I always knew, from the age of eight, who I was going to fall in love with and marry. Lucius Malfoy: a year older than me, and an absolutely perfect match in every way. The Malfoy family didn't quite have the prestige of the Blacks, admittedly, but they were rich enough to support me and their bloodlines were as pure as any. The two houses needed to be tied by marriage, and Lucius and I were the obvious candidates. And while Lucius wasn't exactly the best looking of boys, who was I to worry about such trivalties? But now, standing on the balcony of my family's manor and staring up at a night sky as smooth as velvet and scattered with glittering stars, I was horribly conscious of the silence stretching between us.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I asked, merely to break the silence.

"Yes," he said. "It is." He turned to me, and I tore my gaze from the sky to his face. He was so pale that he almost seemed to glow in the darkness. "Although not nearly as beautiful as you."

"Why, thank you," I said. I smiled, more out of habit than anything. "But you flatter me excessively, I think." There was another moment of silence.

"Andromeda, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a long time now."

I felt a lump rise in my throat as I realised what was coming. "Are you sure they won't be wondering where we are?" I asked in a high-pitched voice. "Maybe we should go back inside…" It was a stupid question: of course they wouldn't worry where we were when the entire dinner party had probably been planned to allow us this moment.

"They can spare us for a few more minutes, I'm sure." He smiled at me in the darkness, and slowly got to his knees. I felt sick. "Andromeda Black, will you marry me?"

I took a sharp breath, not wanting to say the words I'd always known I would say. In the silence which hung between us, I could hear the sounds of quiet conversation inside. Lucius shifted his weight slightly, obviously uncomfortable in the kneeling position. "Uh…" I began awkwardly. I cleared my throat. "Yes. I will. I mean-" I tried to force some enthusiasm into my voice- "I'd love to."

My entire body felt rigid, numb. I barely noticed Lucius slip the ring on my finger and straightening up again. We stood facing each other for a few awkward moments, and we smiled shyly at each other. I wondered if he would kiss me (was it my imagination, or were our bodies leaning closer together, the way couples do in books?) but a second later Lucius glanced back at the door.

"Well, shall we go inside and announce the good news? I've already talked to your father, of course."

I nodded. "Yes, lets." I brushed my hand lightly against his, searching for some kind of excitement within myself. I found none.

Lucius pulled open the door and held it for me. I thanked him quietly, and the two of us set off down the hall towards the dining room. I walked half a step behind him, already feeling myself falling into the role of subservient wife. Our families were seated around the dining table. As we walked in, they all looked up expectantly from the small talk they had been making. It occurred to me that they probably all knew exactly what we were about to announce.

Lucius smiled at them, and after a moment's delay I followed suit. For a second, there was absolute silence. Then Lucius spoke. "I- that is to say, Andromeda and I- have an announcement to make." He let the excited silence hang for a moment, pausing to smile at me. I forced a smile back. "I have proposed to her, and she has done me the honour of accepting that proposal." He let the silence hang in the air for the briefest moment, hungrily soaking up the approval on their faces, and then added, "We're engaged!"

I still felt numb. I was only seventeen, and I hadn't even finished Hogwarts- I started my last year in just over a week. Surely I wasn't old enough to be in this situation? But if I refused him now, then I would risk never getting married at all. So I simply forced my smile wider and nodded at the six faces staring at me.

My father leapt to his feet. "Well, I think this calls for a toast! Blinky, bring me that centaur-made wine, would you? The one I'd been saving for just this occasion." He headed over to shake Lucius' hand and congratulate him. My mother and sister's hurried over to excitedly congratulate me, followed a few moments later by Mrs Malfoy.

A few seconds later, Blinky appeared with the wine and father poured it into eight glasses. "It seems only yesterday that 'Meda was small enough to hold in the crook of my arm. To think she's old enough to be engaged! My first daughter, engaged!" For a moment, the expression on Bellatrix's face was murderous, but she covered it quickly and no-one else seemed to notice. An ice-cold glass was pushed into my hand.

Father beamed at me as he raised his glass. "To a long and happy marriage!" We all followed him in raising our glasses and clinking them together softly. I took a shaky sip of the expensive drink without tasting a thing, as the adults excitedly discussed our engagement and then moved on to anecdotes about their own. I fixed what I hoped was an interested expression on my face, and counted the hours until I could go to bed and try not to think about the evening.

Even when the Malfoys left and I began getting ready for bed, though, I couldn't be free of the memory of what had happened.

"You're so lucky, Meda!" Cissy gushed, when the Malfoys had finally left and I was getting ready for bed.

"I suppose," I said unenthusiastically.

"Lucius is perfect." She sighed as she pulled a brush through her thick blonde hair. "I hope I have half as much luck when I get married."

"Yeah."

"You're worried about Bella, aren't you?" When I didn't reply, she continued, "Don't be, honestly. She's just jealous. She'll get over it."

I shrugged, knowing that Cissy was being naïve. Bella didn't "get over" things- she could bear a grudge for years, over the most insignificant of things. I remembered the time Crabbe had called her a harpy and she had spiked his morning pumpkin juice with Toothache Tincture every morning for the rest of the term, only stopping when our Head of House had begun a personal investigation. She still despised the boy. I shuddered, and tried to cover it with a yawn. "Sorry, Cissy, I'm really tired. Would you mind leaving me to get some sleep?"

"Of course. I suppose you need your beauty sleep more than ever, now you've got a fiancé to keep happy." She flashed me a sunny smile, and left the room humming, with steps so light she was almost dancing. At the doorway, she paused and twirled to smile at me again. "Night, Meda. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Cissy," I said tiredly, climbing into my four poster bed. One of the house elves had left a hot water bottle in it, and I hugged it close to my chest and felt the delicious warmth spreading through my body. Even as my body relaxed, though, my mind was racing. Could I have said no to Lucius? Could I change my mind now?

But I already knew the answers: no, and no. The honour of the Black family was resting on mine and my sisters' shoulders, and it was a burden I couldn't ignore- especially with the odds of Bellatrix marrying well decreasing almost by the day. That meant that, more than ever, it fell on me to secure a marriage to a good man, produce an heir for him and not cause any scandal- and certainly no broken engagements.

I squeezed my eyes together, trying to forget, and eventually drifted into sleep.

*

I was woken by a sharp rapping on my door. "Miss Andromeda? Muffy has a letter for you."

"Come in," I called, without opening my eyes. My bed was deliciously warm, and I wanted to savour the sleepy feeling for just a few more minutes… And I had a feeling that when I woke up fully I was going to remember something I would feel better forgetting.

It seemed Muffy had other ideas, however. The elf laid the letter on the cabinet by my bed gently, and crossed the bedroom to open the curtains. "Will Miss Andromeda be wanting breakfast in bed this morning, or will Miss be taking it in the dining room?"

"Oh- downstairs, I suppose."

"Then she should go down soon- as always, Mistress Black does not wish Miss Andromeda to get into slothful habits."

I nodded. "Of course. Tell her that I'll be down shortly."

"Especially not now that Miss Andromeda is engaged," the elf added brightly. She bowed low and left the room.

Suddenly, the previous evening came flooding back: Lucius Malfoy on one knee, the ring, my family toasting our engagement… I shuddered and sat upright, still hugging the covers around me, and stretched out an arm into the comparative chill of my bedroom to reach my letter. I recognised the handwriting on the envelope immediately- it was that of my friend Elladora Rosier, the letters large and cheerfully rounded. I excitedly broke the seal and opened it out, beginning to read the letter.

Dear Meda,

Just a note to see how you're getting on at home. France remains lovely, as always, although I swear that father and Evan become more distant by the day. They so rarely seem to spend time with us at the moment, instead taking long walks up in the mountains which on which they refuse to allow me to join them (which infuriates me, but there you go).

The weather is perfect, however: beautiful bright sunshine, although it is often a little too hot for my taste. The area is very beautiful, however, and I know you would appreciate it if you could see it.

Let me know how you are, and how your sisters are getting on. How's Bella these days- is she engaged yet? If not, it must only be a matter of time. Have you been to many parties?

Affectionately yours,

Dora.

I put the letter on my desk and began to dress, making a mental note to reply later. I had no idea how I would explain to her that I was engaged. I couldn't imagine her reaction either, except that I knew she would be shocked and most likely unhappy. Much as I was feeling now…

I gave myself a small shake. I was being childish and stupid: I was engaged to a perfect man- rich, handsome and chivalrous. Many girls would kill to be in my position. And with that thought, I went downstairs, hoping that breakfast would improve my outlook.