Name: Life on Mars
Summary: "You know when Mother makes me kiss the floor after we've had a disagreement, well lately I've taken to kissing the floor whenever I see her coming, just to save time." Andromeda Black has always been outcast in her own family. Written in letters, and then the aftermath, Written for the Sound of Music Quote Challenge, and non-epilogue-compliant.
Rating: T for swearing.
Author's Note: Well hai there! So lately I've decided to start participating in Prompt Challenges, and the first one I stumbled upon was this one by the Original Horcrux. Hope you like!
Dear Narcissa,
I hope you're well at Hogwarts. I'm still living at home, as you know, and mum is as awful as ever. I've become friends with this quite interesting muggleborn gentleman named Ted. I cannot supply his last name; if Mum or Bella were ever to read this letter they would surely hurt him, and I think I may love him. I spent the day with him just last week, and lived as a Muggle the entire day! It was so fascinating, what with how they manage to do all we do with magic without it. Personally, I think that Muggles are equal – if not, perhaps, even above – magic folk. I know that I must always uphold the ideals of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black – Toujours Pur – but I really don't think I believe in that anymore, maybe. Cissy, did you ever think maybe Sirius was right? I mean – about muggleborns being equal to us. After all, that Evans girl is at the top of the class, doing better than all of the purebloods, and she's muggleborn. And Willow Henry was always a bit better at everything than me, and her mother was a Muggle.
Cissy, I've been thinking of moving in with Ted. I know I would be disowned, but let's be completely frank about it, dear sister. Mother and Father have been waiting for an excuse to burn me from the tapestry for years now. You know when Mother makes me kiss the floor after we've had a disagreement, well lately I've taken to kissing the floor whenever I see her coming, just to save time. I've been doing a lot of thinking. She hates me. I used to believe that at least, because I was her daughter, she held some sort of affection for me, like she does for you and Bella. But in the past few weeks I've come to accept her general distaste for me. I plan to leave soon.
I want you to come with me. Please, Cissy, just think of what we could do – together. We'd be great, you know. We could have everything we ever wanted. Cissy, please. Just consider it! I love you, but if I leave, I don't know if I'll ever see you again. Come with me. I can't stay here. It's like life on mars. I need to escape. Ted has already offered to take me in, and I'm sure you could find a job, and get an apartment near us. I'm begging, really. Without you, I'll be miserable at best. I know you don't truly love Lucius. You don't have to marry him, Cissa; you can marry somebody you love! Doesn't that sound wonderful? Do you trust me? Please. Come with me. If you won't…I love you. Don't forget me. Goodbye.
So much love,
Your sister,
Drommy
Dear Andromeda,
I love you. I love you so much, but I can't. I can't leave. I was meant for this, Drommy, you have to understand. Somebody once said "Thereare things we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without, but have to let go." I'll miss you so much. I'm graduating soon. Next week, actually; will you be there? I won't be able to see you again if you leave and you know that. I don't want to lose you, but I know I will. I want you to know that I love you, so much. Never change, okay? Stay the beautiful, intelligent, independent, truly good person that you are, if not for me, than for yourself.
Please forgive me. I don't want it to be this way. Maybe, in another world, at another time, we could be together, sisters through it all. But we are here, now, and it's impossible. So I have only one request: remember me as your sister. Not the insensitive bitch who abandoned you. I'm so, so, so sorry. I love you.
Forgive me,
Narcissa
Cissa,
I understand. I love you. I'll remember you. You'll always be my sister. Maybe, someday, things can be different. I suppose we should both let go. We'll meet again, someday. I still can't believe that we both did some things I don't even want to think about. Goodbye. I left home, and I've been burned from the tapestry.
I love you,
Drommy
Drommy,
I'm pregnant. I'm sorry I haven't written. I'm about four months along. It's a boy. His name is Draco. I already love him, but I'm terrified. I'm terrified for him. Lucius wants him to be a Death Eater, but he could be killed! My baby boy! Drommy, I don't know what to do.
Help me.
Love,
Cissa
My dear sister,
Congratulations. I don't know what to tell you. Protect him as well as you can, love him as well as you can, and keep him close. I hope you're well. I love you.
Love,
Andromeda
Five months later, Draco Malfoy was born a healthy baby boy. 17 years after that, he was inducted into the Death Eaters. And a year after that, he and his mother left Lucius Abraxas Malfoy to fend for himself in Azkaban Prison.
Draco Malfoy fell in love with one Hermione Granger soon after. They married and had two children, a son named Scorpius and a daughter named Narcissa.
It took a long time for both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley to accept Hermione Granger as Hermione Malfoy, and even longer for them to accept Draco as her husband. Eventually, they accepted it, and even supported it. Draco Malfoy asked Harry Potter's permission before he proposed to Hermione. Harry replied, "I wouldn't trust anybody else with her."
Meanwhile, Andromeda cared for her grandson, Teddy Lupin, on the weekends. One day, as she cooked breakfast for herself, there was a knock on the door.
She opened it to find her sister, looking as beautiful as ever. "Andromeda," the woman choked out quietly. "I've missed you," was all she managed before hurling herself at the unsuspecting older woman, who without objection tightly wound her arms around her baby sister.
"I missed you to, baby sister."
Andromeda guided her to the family room. "Life can do terrible things, you know, but I think that considering the circumstances, we've done well."
They sat down together and talked. They talked of Draco, and how he was a happy husband and father of two. He was the greatest father Narcissa had ever seen, despite his fears that he'd be like his own dad. He loved his children unconditionally. He took care of them. They talked about Teddy, and how Hermione had been able to save Remus, Tonks, and Sirius from the veil. Teddy was doing well, and was planning on proposing to Victoire Weasley, the girl of his dreams. They spoke of Lucius, and how he'd been a terrible father, and how it was a miracle how amazing Draco had grown up to be. There were tears, and laughter, and bonding. Sisters were sisters once again.
Two years later, Andromeda wrote a letter to Narcissa, asking her to come over. It was urgent.
When Narcissa arrived, she was panicking. "What's wrong?"
"Sister, can I tell you a terrible thing?"
"What? Andromeda, what is it?" Narcissa pleaded.
"It seems that I'm sick," The old woman replied. "I've only got weeks. Please don't be sad. I truly believe that I never loved somebody as much as I loved you.
Six months later, the small house was empty of life. Everything was still there, but the original inhabitant. And two hundred miles away, at St. Mungo's, Andromeda Tonks nee Black, daughter of Walburga and Orion Black, mother of Nymphadora Tonks and grandmother, widow, lay on her death bed, gasping for breath.
"Narcissa, I love you. And I stopped kissing the floor for mother." Were her last words before her grey eyes closed for the last time.
The funeral of Andromeda Tonks was a private, small affair, but it was beautiful. Narcissa made a speech telling of how she had been one of the few genuinely good people she'd had the privelage. She said that Andromeda had been her best friend even when they didn't speak for years, because Narcissa had chosen a dark path and lost herself on the way.
In the end, she had stopped kissing the floor for her mother. And that was what mattered.