A/N Lots of hints dropped in this one
Trigger Warnings: Use of alcohol, touch without consent, suggestive themes
It was late. The sun had set hours ago and they had all eaten dinner together was which rather..uncomfortable to say the least. Sirius was surprisingly quiet, but seemed all the more observant. He had tried to catch Andromeda after dinner but she had told him they would talk later. She wasn't ready to tell him about what had happened earlier with Rabastan.
Instead, she walked down the hallway to try and find Bellatrix. She had just stepped out into the hallway and walked a few steps when she heard a noise behind her.
"Andy!" She heard someone gasp. She heard distant running and turned around to see Narcissa catching up to her, slippers and all.
"Where are you off to?" She asked. She was already dressed for bed and wrapped her cover up around her shoulders, covering part of her silky nightgown.
Andromeda turned to her. "I was going to find Bella," she said, continuing to walk. "I figured she might want to talk or I don't know..maybe just spend some time together I suppose before the big day?" Now that she said it out loud, Andromeda was a little unsure of her plan. Bella did always tend to like to handle things on her own. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.
"Right. I suppose I should come with you," she said, looking around the hallway. She heard a distant creaking but wasn't sure if it was just the floors. After all, this wasn't her house so how would she know what creaks?
"Evening, ladies," said a voice. Both girls jumped and turned around to see Rodolphus Lestrange walking up from behind them, still dressed in his robes from dinner. He looked exhausted and his eyes were bloodshot. A droopy smile spread across his thin lips. He let out a small laugh before wrapping one arm around Andromeda and the other around Narcissa. Both girls looked at each other, perplexed by his sudden action.
Andromeda struggled to get out of his grasp and finally spoke.
"If you'll excuse us, we were just going to-"
"Nonsense. You are my family now," he said, kissing them both on the head. He was drunk. Andromeda could smell the alcohol radiating off his breath. He giggled again and whispered something under his breath that neither of them could comprehend.
"What do you want, Rodolphus?" Andromeda asked, becoming annoyed with him. Narcissa sighed and tried to wiggle out of his arm.
"I just wanted time with my ...family," he dragged. His grip on them began to loosen as his eyes became more difficult to keep open. He released his arms slowly and brought one hand up to scratch his head, keeping his eyes closed. Andromeda wanted to run, but she was sure that would cause more issue
"Come on Cissy," Andromeda whispered, grabbing hold of Narcissa's arm and leading her down the hallway. Rodolphus let out a booming laugh as Andromeda and Narcissa walked away. He sprinted up to them, nearly tripping in the process. They both ignored him and continued to walk. Narcissa gave Andromeda a worried look, panic setting in her bright eyes.
"Hey-hey you know," he snorted, giving a small laugh, "maybe sometime we can all-"
"Maybe sometime you should learn to control your drinking," Andromeda snapped, turning around to face him. She knew talking back to him would only piss hm off and would likely make her look bad in front of Rabastan. But she didn't care. He started this mess and it was time to end it.
Narcissa reached out to Andromeda, her hand slightly shaking.
"Andy.."
Rodolphus only continued his maniacal laughter. He approached Andromeda and came so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She backed up from him and bit her lip, attempting to keep as much distance between them as possible.
"You're a little snippy one aren't you?" He said laughing. He raised his eyebrows and moved to reach out to her. Andromeda turned away from him and grabbed Narcissa by the arm, walking quickly down the hall.
"A bitch, just like your sister," he snickered, before turning in the other direction and walking away. Andromeda let out a breath and returned to walking at a normal pace once she could no longer hear his sloppy footsteps. She stopped for a moment and turned around, looking in all directions. She reached for her wand but then realized she had left it in her room. Stupid mistake, she thought to herself.
"Let me see your wand, Cissy"
"But Andy-"
"I'm not going to use any spells. I just want to make sure he's gone". Narcissa handed over her wand with a sigh.
"Lumos," Andromeda whispered. The tip of the wand turned bright and Andromeda held it up in the air, making sure Rodolphus was gone. Once they were sure that he was out of sight Narcissa turned to Andromeda.
"Andy, I can't believe you provoked him like that," she said, snatching her wand back.
Andromeda stopped her pace and turned to face her. "Provoked him? He was piss drunk and started getting handsy. Who knows what was going through his mind," she shuddered.
"Men like him think any woman with a voice is a bitch, Cissy," she stared before continuing the walk down the hallway. "I could care less what he thinks about me," she said, although she knew that that was not entirely true.
Narcissa looked down at the ground and remained silent as they continued to walk.
"Should we tell Bella?" Narcissa asked, as they approached Bellatrix's room. Andromeda took in a breath and turned to her sister. Andromeda though for a moment and then turned to Narcissa.
"No. It's not like it's going to change anything," she whispered. "Besides, she's probably upset as it is. We don't want to make her feel worse".
Andromeda took a breath before walking up to the door and giving it a soft knock.
"Bella?" Andromeda said softly. "It's us".
Within a few seconds the door opened and Bellatrix led them inside the dark room without saying a word. She slammed the door shut and crossed her arms.
"Why is it so dark in here?" Asked Narcissa, looking around. Bellatrix hopped onto her bed.
"I was sleeping," she said simply.
Andromeda paused, turning to Bellatrix.
"Well, we just wanted to check on you. You know see how you were doing."
Bellatrix gave Andromeda a hard stare.
"I'm fine Andromeda. I'm not sure why you would think otherwise," she stated. Andromeda looked at her and noticed her eyes were red and puffy, almost as if she had been crying. Andromeda walked over to the bed and took a seat next to her.
"Right well, I assume you're ready for tomorrow?" She asked, sucking in a breath. She wasn't going to force Bella to talk about it but she knew that Bellatrix was upset. Probably beyond upset.
"I don't want to do this Andy. You know nothing between us is going to change. I'm just getting married." Bellatrix snapped, tying her hair up.
"I'm just saying, it's a big deal, you know?" Andromeda looked down and started picking at her fingernails.
"You're making it a big deal," Bellatrix said, rolling her eyes.
Andromeda sighed and looked down at her feet.
"I don't want to fight with you, Bella. We can leave if you'd like, or we can stay it's your choice."
Narcissa, who has been silent since before walking in the room, spoke up.
"It's okay, Bella," she said walking over.
Bellatrix swallowed and looked at both of her sisters. She gave a small laugh before collapsing on her bed and letting out a groan. They were quiet for a minute until Bellatrix spoke again.
"It could be worse right?" She asked, staring up at the ceiling. "I suppose we do get along and-I do like him," she said giving a small smile. "He's quite talented. And apparently he knows Riddle personally..."
"Riddle as in Tom Riddle?" Asked Narcissa, staring at Bellatrix.
"Who else, Cissy? I have told you about him right?" She asked, pulling herself up to look at both of them. Andromeda and Narcissa shook their heads "no", and waited for Bellatrix to explain.
"Well this man-Tom Riddle-he had disappeared for a bit-apparently trying to bring together a group of purebloods and he's planning on ensuring that the wizarding world is not tainted anymore by mudbloods or filthy half-breeds-"
"And how exactly does he plan on doing that?" Andromeda asked, trying to hide her feelings of disgust.
"What does it matter? Probably through eliminating them some way or another, Andromeda. I don't know why you care. I told you to stop talking to Sirius so much.." Bellatrix said. Andromeda pursed her lips and looked down, taking a deep breath before turning back into the conversation.
Narcissa looked at Bellatrix with confusion written across her face. "So..so Rod knows him?" She asked quietly.
Bellatrix nodded and gave a small smile. Andromeda wanted to hurl. She almost looked proud..
"Yes. The Lestranges are very active in aiding him and preparing for his plans," Bellatrix said. "Which means, we will be too," she added looking at Andromeda.
Andromeda's stomach dropped and she tried her best to contain her response, keeping her face blank. Bellatrix stared at her, waiting for her to say something.
Andromeda let out a sigh. "I'm not a fighter Bella, I don't want to harm anyone-"
Bellatrix stood up and pointed her finger at Andromeda.
"These filthy mudbloods have stolen magic from real witches and wizards Andy! Do you not understand that?" She nearly yelled, her hands balled into tight fists. Her face was red and her lips were trembling. She gave a small laugh before shaking her head and sitting back down.
Andromeda really did not understand, but she knew if she voiced that it would only make the situation worse. She remained silent and looked at the ground.
"I don't think you know a good opportunity when you have one Andromeda. Our marriages into this family are huge, whether you like them or not," Bellatrix spat angrily.
"I don't want to fight, Bella," Andromeda repeated, looking up at her sister. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Narcissa spoke.
"Rod seemed rather...enthusiastic tonight," she said. Andromeda threw her a glare.
"He drank a lot at dinner," Bellatrix said, giving a small smirk. "But he seems happy, at least I hope he is," she admitted.
"So what are the plans for after the wedding?" Andromeda asked, pulling Bellatrix out of her thoughts and wanting to change the subject.
"Well. Along with his work with Riddle, Rod has been working for the Ministry. We'll be living here for the time being but will probably find somewhere else once we have children-"
"You're already thinking about that?" Andromeda asked, gaping.
"We're already trying," Bellatrix smirked.
"Brilliant," Andromeda said, biting her tongue.
--
Sirius had spent the night sleeping on the couch in Andromeda's room. Andromeda hadn't told him about all the events of the previous night, but she knew that he didn't trust Rabastan and to be quite honest, neither did she. And to top it all off, Rodolphus' behavior that night didn't exactly make her feel warm and welcome either.
Sirius awoke that morning to sounds of rumbled footsteps outside the hallway. He figured it was early-as the sun was just beginning to rise and bring light into the room. He stretched, forgetting he was sleeping on a couch and toppled onto the ground with a loud thud. He saw Andromeda's head peak up with a concern look on her face.
"Siri?" She asked, reaching her arm out to him. Sirius groaned and picked himself up off the ground before turning to his cousin.
"You're lucky I love you because sleeping on that couch was horrid."
"We can switch tonight," she said, getting up and walking over to him.
" 's alright."
Andromeda sighed and gave him an apologetic look. Sirius took a seat back on the couch and turned to look at her.
"Sirius, Rodolphus was drunk last night".
Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"Really? How do you know?"
"I saw him when I was walking to go see Bella. He smelt like liquor and and he was stumbling. "
Sirius made a "hm" noise and then closed his eyes for a moment before returning to Andromeda.
"Did he say anything to you?" He asked.
"He just said he was happy that we would all be family," Andromeda said, deciding to leave out the part where he had called her a bitch.
"How sweet of him," Sirius mumbled.
Andromeda got up from her bed and walked over to the door. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready," she said opening the door.
"Mm. Okay," Sirius said, closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep.
It was over four hours when Sirius woke back up. He yawned loudly and looked around to see that no one else was there. He figured Andy probably went to help out Bellatrix. He got up and groaned as his feet hit the floor. He slowly walked over and opened the door before walking to the room next to Andromeda's and knocking on the door.
"What is it?" Narcissa asked, opening the door only slightly. Sirius stared at her with an unamused look on his face.
"Where's Andy?"
Narcissa gave a huff and pouted her lower lip.
"With Bella, is there anything else you needed?" Sirius shook his head and gave a sarcastic wave to her as she shut the door. He decided to walk back over to his room, where he was surprised to find Regulus standing outside of the door.
"I need help with this," Regulus sighed, holding up his dress robes. "Where have you been?"
Sirius gave him a tired look and moved pst him, walking into his room.
"I'm not nearly even close to being ready, Reggie," he said. Regulus bit his lip and fiddled with his dress robes in his hands.
"Alright. Well, can you help me when you are ready?" He asked.
"I suppose".
--
For Sirius, getting ready was typically a two -three hours process. He surprised himself that he only got it done in an hour and a half. Sirius was just about to put his shoes on when he heard a knock on his door.
"Siri, come on!" He opened the door to reveal Andromeda in a deep purple gown that fell to the floor. Her hair was pulled up and she wore large diamond earrings along with a necklace to match. Sirius was also very jealous that she had on spaghetti straps while he had to wear a long sleeved dress robe. Not to mention it was heavier than anything he had ever worn.
"Andy, you look-"
"Darling, let's go," said Rabastan approaching from behind her and resting a hand on her waist. Sirius slid on his shoes and ran out, not even bothering to glance in the mirror.
The wedding was being held under a large tent outside, which held quite a lot of space. Sirius didn't recognize many of the people there, but he did notice his Uncle Alphard in the crowd. The yard was decorated with purple and blue flowers and ribbons.
It was warm out, so warm that Sirius could feel himself sweating through his dress robes. He started off alright but felt worse and worse as the minutes went by. Towards the end of the ceremony, he could see Andromeda glancing at him and giving him a worried look. He tried to give her a smile but just ended up looking like he was confused. Fortunately, the ceremony ended soon after with a very anticlimactic kiss from Bellatrix and Rodolphus and cheers from the crowd.
Sirius was more than fortunate to be able to change into less constricting dress robes for the reception. He hurried back to the party, giving a small smirk to a group of girls that were staring at him. He moved through the crowd and caught sight of not only his favorite uncle, but Andromeda as well. Sirius walked over to them and Andromeda pulled him into a hug.
"Siri! Did you know that uncle was here?" She asked. Sirius gave his uncle a smile and a solid handshake before stepping into the conversation. The three of them had always gotten along quite well and enjoyed each other's company, especially during gatherings like this where everyone seemed to be present.Although the moment didn't last long, because Rabastan came to pull Andromeda away to the dance floor, leaving Sirius and Alphard alone.
Sirius and Alphard stood quietly for a couple of minutes, both of their eyes fixed on Rabastan Lestrange.
"Watch that one," he said to Sirius, taking a sip of his drink. "He's a lot more frightening than he seems. He's quite the actor."
Sirius frowned and turned to his uncle. "Who is? Rasbatan?" He asked, looking at the couple. Rabastan held her hand up and twirled her around and then Andromeda fell back into him, placing her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She almost looked happy. Almost. Sirius could see through it, even if no one else could.
"Mhmm," Alphard said. "He's just as bad as the other one. They're both a couple of ruddy bastards".
Sirius sucked in a breath and nodded. "She's not like them, not one bit," Sirius said, still watching Andromeda and Rabastan. He swallowed and faced his uncle.
Alphard let out a low chuckle. "No shit, neither are you," he said giving Sirius a pat on the back. "You two have always been different. I just hope it stays that way," he said in a raspy voice.
"But I'll have to marry soon as well," Sirius said with a sigh. He wanted to be himself more than anything, but if his family was forcing marriage upon him then he really had no choice another than to oblige.
"You don't have to do anything," Alphard said, taking another sip of his drink. Sirius gave him a confused look.
"What do you mean? We don't have a choice-"
Alphard chuckled and looked to his nephew, who was clearly confused.
"That's what they want you to think. But they can't force it on you," he paused, taking a breath before continuing. "Look at me, they gave up on trying to get me with a respectable woman," he said laughing. "Sure, nobody talks to me and I'm practically shunned. But I don't care. I can't stand most of these people anyways," he said. Sirius sighed and thought about it. His uncle never married. But he did remember hearing all about his shenanigans from his mother and-his ending was not all that happy. Alphard rarely made an appearance at family events and when he did, he would typically only talk to Andromeda, Sirius and on occasion, Walburga. He had been shunned. He was an outcast.but Sirius supposed it was better than being miserable.
"Why don't you go split up your cousin and 'thing two' over there?" He said jerking his head in the direction of Andromeda and Rabastan, who had started kissing.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Sirius said walking over. Sirius scurried past the dance floor until he reached them, walking past couples dancing in each other's arms. Once he finally spotted Rabastan he cleared his throat loudly and tapped him on the shoulder. Rabastan gave him a perplexed look and glanced at Andromeda. Sirius held his arm out to Andromeda and gave her a small smile.
"I can take it from here," he said to Rabastan. Without another word, Rabastan walked away, dropping Andromeda's hand. Sirius placed one hand on Andromeda's waist and the other on her back while she wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a small laugh.
"He actually was okay, you know," Andromeda said with a small smile.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't care. He's no good for you". Andromeda let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes for a moment.
Sirius scanned the crowd before landing on a familiar figure. His eyes went huge and he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Is that-Regulus? Regulus-dancing...he's dancing with a girl?" Sirius said watching his brother trip over his own foot. Andromeda swatted him and smiled.
"Stop, I think it's cute," Andromeda said, looking over at Regulus. Sirius rolled his eyes and snorted as Regulus tripped over his foot and fell on the ground. The girl held her hand out to help him up.
"That's embarrassing, we don't know him," Sirius said, turning away from Regulus. He was surprised Regulus was usually quite reserved.
"At least he's trying," Andromeda smirked, giving him a knowing look.
Sirius looked taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh nothing," Andromeda said innocently. "I'm just saying-I'm sure there are plenty of girls here who would want to dance with you," she said looking around. Sirius knew she was right. He had already caught a few groups of them staring at him and whispering as he walked by them.
"Hm. Well I have the best girl right here," he said pulling Andromeda closer to him.
Andromeda rolled her eyes and looked unamused. "If you're trying to flatter me it's not working. I know your smooth talk tricks, Sirius," she paused giving him a look of disappointment. "Besides, you're going to have to pick a girl out soon enough-"
"Can we not talk about this right now," he asked, his smile turning to a frown. Andromeda nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. They were silent for a couple minutes, watching the people around them.
"I'm sorry, Siri, I didn't mean to upset you," Andromeda finally spoke in a low voice.
Sirius stared at her for a moment.
"I'm sorry too," he said, although Andromeda wasn't quite sure what he was apologizing for.
"I can't believe it-her and Rodolphus," Andromeda whispered. Sirius snorted.
"I know. Are you hungry? I didn't eat ," he asked, releasing his hold on her.
"I'm so hungry," Andromeda whispered desperately, following his lead as he walked towards the smell of food.
Andromeda caught Narcissa walking in the opposite direction, as if she was searching for something or someone. Andromeda tried to catch her eye and gave her a quick smile, her eyes followed her until she couldn't see her anymore.
Narcissa ignored Andromeda's looks and searched for the one person she was looking for. She felt arms wrapped around her waist and she turned around to face Lucius Malfoy.
"I've been looking for you all damn day," she said playfully hitting him on the chest. Lucius snarled and picked her up, spinning her around in a circle. Narcissa giggled and held onto his shoulders as he spun her around.
"I've missed you too," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before setting her down on the ground. He looked at her with a deep glimmer in his blue eyes. "You're the most beautiful girl here," he said, resting his hand on her cheek. Narcissa gave a soft smile before stretching on her tip toes and giving him a kiss on the lips.
"You taste like strawberries," she said, licking her lips.
"I did just eat cake," Lucius said raising his eyebrows.
"Hmm." Narcissa placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him. "You look quite handsome," she said, putting a hand on his cheek.
"I do, don't I?" He said, raising his eyebrows. Narcissa gave a light giggle and took his hand, walking him over to the dance floor. Narcissa felt herself bump into someone and turned around to see Regulus, dancing with a girl she didn't recognize. Regulus lifted his chin and greeted Lucius "Hey!" He said, giving him a slight smile. Lucius smirked back and gave him a swift wave before returning his attention back to Narcissa.
Regulus turned around, glancing at Narcissa and Lucius. "I'm going to go," he shouted very loudly at the girl he was dancing with, suddenly releasing her hands and leaving her alone and confused . Regulus walked off, wanting to find something to drink. He supposed he shouldn't have left his partner out there alone, but he had been out there for too long. Seeing Narcissa and Lucius brought him back to reality.Regulus was walking up to get a drink when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Barty Crouch giving him a half smirk as he clapped him on the back.
"Hey," Regulus said quietly, returning his half smirk with a wide smile.
--
Back on the dance floor, Lucius was spinning Narcissa around, his hands on her waist and her hands grasping onto his back.
"You'll stay the night?" She asked, whispering in his ear. Lucius smirked and leaned over to whisper to her.
"Already talked to Rod. We're good for tonight," he winked. Narcissa broke out into a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck before pressing her lips against his.
"As long as you're off early in the morning we'll be fine," Narcissa said, breaking out into another smile. Lucius grinned at her, his cheeks turning a slight pink.
"You know you're beautiful all the time. But you're so beautiful when you smile," Lucius whispered, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. Narcissa returned his kiss with a small giggle as he spun her around, keeping his hands on her waist.Narcissa turned, seeing Andromeda and Sirius in front of them. Didn't they just leave? She thought she just saw Andy but then again there's so many people here-
"Oh look, it's Narcissa!" Andromeda yelled grabbing Sirius hand and pulling him over to Narcissa and Lucius. Sirius tugged on Andromeda's arm and whispered in her ear, "Stop making it so obvious just act natural". Andromeda ignored him and walked over to where the couple was standing.
Narcissa sighed and gave Lucius an apologetic look. She looked down at the ground before dropping her arms to her side and turning to Andromeda and Sirius.
"You both know Lucius, correct?" She asked, motioning to Lucius. Lucius gave them a quick smirk and then went to stand behind Narcissa.
"Of course we know Lucius, Narcissa-" Andromeda started.
"We just don't know him as your lover," Sirius said, winking. Andromeda gave him a shove.
"What's going on over here?" Said Bellatrix, coming up from behind Narcissa. It was the first time she had talked to any of them since that morning. She looked happy, with a small smile painted on her lips and her cheeks glowing. Her hair fell down her back and contrasted well with her bright dress.
"A lot of love and affection," said Sirius, pointing to Narcissa and Lucius. Narcissa blushed and Bellatrix gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Cissy! Are you two-"
"No, it's- it's not like that...yet," she said simply, not making eye contact with Lucius. She shifted her weight onto one foot and gave a soft sigh before turning to Lucius, who was hiding behind her.
"Well then what's it like?" Sirius asked, looking from her to Lucius.
"That would be my business and not yours," Narcissa said sternly, crossing her arms.
"Andromeda! I've been looking for you!" Rabastan called.
Sirius rolled his eyes and looked at Bellatrix and Narcissa before turning to Andromeda.
"We have to go," Sirius said pulling Andromeda away and running in the opposite direction of Rabastan's shouts.
Bellatrix ignored Sirius and kept her eyes trained on Lucius, biting her lip. She gave a small smile before looking back to Narcissa.
"Well whatever this is Cissy, I'm happy for you," she said, giving Lucius a smile.
"I knew you'd make the right choice," she added, looking off into the distance.