AN*here is a one-shot for you. :D
the Recital
Andromeda sat, shaking her leg so that her bracelets jingled feeling like a fish out of water. She shouldn't have come; she knew that, what if she saw her? What then? She couldn't go and talk to her, not after all this time, after all that was said; after all that wasn't. Just then a hush fell through the audience as the light focused on the stage, plunging the audience into darkness and lulling them into silence.
As the curtains begun to slither open, the squeak of the pulley reminding everyone how agonizingly slow the whole process was, Andromeda rolled and unrolled her program fighting the urge to read it; there was no need, she had it memorized off by heart. First was the Bulstrode girl, then four more singers, then came the violinist, and the Cellist Miss Greengrass, and then the piano.
The other acts ended all too quickly, and Andromeda considered leaving more than once or twice.
"Mum, why are we here again, this is sooooo boring!" Nymphadora whined bringing Andromeda back from her repertories. "Who exactly are we here to see?" With all surrounding heads turned to the pair Andromeda's anxiety only grew; she felt as though she was going to be caught, like a child rifling through a cookie jar.
"Nymphadora hush."
"But whyyyyyy? It's not like anyone cares. There all just as bored as I am!" Nymphadora argued. The Greengrass girl would be finishing her piece soon.
"I care." Andromeda countered, surprising herself more than her daughter who rolled her eyes and slouched further into her chair.
Miss Greengrass stood and curtsied to scattered applause, the location of the family becoming exceedingly obvious. Soon she was pattering off the stage and the proper introductions were being made for the next performance. Andromeda found herself on the edge of her seat leaning towards the stage; Nymphadora suddenly becoming interested as well. Tentatively, a pale white hand poked out from behind the curtain, drawing it back to reveal a shock of white blonde hair and grey eyes. And suddenly Andromeda remembered all the reasons why she hadn't been to one of these things before. Andromeda began to gather her purse from the floor cursing herself for expecting anything different until she heard the crash. Andromeda peaked over the seat in front of her. The boy had somehow managed to get his foot wrapped in the curtain and as a result fell face first into the stage. While the majority of the crowd managed to stifle there laughter a fair few were roaring; there screeches echoing due to the fine acoustics. It wasn't the boy's humiliation which caused Andromeda to ease back into her seat, but the expression on his face; it was Narcissa, at her first residual. When she had tripped over the skirt of her dress; which was far too big for her but she had insisted on wearing Bella's old dress robes in spite of it. The flush on her cheeks, the way in which she hurriedly picked herself up, brushed herself off, and now red as a vine ripen tomato stood, wanting nothing but to run, but too humiliated to move. And just like she had for Narcissa Andromeda found herself encouragingly waving her hand, pointing him towards the piano in the middle. Even once he had recomposed himself, with his back straight and head held high Andromeda still could only see Narcissa and remembered why she had wanted to come in the first place.
AN* Review :D