Note: Heavily AU
Warning: contains light smut
Andromeda walks along the shore of the lake, staring at the dark water. Moonlight bathes the still water in a soft, silvery glow, but she can't bring herself to enjoy the night's beauty. Her mind is a million miles away, and her heart feels so heavy. As she passes the remnants of a sandcastle, built earlier in the day and left behind, she hears soft footsteps behind her and turns.
Lily Evans offers her a faint smile. "Are you okay?" she asks, emerald eyes swimming with concern.
Andromeda's stomach twists itself into knots. She wants to nod, to tell her lover that everything is fine, but she can't. How can she live with herself if she lies to the one who trusts her more than anything? The world is falling apart. The war seems endless, and everything is in chaos.
Nothing is okay.
"Do you ever think we should stop doing this?" Andromeda's voice is barely above a whisper as she tugs at the sleeves of her light jumper.
"Did you ask me here just so you can break up with me?" Lily asks, and though she keeps her head held high and the faintest hint of a glare in her eyes, Andromeda hears the way her voice quivers.
"No. That's…" Andromeda swallows dryly, shaking her head. "That's not it. I promise."
"Then what is it?"
But Andromeda doesn't quite know how to explain things. What can she say to Lily? Everything is falling apart. It feels like everything she loves is being ripped away, and there's nothing let to hold onto.
She doesn't know how to put it into words. Instead, she reaches out, gripping Lily roughly by her hips and pulling her close. Her lips find the Gryffindor's, and she kisses her roughly. This isn't the time for questions and explanations. All she wants is to touch, to feel, to just breathe.
"Someone might see," Lily murmurs.
"I don't care."
It's not quite the truth. After all, she is a Black. She has to take care of her reputation. Each and every little thing she affects her and those around her.
She doesn't want to care, but maybe she does. She kisses Lily again, hoping it will be enough to ease her mind and make the demons in her head go away.
This isn't a gentle kiss. This is desperation and need, and she is grateful that Lily returns the hunger. Maybe they've both been trying remember how to be.
"Why does this feel like goodbye?" Lily whispers.
Andromeda doesn't want to talk. Talking will lead to opening up, and that is a dangerous thing. Lily can never; she would never understand.
She pushes Lily's cloak off, watching briefly as the crimson material falls onto the sand. "I need you," Andromeda whispers.
…
It so risky and dangerous, but it is nothing short of bliss. Lily looks so beautiful on her back, her auburn hair haloing around her head. Andromeda loves the way Lily melts at her touch, how she trembles as Andromeda grips her thighs.
"Andi…"
"Shhh… Don't speak."
Carefully, she guides Lily's legs apart before moving her fingers teasingly along the younger witch's inner thigh. She's had Lily like this so many times before, but this is different. Andromeda has never been so bold, has never dared to love her so openly.
Maybe there's something about the war that makes her braver. It doesn't matter because she knows how this is going to end.
"Why don't you take off your jumper?" Lily murmurs, pushing her hips upward. "I want to see you."
In place of an answer, Andromeda leans in, her face between Lily's leg. As she flicks her tongue, the quiet night is interrupted by a sudden frenzied moan.
….
Andromeda tries to ignore the way her heart sinks in her chest as Lily dresses.
"You were right," she mutters.
Lily looks up at her. "About what?"
Andromeda wants to throw up. This has always been inevitable; she had known this moment would come since she'd sent the letter to summon Lily here in the first place. "You know I love you, right?"
It isn't fair. She wishes she could find a way out, but this is it. It's now or never, and there is no other way.
"I love you too," Lily replies with a bright smile that makes Andromeda's heart break.
Andromeda pulls out her wand. She doesn't want to do this, but it's the only way to prove her devotion to her master, to prove that she is worthy of the skull and serpent seared into her forearm. If she wants to be like Bellatrix and rise in the ranks, she has to sever this last tie. Nothing can hold her back.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green light brightens the night air before finding home in Lily's chest. Andromeda knows that she should be proud of herself as her lover hits the ground, but there is no sense of triumph, only anguish.
Tears sting her eyes, but she blinks them away. She cannot show weakness. She is strong and fierce, and this is all for the best.
"I'm sorry," she whispers to her fallen girlfriend before raising her wand in the air. "Morsmordre!"
As the Dark Mark hangs ominously over the lake, announcing her success, Andromeda hurries away. She takes no satisfaction in what she has done. The only comfort is knowing that she could enjoy herself one last time before losing everything.
Piñata: hard
Auction: femslash
Prompt of the Day: must contain smut
Sewing 101: "Are you okay?", Dark!au, Andromeda
Insane House Challenge: Morsmordre
365: "Do you ever think we should stop doing this?"
Feline, Siberian: fic set on or near water
Supernatural, Valkyrie: Write about a powerful woman
Disney, Kaa: Write about someone who shouldn't be trusted
Dark Lady's Lair: dark!au
Showtime, The Mirror: triumph
Count Your Buttons: jumper
Lyric Alley: You play the game, though it's unfair
Seasonal: sandcastle
Gryffindor: Lily Evans
Word Count: 910
