A Little Bit Reckless
Chapter two
The first mistake she'd made, Andromeda thought, stabbing boredly at her roast lamb, was in sitting at an empty table. Her new tablemates, four affluent ministry officials and their partners, were incredibly boring. She listened to them drone on, keeping the inward sighs unexpressed.
"I'm just saying, what if this Voldemort fellow really does start making business with the ministry?" one red-nosed man blustered, gesturing emphatically with his pudgy hands.
"What could he possibly do?" asked another, a thin, pinched looking man in his late fifties. "The Wizemgamot would never put through any of his radical dictums- withholding jobs from muggle borns and keeping schooling within pure lines.. It's ridiculous to even consider ."
"So you're saying there'd be no support for this action?" asked a woman, raising a thin eyebrow skeptically.
"Of course there would be, there always has been," he said huffily. "But nothing would come of it. Who would approach the bench with a proposal like that? Everyone knows our numbers are dwindling. The traditions of long ago are fading, my dear. Most wizarding kind are half-bloods nowadays anyway." He adjusted his spectacles officiously.
"And besides," a round faced, redheaded lady added, "He already has a lot of support backing him, and not only old-fashioned purebloods."
Someone muttered something along the lines of "filthy half-bloods" but other than that, they kept to their meal until the first man asked again, "But what if he did approach the bench?"
The pinch- faced man let his fork fall with a clatter. "Oh good grief!"
Andromeda was only too pleased when the band began to set up their instruments onstage. She excused herself politely, though she doubted anybody noticed. Where she was going, she didn't even know, but wherever it was, it had to be better than here. She was just starting towards the dance floor when her mother passed her. Touching her arm briefly, Druella asked her to save a dance for Samuel.
Andromeda watched her mother float away, no doubt proud of her evening matchmaking. She looked around quickly, trying to find the intended hopeful. He was still eating dinner, gesturing with his fork at a business associate, no doubt making a point as he stabbed his utensil downwards. Andromeda turned away. Seeing someone coming through the doorway to the outside balcony at the opposite end of the room, she made her way over there. She needed to escape before he noticed her. Before she was halfway across the room, music started playing, and the dinner conversation slowly ceased. Biting her lip, she hastened to the sound of chairs being scraped back as couples began to step out onto the floor. Andromeda made it outside without appearing to hurry too much. Making a hasty glance backwards, she saw him scanning the crowd for someone, probably her, and gratefully closed the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes, not even noticing the balcony's other occupant who stood there looking at her.
She opened her eyes, jumping slightly when she saw him leaning against the wrought iron of the rail. He was tall and lean and solidly built. Black hair fell into his eyes with a casual elegance, curling around his ears, overlong and shaggy. Combined with dark eyes and a slightly crooked nose, it made him look dangerous, a little bit reckless. His expression was indecipherable. As they stood there eyeing each other, it finally began raining. With a rueful smile, Andromeda crossed the balcony to join him at the rail. Casting an impervious charm to keep them dry, she looked across at the stranger. "Hoping to see the stars?"
He gave her a lopsided grin, white teeth flashing in the darkness. "I'd rather get rained on looking for my star out here than go back in there."
"Why?" Was he avoiding his dance card like she was?
He shrugged, looking out at the empty courtyard beneath them. "I'm not much for these parties." Hesitating for a split second, as if unsure, he added wryly, "Not a single one of them can dance and they all steadily get drunker as the night goes on."
Andromeda almost laughed out loud. She'd taken dancing lessons since she was twelve. If there was one thing she could do well, it was dance. Struck with a sudden idea, she asked, "Do you like to dance?"
A black eyebrow lifted humorously. "Was that an offer?"
Andromeda rolled her eyes in irritation before looking at him pointedly, waiting for an answer. He appeared to consider it for a long time. Andromeda sighed in exasperation. If he was going to be a git about it… she started to walk back inside. Hesitating at the door, she glanced back. "Tell me if you change your mind." And with that, she released the charm, letting the rain pour on him, and she left the balcony.
Coming inside from the cool night, Andromeda had to pause and blink a few times to adjust her eyes. The torches set around the perimeter seemed to bounce off every gleaming surface twice as much as before. Several couples were on the floor, dancing a quick-step she didn't immediately recognize.
She looked around and took an empty seat not too far from the balcony, near a group of teenagers including her sisters. Sitting down, she absentmindedly crossed her legs, bouncing one foot up and down. The red skirt made a soft swishing sound with the movement. Her eyes roamed over the room, but despite her (admittedly feeble) attempts not to eavesdrop, her lips curved over the furtive conversation beside her.
"We've got a couple barrels of Ogden's finest from my uncle's cellar. He won't even notice they're missing, I swear…."
"We could have the party at our house. Our parents won't be home until we leave for school in two weeks."
"Your house elf would rat you out in a heartbeat, Regulus." A few other boys laughed at Rudolphus' remark and Regulus protested fiercely.
She tried not to look, she really did, but the thought of seeing her younger cousin after nearly ten years was very tempting. Of their own accord, her eyes turned towards a scrawny lad with a mop of black hair. His choppy bangs hung in his pale green eyes. In the midst of the group of tall, well-built boys verging on adulthood, Regulus looked like the runt of the litter, though he wasn't even two years her junior.
After his older brother, Sirius, had been "contaminated" by Dumbledore's school, Regulus' parents, her aunt and uncle, had deliberated sending him to Durmstrang instead. Whether they had or not, she didn't know. Her parents had sent their three daughters to the Beauxbaton Academy in France. There was a time when Andromeda would have done anything to go to Hogwarts though. She remembered throwing a huge tantrum during her last night before leaving for the academy. Clutching her leather-bound Hogwarts: a History, she'd begged her father to reconsider and allow her to attend Hogwarts. Naturally, he'd refused. There'd been plenty of reasons, but she'd been too distraught to listen or care. Even today, Andromeda kept that book under her mattress, sometimes staring at the moving pictures for hours, wishing she could have gone to Hogwarts. Shaking her head slightly, she cleared the nostalgic thoughts from her head. It was long in the past, and after six years under Madam Maxine's tutelage, she was more than well-educated.
Feeling a burst of cold air, Andromeda shivered and looked around. One of the small iron-bound doors to the balcony was opened, wafting in the cool breeze. Closing the door behind himself was the boy she'd met out there. Pushing sopping wet bangs out of his eyes, he looked around. She suppressed a smile to see his features twist scornfully at the sight of Karkaroff schmoozing some guests. His eyes kept wandering until they locked onto hers. Her heart missed a beat. They were the most beautiful eyes, the dark gray of a morning mist before dawn burns it away.
He was walking towards her. He seemed to radiate tension. A wolfhound in unfamiliar territory. Andromeda wasn't usually lost for words, but when he stopped in front of her, staring down at her with those beautiful eyes, she couldn't say a thing. They just stared at each other until he ran a hand through his hair again and ducked his head.
"Sorry for acting like a git. I didn't mean to offend." he mumbled, his gaze flickering away from hers before returning instantly, tension and intensity burgeoning in gray depths. She had the feeling that apologies didn't come easily to him.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'll survive." she said, trying to sound like she didn't care. To tell the truth, the rejection stung a little bit. Which, she thought irritably, it shouldn't. It had just been a whim. He opened his mouth to respond, but behind him, another male voice spoke.
"Andromeda, I've been looking all over for you." Samuel exclaimed, sounding much like a scolding husband, as if she'd been purposefully avoiding him. Which, of course she had been. As if they were the only two there, he looked directly into her eyes over the other guy's shoulder. "Your father tells me you're a terrific dancer. Would you care to dance with me?" Andromeda thought it extremely odd that someone could so instantly irritate her without even trying. She was also deeply aware of the tenebrous eyes of the other boy watching her.
"Well, Samuel, I…" she trailed off, battling between diplomacy and reluctance. Her eyes flashed back to the boy in front of her. He was watching her, a stoic expression on his face flickering into a slight smile. The smile matched the rest of him, a little bit reckless and hinting at danger.
He half turned, looking over his shoulder at Samuel. "Actually, mate, we were about to take a turn around the dance floor ourselves, if you don't mind," he said, perfectly polite, but there was an undercurrent to his tone. Andromeda had to work to keep her expression neutral. Seeing her escape, she stood, putting her arm in that of her "partner". Shrugging gallantly, Samuel flashed a smile, tossing out, "I'll see you later then," as he walked away. Andromeda's eyes narrowed. He sounded so sure of himself, but she had no intention on there being a "later".
Choosing to ignore the possible ramifications of her diplomacy, or rather lack thereof, she glanced up at her partner, who looked down at her. He raised an eyebrow sardonically. Andromeda quirked both eyebrows with a flirtatious smile, as if to say What can I say? I'm irresistible. She tightened her grip on his bicep, another unspoken message. Are we going to dance or what? With a conspiratorial wink, he led her out towards the dance floor among the twirling couples.
In the center of the floor's compass rose, he turned to face her, his gray eyes alight and focused on her face. Her right hand slid easily down his forearm to his left hand. She took his hand, twining his fingers in hers and raising their hands to shoulder-height. Her other hand rested on his shoulder, still damp from the rain. His right arm wrapped around her to rest with his hand against the small of her back. She could feel it, warm through the cloth of her red dress. It was a possessive hold, firm, but not dominating. She felt a moment's thrill before they even started moving.
The first step they took was like breathing; it was natural, effortless. They moved slowly, sinuously, never breaking eye contact. Each movement was fluid and in synch, as if she'd been dancing with this stranger all her life. His shadowed gray eyes pierced through her, mesmerized her. She didn't even think to watch her feet or count in her head. They waltzed effortlessly, locked in each other's gaze. In a low voice, he murmured, "My name's Sirius, by the way. I don't think we were introduced."
She blinked, suddenly realizing every implication of their actions. If her father saw…she swallowed. She'd done nothing wrong, she reminded herself. Her gaze returned to his, his dark eyes capturing hers. "Andromeda," she breathed, wondering how they'd managed to get this far without at least recognizing each other. Though, it had been over ten years since she'd seen her cousin. His hand tightened around her waist. Looking up at him, she could see nothing resembling the devil of a seven year old she remembered.
"Our parents won't be too happy." He seemed to be enjoying the thought of their parents displeasure, but his eyes still held hers, dark and enigmatic.
Quickly, she glanced around for her father, hoping he couldn't see her. He'd be furious. Laughter bubbled from her lips at the thought of trying to explain herself. Merrily, she told him, "Many a pureblood has courted his cousin. It's when you take it off the dance floor that the scandals begin."
He laughed too at the truth in the statement as they waltzed. Sirius seemed to slowly relax as they whirled around the floor, though his intensity never slackened. She felt relaxation seeping into her and realized that never had she felt like this before on a dance floor, as if she was… floating, or weightless. As if gravity didn't hold her here… he did. Looking into each others eyes, it wasn't as if they were dancing, it was as if they were connected, were one person.
She felt as if they'd just stepped onto the floor when the band suddenly stopped playing. Blinking, Andromeda looked around. The room had thinned out incredibly, the ancient clock on the wall reading just after midnight. Her face crumpled in disappointment. Seeing it, Sirius began to laugh, a low reverberation she could feel coming from deep in his chest.
"We've danced every dance- lasted longer than the band," he observed. At her reluctant smile, he ducked his head to murmur in her ear, "But who needs the band anyway?" And with that, he pulled her close, both of them beginning to sway to music only they could hear.
When they finally called it quits, they were alone in the room, except for Karkaroff. Cold eyes watched the two teenagers pass him at the doorway. At his unyielding gaze, Andromeda blushed and even Sirius couldn't meet his eyes. They knew what Karkaroff was thinking, and exactly how he felt about it, but Andromeda didn't have a scandal in mind for the night. They were just dancing, and if her heart was racing and her skin flushed, it was that and nothing more.
They walked towards the ship together, each reveling in the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. The rush of waves to the beach was comforting, the light breeze playing with strands of her hair. The rain had stopped, but a cool mist was slowly enveloping the beach, giving it a surreal glow. At the edge of the dock, Sirius stopped, and Andromeda looked inquiringly at him.
"Aren't you going aboard?" she asked, confused. Most guests would sleep the night on the ship, then floo home in the morning when the Castle's grates were lit.
"No. I think I'd rather sleep in my own bed tonight," he replied. She looked up at him, but his face was in shadow. She wished it was light enough to see him by.
"Oh. Well… goodnight then."
"Goodnight then." Sirius smiled, the white flash of teeth visible even in the dark. In a gesture that reeked of overly gallant courtesy, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly before turning smoothly and striding away.
Watching his retreating form from the ship's deck, she was struck by a quote she'd heard once in an old muggle book; heard, but hadn't really understood the depth therein.
Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-browed night;
Give me my Romeo; and, when I shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night...
(A/N)
Want to see Sirius's point of view? Read "Almond Eyes" my other fic-in-progress. Same story, different point of view.
Would some quotes tempt you?
Walburga was a class A act in theatrics; the only genetic trait he'd ever admit to inheriting from her, apart from her gray eyes.
"I was disowned, all right?" Sirius snapped. People who were disowned were never talked about, they were forgotten. It was like voluntarily orphaning your children. Though he'd expected it, it still shocked him a little.
"Wonderful," Alphard exclaimed, his eyes fazing into the witless blue stare of lunacy he'd come to adopt. Smiling briefly at Sirius, he turned for the doorway, saying as he went, "I will arrange everything, lad. We'll be in touch." And Alphard was gone.
So there's chapter two. Before anybody freaks over these two being cousins, I have to point out two things, one is that I believe in friends before fireworks, but I also believe we teenagers have intensely active imaginations (I do, at least) and lead ourselves astray on occasion. The second thing is that as Sirius points out in the HP books, there are relatively few purebloods in England, and they're all very closely related, so it's not as much of a taboo that two cousins would be romantically involved, because, well, look at Molly and Arthur, who are biologically related (OotP). OR Walburga, Sirius's mother, who did actually marry her third cousin (HPL Black Family tree). I liken it to the old Egyptian royalty system…. Until everybody had to marry their sisters and the empire collapsed. Also, I believe in soul mates. I wrote this story with the idea and intention that every human barrier possible cannot hold love back. So there. 3 Kt
(If you don't like it, quit reading now. It's only going to get worse.)
