Third Year
"Narcissa, do you have everything you need?" Druella asked, as her youngest daughter stood with her head held high and white blonde hair rippling down her back.
"Yes mother," she replied, a stoic mask on her face.
"Good child." Her mother's smile bared down on the young child as Bellatrix said a swift goodbye before stalking off onto the train.
"Now Andromeda, you be good this year – do the same as last year, I was pleased with your progress," Cygnus had turned to the middle child who was stood slightly slouched and dishevelled.
"Yes father," she answered, but inside she was roaring with indignity.
"Yes is right, now goodbye." Cygnus placed a hand on Andromeda's shoulder before withdrawing it turning towards Narcissa.
Andromeda heaved her trunk towards the train, ignoring everybody around her. Therefore it was a surprise when she felt her trunk being taken from her hands, looking up she saw Lucius Malfoy.
"What a pleasant surprise Miss Black," he greeted.
"Not really." Andromeda snarled, turning her back to Lucius and climbing onto the train.
"Always the voice of delight," Lucius drawled sarcastically.
"Always the voice of the person I don't want to talk to." Andromeda replied, trying to get away from Lucius, but he blocked her way.
"Now, now, that is no way to talk to your fellow Slytherin is it?" He reprimanded.
"Oh, I apologise I meant to say, I'm sorry but I do not like you, I do not like your hair and I hate your stupid voice so please move out of my way!" Andromeda had always become infuriated quickly around Lucius but today she could not stand him.
"After you," he motioned, gesturing into the train, his eyes rolling in disgust with her behaviour.
"Thank you." Andromeda snapped.
Tears ran down Andromeda's face as she locked herself in one of the train toilets; "Now Andromeda, you be good this year – do the same as last year, I was pleased with your progress.". Her father didn't care how she lived her life, so long as she didn't talk to muggleborns and half-bloods – he didn't care if she was happy. She couldn't face another year of nothing, another year of loneliness. So what if she talked to muggleborns and half-bloods? It might at least mean she was happy.
No! She cannot think like that, she can't afford it. She pushed all of those thoughts out of her head and, after washing the tear stains from her face, walked from the toilets – into what seemed like the middle of a battle field.
Bellatrix was laughing deliriously, shooting hexes at a fair headed Hufflepuff boy. Andromeda recognised him as Ted Tonks, the boy she had saved in first year. Gryffindor's had come to help defend the boy against the malicious Slytherins.
"Stop your sister!" One of them shouted, Andromeda felt her heart reaching out to the boy on the floor. But she wasn't a Slytherin for nothing, self preservation meant more to her than saving the Hufflepuff boy, let the Gryffindors save him. She walked away, pretending not to notice the fight.
That was Andromeda's big mistake.
From that moment Andromeda knew she had been made an enemy of Gryffindor house. As the school year passed the Gryffindors began to lash out more and more at Andromeda, every time Bellatrix lay a wand of Ted the Gryffindors would turn on Andromeda.
Ted tried half-heartedly to stop the Gryffindors but he knew he wouldn't be listened to. Andromeda grew steadily more and more unbalanced. Losing more and more weight. Her mind became slowly more and more damaged.
"Hey Black," Lucius stood in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
"Malfoy," Andromeda answered curtly, her voice hoarse and her throat raw.
"You look ill," Lucius stated.
"Thank you, now go away." Andromeda tried to growl but winced in pain.
"You should get something for that throat," Lucius advised.
"Why cant you just leave me alone? Everyone else does so what's your problem?" Andromeda shouted, storming past him and running straight into Narcissa.
"Hi," Andromeda said glumly, pushing the tears back into her throat.
"Hi," Narcissa's voice was soft, and when she took her hand Andromeda didn't protest. Nor did she protest when Narcissa lead her out of the common room to an empty classroom, and sat with her until she had cried herself dry.
"Better?" Narcissa asked. Truthfully, Andromeda only felt worse – her throat ached and she had shown so much weakness, but Narcissa's small solemn face framed with white blonde hair was too sweet to refuse.
"Yes," she lied.
"Good." Narcissa said before walking out of the classroom, offering no more comfort.
"Thanks," Andromeda whispered into the silent classroom.
Cold and unforgiving, that was what Pure Bloods were but Andromeda didn't want that. She wanted to be swept off her feet, loved, cared for, she wanted to be listened to, to finally feel carefree. But she would never get that, she knew it. In fifth year she would be told whom she will wed to and her life will become a long corridor of meaningless love and dark arts.
A/N – Yet another short chapter, I promise once I reach seventh year they should be about double this length. I just want to give some background into Andromeda's life before she goes into seventh year. Today I had my birthday celebration because I am in school all day and evening on my birthday so it would really mean a lot if you reviewed ;)