In Black Ink
Prologue
Shall time's best jewel from time's chest lie hid?
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
O, none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
Shoving the crate aside let out a great gust of dust. Andromeda wordlessly banished the cloud and struggled to hold in a horrific sneeze. When was the last time she'd come up here? Not since she'd gotten out her old baby blankets for Dora. Only fifteen years, then. It felt like an eternity, and like no time at all.
She frowned, wondering what had happened to those blankets.
Oh, what was she doing, doddering around like a fool? She'd come up here for something. Best get to work again. She moved aside old chests and boxes, hovering the heaviest ones. What a mess. She should come up here and clean it one of these days, and maybe strong-arm Teddy and Harry into helping. What was even in all of these?
Andromeda picked up square tin, painted garishly in burnt orange and avocado. There were pictures of silly cartoon animals on the front, dull and immobile- muggle made. She opened it as soon as she realized, wincing at the lid's strained screech. Inside was a pile of papers, yellowed and unorganized. She picked one at random and read the first line.
Dear Ted,
I've been thinking about what you said before…
Her eyes welled and she let out a shuddering breath. She held the letter to her chest and took a moment to breathe, staring sightlessly out the small attic window. How long had these been here? He hadn't kept them all, had he? She swiped at her cheeks before the tears could fall and sifted through the years of letters and notes, until she reached the very bottom of the stack.
Do you think he he has to comb that mustache?
She laughed. Oh, Ted.
Hey guys! This was meant to be a one-shot about the beginnings of Andy and Ted's relationship, but I thought it would be better suited to a series of vignettes. Thanks for reading! If you have the time, I'd love to know what you think.