I do not own the Black family. That is credited to J.K. Rowling. I only own my made up characters and the writing is mine.

Chapter 1

"Here you are, Miss."

Andromeda Black looked up. The young maid, whose name she thought was Allie, stood before her carrying several items. Among them was a large, white box tied with a red silk bow. The label was written in French, and Andy knew at first glance what the package contained.

Andromeda shut her copy of Romeo and Juliet with a snap and laid it down on the emerald satin settee.

"Thank you, Allie", Andy said as kindly as she could. She knew the poor girl had been harassed by her elder sister a few minutes previously. The marble halls and corridors had a way of echoing everything that was spoken loudly throughout the entire mansion.

Allie bobbed her blonde head and exited the room, shutting the dark mahogony door behind her.

Andromeda practically bounced with excitement on the small couch. As soon as Allie's footsteps faded away, and no others were heard, Andy fairly ran towards the box that Allie had placed on the emerald and silver embellished table near the door. No matter how many times her mother ordered dresses from France, the thrill of the unknown gown within never failed to make Andromeda feel as though she were eight years old instead if eighteen. The red bow slid off easily and Andy's large brown eyes became round with astonishment at the sight of the ball gown.

Druella Black really had outdone herself this time. The golden silk strapless bodice looked as though thick ribbons of sunshine had been wrapped elegantly to form the top of the dress. Andromeda laid the gown gingerly out on her dark green bedspread. The dress stretched the entire width of the king size bed, perfect for Andy's long frame. The skirt was simply made; no embroidery or embellishments until the hem, which wasn't too gaudy. Only small, crystals were woven into a simple but beautiful design along the bottom. More gold fabric fell from beneath the top layer.

Andromeda could not stop staring. The dress was so perfectly to her taste, it was almost as though she had designed it herself. The source of most of her shock, however was that her mother had ordered this one. Usually her mother labored under the illusion that Andy prefered elaborate and outgoing designs like her two other daughters.

Her red lips still parted slightly, Andromeda glanced up at the box the dream gown had arrived in. To her surprise, she saw a smaller, velvet case inside. When her long fingers opened the box, Andy immediately knew why Druella Black had gone with a simple gown. She was making up for the simplicity of the dress with the jewelry.

There were two necklaces. One was a thick choker. The other several strands of beads and smaller chains. The bracelets were simple enough. They looked like extremely expensive bangles. The earings were four inches long, and there were extra silk ribbons in the bottom of the box that Andy assumed were for her hair. Everything was solid gold.

Andromeda sighed. The gold would compliment her dark hair and eyes, but she still felt like the accessories were a bit much.

Her reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in", Andy called, adjusting her features into what she hoped was a polite and collected expression.

"Hello, Miss!", Lina Inesiano said excitedly, closing the door and swinging back around to face Andromeda.

Andy's face transformed into an actual smile at the sight of her best friend and personal maid. The young Hispanic's excitement and happiness were contagious.

"Hello, Lina", Andromeda said.

Lina ran gaily across the marble floors towards Andy. Her smile was the widest Andy could ever remember seeing it, and she knew what her friend was going to say even before she said it.

"Miss, he said yes! He said yes! He said yes! He's going to prom with me!", Lina sang out as she embraced Andromeda tightly.

"Oh, Liney I told you he would! A blind man could see that Kris Matthews is smitten with you!", Andy said as she held Lina at arm's length. None of the Blacks were very comfortable with outward signs of affection.

"I know, but I was so worried! I suppose he's just-"

Andromeda knew why Lina had stopped speaking. Her wide eyes had fallen on the ball gown and jewelry lain across the bed.

"Oh, Miss. It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen", Lina said in an awestruck voice. She had always been more fond of fancy things than Andy.

Lina's longing expression made Andromeda's stomach squirm. The idea of the dress was already beginning to wear off to her, but Lina looked like she would give the world three times over to be able to wear it to her high school prom with Kris.

Lina expressed excitement for Andy and complimented the gown several more times before Andromeda was able to divert her attention back to Kris and prom. Lina dove into that subject, and soon the conversation was exactly like all of their other conversations. Lina chattered on and on and Andy listened and laughed occassionally, hardly ever getting a word in. She never minded Lina covering the dialogue. Andromeda was more of a thinker, and the quiet one in her family. All of her conversations with almost everybody were like this.

After a few minutes of animated discussions, which ranged from what Lina should wear to how to tell Kris that he needed to get a haircut before the big night, Lina stood up abruptly and said that she forgot about the tea that Mrs. Black was having downstairs in thirty minutes.

Andy had completely forgotten as well and did not want to be reminded of it. Teas and social calls from other wealthy women who came only to gossip and insult your possessions behind your back were more up her younger sister Narcissa's alley. Her only consolation was that she would not be alone in her suffering. Her elder sister, Bellatrix, hated pokey old women even more than Andromeda did. Bella prefered intelligent and heated debates with their father's dinner guests.

Andy absentmindedly said yes to the rose colored sundress and white hat and heels that Lina held up for approval. After assisting Andromeda into the dress, tights, and shoes, Lina ran her tan fingers through the taller girl's long, mahogany curls.

As Lina expertly pinned the locks back, Andy sat straight on the seat in front of the silver mirror. Lina began to talk about prom again.

"It's going to be so wonderful, Miss! The theme is going to be Monte Carlo and me and the rest of the prom committee are renting gambling tables and slot machines and other Las Vegas type things", Lina went on excitedly.

"We're also gettting a DJ and a disco ball and some really awesome lights.

"What's your school's prom theme, Miss?", Lina asked as an after thought.

"We don't have a prom", Andromeda said. "I don't think I would be allowed to go even if Agensen's did have one."

"Oh."

Lina's one word contained a note of something that made Andy's "Black pride" flare up. She was not used to people pitying her and she didn't like it. Everyone was supposed to think that the Blacks had everything.

If anyone should be pitied it's Lina, Andromeda thought spitefully. If she thinks her public school prom is so great that-

Stop that!, she ordered herself.

Andy took a deep breath. It scared her how easily she could turn into the condescending, evil little girl her parents had been trying to turn her into since before she could remember. They had succeeded with Bella and Cissy, but Andromeda had always resented their views on people of lesser means.

"There. If you don't set heads turning in that, I'll eat my foot", Lina said proudly, placing her hands on Andy's shoulders and pressing her head against her friend's.

Andromeda felt awful. She had thought such terrible things about a girl that was kind and helpful to her. And only because Lina had seen through the facade that Andy wore in front of everyone.

She was jealous of Lina. Even though Lina had so little compared to Andromeda.

But she does have more than you. She has a life.

Andy knew that was true. She'd known for a while. Even as she looked in the mirror at Lina's handiwork, she knew she didn't want this. She wanted to have a normal life like Lina. She wanted to be able to associate with whomever she wished, not the people her parents wished. And Andromeda wanted to do things regular teenagers did their senior year of high school. She wanted to go to prom and to football games. She wanted to go to the mall or the movies and just hang out. Andy knew she didn't want her days to be planned out as they were now. She wanted freedom.

Lina studied Andromeda's face and she looked worrisome.

"Well, I thought it looked nice, but if you don't like it, Miss, then I can-"

"Oh no, Lina! It's wonderful. You've done a beautiful job. I was just lost in thought."

Lina looked appeased, to Andy's delight.

"Thank you, Miss! Of course it helps when you have a beautiful subject to work with", Lina teased with a wink.

Andromeda smiled appreciatively.

Lina disappeared out the door a few seconds later to go and help set up the terrace for tea. Andy was left alone. She slipped on her lace gloves, picked up her small, silk handbag, and stole a last minute glance at the mirror.

She looked like everything a lady of her station should be. Her dark curls were pinned into a style that let her hair fall behind her to her mid-back. Her lips were a beautiful rosy red. Her wide, nearly black eyes stood out against her clear, porcelin skin.

On the outside, Andromeda Black was perfect. On the inside, she was screaming.