Three girls sat haughtily eating, side by side, at the Slytherin table of Hogwarts' Great Hall.
...Oh, scratch that!
Two girls sat with their chins high, daintily cutting up their food and wiping their (clean) fingers on pristine, neatly folded hankerchiefs that they had brought from home. The girl in between them, however, was sitting hunched over, eyes rimmed slightly red, twirling her food around the plate ungracefully. To her left, her blonde sister, still as dignified, seemed to twitch as she sighed. The brunette to her right, the twin of the odd one out, sniffed disdainfully at the sound. One more sigh did it.
The blonde stood, her lips so tight they were invisible.
''Enough, Andromeda. I need to talk to you.'' Bellatrix sneered and stood up, intent on participating at the shouting and hexing match that she thought would occur.
''Alone.'' Bellatrix started, but went back. Andromeda followed Narcissa to the green and silver common room.
''What happened.'' It wasn't even a question. Narcissa looked slightly arrogant, draped across an armchair, one leg over the armrest, arm atop the back. But Andromeda knew that Narcissa, if bold and haughty as well as stubborn, was of fair judgement and had a heart. But she averted her eyes. They stayed like this for a few minutes.
''He read the letter.'' Andromeda said quietly.
''What's that, Drums?''
''Oh, nothing. Family's bothering me, as usual. Nothing bad.'' She was busy fighting off her cloak,her back to him as he was sat on the grass, the open letter right next to grew silent. She finally turned, spread the cloak on the ground and sat on it, grinning and about to speak. Her mouth clamped shut slowly as she saw that he was reading, frozen.
''...Nothing bad. Nothing bad... Nothing as bad as a threat to rid you of what should be yours.''
''Ted, it's fine-''
''I can't let them take your heritage from you because of me. I didn't know-''
''It doesn't matter to me, Ted, I-''
''It does to me that you survive.''
''If you really love me then-''
''-I do. That's why I can't - you can't - gosh, Andromeda, we can't do this. Don't you get it? With all that money you could lead such a great life, do-''
''Ted, don't do this, PLEASE!'' she shouted.
''Do me this favour, Drums. Buy yourself a lovely house in Australia, with a swimming pool. Like we wanted after the war. You can even get a puppy, ten puppies, hundreds if you fancied it, you've got the means for happy.'' He stood and walked away. It had been so fast. She couldn't have stopped hardly knew what had happened. He'd just... started shaking.
''Ted...you're all I need to be happy, not a stupid number on paper and a vault in Gringotts... I'd fight the whole war alone for you...'' she whispered.
He didn't hear her.
Narcissa was silent. She thought for a time after hearing her younger sister's story. A single question came up.
''Do you love him?''
Andromeda lifted her head from her outstretched fingers. A single tear could be seen.
''I...I do. Yes.''
Narcissa nodded thoughtfully, and it seemed to Andromeda that the conversation was over. She left.
''Theodore Tonks?'' said a well-known girl drily from behind Ted. He turned warily to her.
She looked him over with a face of stone. In the fortnight following the breakup, he wasn't doing well. He had thinned and his eyes were rimmed of a dark colour from lack of sleep. She'd heard that his features slightly changed selon l'humeur, although it was not as noticeable as with a metamorphagus. His child would likely be one, she mused. His skin was pale and his usually dark chestnut hair was dry, straw- like and too combed up. His eyes were dark emerald, different from what Andromeda had said was a light grey with grass green. The chin was too sharp and strained and his jaw shook imperceptibly. He was definitely not coping well.
''We need to talk.'' His friends looked doubtful. Narcissa Black was a Slytherin after all, and engaged with Lucius Malfoy nonetheless. It did not bode well to trust anyone in these dark times. Especially not someone of her lineage with a muggle-born like Ted.
She rolled her eyes and held out her wand, point to her, to one of them. He looked dumbfounded, and she growled impatiently.
''Well go on then! It hasn't killed anyone you know! Keep it while I speak with your friend!''
The boy took it and Ted handed over his as he stood up. Narcissa lifted a perfect eyebrow.
''That won't be necessary.''
''I believe in equality.'' Her jaw twitched at the emphasis. They walked to the doors at a reasonable distance from each other. She started walking ahead as he slowed down, not knowing her destination. She opened the door to an empty classroom on the third floor. The chairs and tables were placed haphazardly around the walls, and she pulled two chairs out to place them in the centre, face to face. They sat. He had a feeling of déjà-vu that originated from interrogatories in police movies. He was not entirely wrong.
''Do you love her?''
''Yes. Um.. Without a doubt, but - ''
''Why?''
''...Because...She is always so joyful and I ...well, I just love verything she does. I can't really explain that. It's just - ''
''I believe in equality too, you know.''
''Then I don't think we have the same meaning of equality.''
Wry smile.
''You're a good man. You will have to grow up fast. We all will have to. I am not denying my other beliefs, but... Who would you be fighting for?''
The response was quick. It didn't even require thought.
''Iwouldfight for her, but - ''
''You do realize that you are the one for whom this war had better be won?''
''I don't think that Voldemort will be generous to any of us. He's been bit by power, and murder doesn't cripple his conscience. No life matters to him, yours or mine. Doesn't matter if I'm his priority. If anyone is to kill you, he's the more likely to, don't you think?''
Narcissa stood and faced away from him, to the windows.
''I love Lucius. He is kind behind it all, even if only to specific people. I'll be safe behind him.''
''Only for a while.''
She breathed deeply. Then nodded.
''I know that I can't expect it to always last. But I haven't had time to- to grow properly yet, to be ready for the final moment. I'll take my time to build up while I'm safe. Lucius is slightly cowardly. If he realizes the tables turn, we will flee, and if I have to, I will fight if I can't stay with him.''
She whirled around and faced him, anger blazing in her eyes. She walked up to him, stood high, and whispered dangerously.
''You will keep her safe. I don't care about you. My sister must live. She is a kind girl. The world is a better place for having her, and I have never met anyone so brave. If you hurt her again-''
She came close to him, her delicate, long nose centimetres from his, sparks shinig in her eyes.
''-Then it will be the last thing you ever do, whether I am dead or alive. Have I made myself clear?''
He gulped, and nodded.
''What you are going to do now is simple. You go up to her as soon as I am over with Bellatrix. You tell her that you are ready to face anything including all the Voldemorts in the world – which you are – and you whip out your grandmother's ring that is about to fall out from you back pocket. I don't care if you do it in the ladies' restroom or in the Great Hall. You do it.'' A velvet box fell out of his back pocket as she finished speaking. He picked it up and fidgeted for seconds, then opened his mouth.
''If- if ever anything... We... My door will always be open.'' She looked over at him amusedly.
''Dangerous times for that, Theodore Tonks. Dangerous times.''
''I'm serious. Thank you. I... Thanks.''
''Go.''
'Theodore Tonks,
Many, many years ago, I ordered you to never hurt my sister, and so to propose to her. You did. You now have a grown daughter, who has made her own decision to join her life to that of a man that you do not like, for fear of the reputation of his kind.
My sister, kind soul that she beholds, will not have held this speech to you. I will.
You were never accepted by our family for fear, for loathing, of your 'kind'. Did you not wonder why Andromeda trusts him? Because, not seeing her, I know that she must love him as a mother should her son, never mind in-law. And I know that it is not only because of the reputation of kindness that he held by our cousin Sirius. I know her too well_ Sirius Black, much a man with his heart in the right place, was still a man of great violence of thought and tended to have a very 'Black and White' idea of things (no pun intended). Either people were good, or they were bad. Or brainless women to amuse him, but let me not wander in these waters.
If you know the fact that muggleborns are not accepted, you must know that it is just as much, probably even more accepted in the wizarding community that a werewolf is seen as a despicable, filthy and most untrustworthy creature. Your son-in-law is a good man- and if ever you repeat publicly what has been written on this paper, I will forcefully deny it. He is as trustworthy as you are. Leave that to your own judgement as to how trustworthy exactly that is.
Remus John Lupin believes that he is unworthy of your daughter. He has saved Harry Potter's life, often Severus Snape's honour, and has, in his schoolyears, made sure to discreetly avoid bloodshed between boisterous young boys that were rivaling Slytherin and Gryffindor teenagers. It is not his choice to be what be one one night each month, whilst it was not yours to be what you be every day of every year, from your birth up to today.
Meditate on my words. They will normally self-destroy after a few minutes post-arrival at your home. I trust you know that it is not wise to leave a paper that goes against the principles that I tend to defend in public, at possible reach of… Some people.
You know who I am.
Friday the thirteenth of January.'
~.~
I know, no updates in a time. This has been on my mind for ...a while, as has a piece on an Elf story that I've been thinking up for aaaaages. I thought that publishing this would be a step forward from having me poor ole brain flooded with plot bunnies...