her lips in amusement, watching her sister sitting at the bar. Narcissa was smiling and talkative, her cheeks rosy. She looked like she'd had one drink too many, but Andromeda knew her sister for a sly politician. She almost pitied Lucius, for Narcissa was such a smooth manipulator that he wouldn't likely realize he was being handled until it was far too late. Whether he knew his fiancé's cleverness or not, however, her betrothed didn't seem to mind as he clinked glasses with her with a charming smile. He thought he was the one pulling the strings, but all who knew him, knew his game. She disliked him on principle.
Druella asked about her conversation with Samuel, her voice cloying honey and her hands clasped together hopefully. Andromeda gave an aggrieved sigh as only a sixteen year-old daughter can. "Not that I don't appreciate your obsession with my social life, mother, but… no."
Druella sighed. "But, look at your sisters, darling. Both of them made quite respectable betrothals, and they're both quite happy, starting out their lives, soon to be married! Don't you think it time you think about your future? Samuel Greengrass is a wonderful young man I think. I wonder that you two would look wonderful together." Druella savored the idea a moment, as if looking wonderful together was the epitome of a perfect marriage. Which, for most of the people here, it was. Andromeda made a noncommittal sound and excused herself for the lavatory.
Inside, she found Narcissa gazing into the mirror raptly, reapplying her lipstick. Glancing up at the sound of the door behind her, Narcissa capped the gloss and threw it back into her purse, apparently nettled by something. Andromeda moved to stand by her sister, pretending to be interested in her own reflection. She could read Narcissa like a book. "What's up?"
She saw Narcissa give her a sidelong glance, probably debating on how seriously she meant the casual question. Narcissa shrugged noncommittally and Andromeda smiled fondly at her favorite sister. "Come on, Cissa. I saw you giving Lucius the one-drink-too-many act. What're you trying to weasel out of him?"
"I wasn't trying to weasel anything out of him! He was trying to weasel me!" her sister blurted defensively. Folding her arms, Narcissa glared at her mirror self in evident irritation. "Lucius wants to get married as soon as I graduate. He knows Bella and Dolph haven't set a date yet. Can you imagine what she'd say if I married before her?" she asked, aghast at the very thought. "And besides…" Narcissa continued contemplatively, "I'm not sure if I really want to get married so soon."
"I agree completely," Andromeda volunteered, leaning her hip against the sink. "You're only eighteen, Cissa. Bella's twenty and she's in no hurry. Why rush eternal commitment? It'll happen eventually."
"Mmm," Narcissa agreed. "The funny thing is Lucius doesn't always seem so sure of that."
Andromeda made a face of mock-sympathy. "Maybe he has low self-esteem, the poor guy!" Narcissa gave an incredulous laugh as they walked out of the bathroom together. Weaving through the crowd, the two girls were surprised to hear the Captain announce their arrival at Durmstrang. Searching the waterline, passengers aboard the ship could see a giant dark mass ahead. Cloaked in wards and darkness, the Durmstrang Institute looked like a picture she had once seen of the Rocky Mountains, A never-ending string of peaks straining against the night sky. It was a pity that she couldn't see the stars, but rain was still expected later that night.
They entered the stone harbor beneath the castle within minutes. The longer days of summer had yet to come, and so though it was only 8 o'clock, dusk was beginning to fade. Sandy beaches littered with seaweed and driftwood stretched out on either side of the twin docks, which led straight into the Entrance courtyard. The large group of passengers disembarked from the ship and swept into the castle, women carefully holding their skirts off the ground as if it were slime.
Andromeda looked around the closed-in courtyard. It never ceased to amaze her exactly how paranoid a man like Karkaroff could be. The man hadn't built Durmstrang for students, he'd built it for keeping armies at bay. She supposed his time in Albania could have unhinged him slightly, but she thought the magical object detectors at all entrances were better suited to a prison than a school.
Beyond the stone steps of the Entrance hall, the Great hall stood, circular and cavernous with the lights of a hundred torches ensconced upon gleaming redwood walls and glittering crystal chandeliers. Round tables draped in burgundy and chairs carved with the insignia of Durmstrang were spaced throughout the periphery of the room. The center was cleared for dancing, the expanse of golden tiles on the floor changing to a elegant mosaic of red and gray depicting a compass rose. Andromeda admired it briefly, watching the ten-foot holographic needle swing lazily back and forth around the tile. She briefly entertained herself wondering what it was attracted to: strife, danger, power… what would Karkaroff be interested in finding? She came out of her thoughts when Igor Karkaroff himself came striding through a doorway on the other side of the hall. Arms opened widely in welcome, he gave them all a toothy smile and proclaimed his obviously well-rehearsed and very long-winded welcome speech. Looking around, Andromeda noticed that there were quite a few more teenagers here this year. Parents were likely attempting to groom their offspring towards adulthood by dragging them around to parties and meetings and the like. And besides, she thought, noticing her mother deep in conversation with a short, raven-haired woman, what better way to parade your best assets around without appearing too eager?
"….so please, if ever you are in need of anything, just ask, and it will be provided." Karkaroff's fruity, unctuous voice rang grandly, hinting at a continual close association to every person there.
As she sat at a dining table worth more than some wizards made in a year, surrounded by wizarding society's best dressed and most influential, Andromeda couldn't help thinking, sometimes she really hated this aspect of her life.