Disclaimer: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.
Note: Written for Fire The Canon's Snake and Ladders Challenge.
Pride and Preeminence
She stared into the currently green eyes in front of her, trying in vain to predict his next move. She was a Black, and damn it she will not be bested by someone under half her age! She will win if it's the last thing she'll do. The woman took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, closing her eyes to try to regain some composure. A drop of sweat trickled down her creased brow. She opened her eyes once more, the battlefield in front of her now slightly less confusing as her mind was free of its previous hazy, panicked fog. She shall not be beaten again. Her pride will not allow it. And Blacks were nothing without their pride. She will not lose again. Glaring into her opponent's face, searching for any hint, any sign that he would unconsciously give her, he was frustratingly blank. She just wanted to reach across the table, grab ahold of him, and shake the answer out of him. Where was it? Where was he hiding it? She bit her lip, looking down at her own field, white dots taunting her with all the failed attempts at doing something so simple as looking for it. Why? Why couldn't she find it? Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body as sweat continuously coated her skin. Anxiety soon became a familiar feeling now that they met every Friday. With bated breath, she placed her right hand over her weapons, but which one was picked was entirely up to her one answer that depended solely on her analyzation and chance. Pure, undiluted luck. And her sanity was at risk. She looked up wildly into almost bored eyes, the person it belonged to too restless after the long wait, and her choice came out breathlessly, desperately:
"B1." All her hope and faith was placed into that one phrase. Time slowed down, her heart pounded frantically in her chest, climbing all the way into her throat and choosing to remain there uneasily. Her eyes fixed on the shape of his mouth as he opened it to give his jurisdiction.
"Miss." Something in her snapped.
In a fit of rage, Andromeda Black swiped her arms across the classy wooden table, knocking over their game set. She let out a furious shriek, the dull sound of plastic crashing into a wall paling in comparison to her incandescent state.
Ten year old Teddy Lupin watched this scene passively, most likely already well acquainted with this scene as other family games lay brokenly on the floor, doomed to the same fate as the most recent Battle Ships. Red and yellow chips were scattered messily along with a deck of cards, a silver dog glinted sadly from its sideways perch atop a stack of wooden blocks. The blue-haired boy sighed. "There goes another one."
He sank back into his chair. Maybe he should stop winning so much. Teddy really shouldn't encourage this intense passion, or obsession really, of Andy's to best him in board games of all things.
I just noticed that this is my first fanfic where Harry wasn't the main character. I'm too used to writing about him. - Aldira