This chapter is shorter than usual but I had to end it here. I am having a rather bad time in real life right now so updates may be a little slow, but I will try to keep them going quickly. Your encouragement was much appreciated- see how well reviewing works!

Chapter 28 - Revelation

When it came to parties, I much preferred the balls. If caught in a conversation you'd rather avoid, you could always spot someone across the hall who you "simply had to speak to" and make an escape. With the dinner parties you were stuck with whoever ended up sitting next to you.

"Oh, come over here Andromeda, dear…" My mother called, and I had a flash of fear. It was a sweet voice my Mother never used with us when not in front of other people, and I knew well enough to worry if she called me "dear"…she was trying to impress someone.

"Now Andromeda, you sit right here," she trilled. "Oh, why you remember Marius from Hogwarts, don't you?"

So it was him. I didn't actually remember him from Hogwarts, he was easily five or six years older than me so if we had been at Hogwarts together I would have been too young to merit his notice, and too smart to attract the attention of older students. But he was merely another young man…fairly good-looking but with nothing to make him outstandingly attractive.

With my Mother sitting at his other side, there was nothing to do but submit to inane small talk. Did I enjoy Hogwarts? What subjects did I enjoy? What were my plans when I finished school? Where would I like to travel? Oh, and what do you do Mr. Flint? How interesting! In other words, I probably could have had the conversation without hearing him and still gotten the answers correct. Eventually, Mother drifted away (to scold a house elf who had lingered too long in sight of the guests) and he leaned over and whispered "Hell, I'm sorry. I'm really not this boring. This is damnably awkward! Your Mum was expecting me to say the usual things…"

Then I felt bad, because he was a decent person. It was the thing I could never explain years later…not everyone in Slytherin was a bad person. Marius was probably a very decent human being, a good man who in another time and place might have lived a productive and decent life. He was a good man except for the pureblood rhetoric that had been pounded into his head since before he was able to understand it, and he had never been lucky enough to meet someone to change his mind. We were not all that different, except that he had never encountered his own Ted.

Our conversation was somewhat less strained after that, but I was still rather glad to escape as soon as dinner was finished. The party was by no means over, there would still be cocktails, but my Mother was too busy making rounds to notice what I was doing. I slipped into the library, where there was a fire burning, and I found I was not the only person with that idea, Narcissa was scowling into the flames.

"What are you doing in here?" It wasn't like her to avoid a party where there were people to admire her.

She barely spared me a glance. "Lucius can't seem to take his eyes off Aurora Rookwood, and she's hanging all over him as well. Frankly, the whole display was making me sick. She's not even that pretty," she said, seemingly bored, and then added savagely, "bitch."

"You're quite prettier than her," I agreed, not only because it was what she wanted to hear, but because it was true. "But she's always fancied Lucius, and she's always thrown herself at him. But do you really think you're doing much a job of showing Lucius you're grown-up by sulking in here?"

"I'm not sulking. I don't even care."

"You are, and you do."

She just shrugged. "I saw you talking to Marius."

"I could hardly avoid it, with Mother pushing me into his face," I replied, sitting on the other side of the couch from her, copying her pose, staring into the flames.

"He isn't that bad, right?"

"Yes, that's what I want for the love of my life. Not that bad."

Her sulky expression fell away as she turned to look at me, surprised. "Are you in love with that boy?"

"Marius? Of course not, I've only really just spoken to him tonight."

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Not him. That mudblood boy."

"Please don't use that term Narcissa."

She pursed her lips, thoughtful for a moment, then ignored that. "Are you?"

I finally turned from the fire to look at her, meeting grey eyes that were eerily like my own. She already knew almost all of it, what was the point of lying to her any more?

"Yes."

A little widening of her eyes was the only indication that she heard me.

"How?" she finally said, wonderingly, as though the concept was so foreign she couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"What do you mean "how?" I repeated irritably.

"How can you fall in love with a mudblood…oh for Merlin's sake I don't care if you don't like the word Andromeda. How is that even possible? You're a Black."

"It's not something I set out to do…I didn't sit around thinking of ways to make my life complicated. He's…he makes me feel…" I trailed off, realizing that called on to explain it, I couldn't. I could have told her that Ted was brilliant, that he made me laugh and made my heart race, sometimes at the same time. I could have told her that he made me feel safe no matter what else was going on in the world, that he seemed to understand me better than anyone. But I knew none of that sounded right when you put it into words. Maybe love couldn't be explained that concisely. I sighed, and shook my head. "Never mind."

Narcissa watched me a minute longer, and then looked down at her hands. "I told Bella. That you were seeing him again."

"I know. I saw the letter."

"You didn't say anything?"

"What would be the point? If you want to tell Bella something I can't stop you. She's your sister as well."

"More yours though," she said quietly, without explaining that strange comment. "She comes home Tuesday."

"I know, Cissy."

"What are you going to do? They're going to have you marry Marius. They won't let you be with a mudblood."

"I don't know."

She shrugged and left the room, her heels making a staccato click on the floor.

It was the last real conversation I had with Narcissa.

As she had reminded me, Bella was coming home two days later, and I kept to my room until then, reading and even studying in desperation to get rid of the restlessness that made me feel like crawling up the walls.

Our parents were preparing to leave. They didn't travel often, preferring the comforts of home and having no interest in broadening their horizons culturally, but Mother had been invited by Rosier relatives in France. My best guess was that Father's reason for going was more to ascertain where the loyalties of that side of the family lay in the current political troubles, but the invitation from family made a convenient excuse. Given that Bella and I were of age and Narcissa nearly was, they decided that there was no reason we should go with, and no reason to leave us at Grimmauld Place. With the house elves, we could certainly look after ourselves for the week and a half until we went back to school.

Bella arrived in an expansive mood, hugging Cissy and I, saying how lovely it was to be home, peppering her conversation with French phrases and bearing gifts for everyone. Narcissa and I sat on her bed while she unpacked and told us stories about the people she'd met over her months abroad. Nothing was said about me or the letter Narcissa had sent, and I didn't think Bella was avoiding it just due to Narcissa's presence. Perhaps she hadn't gotten the letter, although I had never known Megaera to not deliver a letter properly. Perhaps she hadn't believed it and dismissed it out of hand. Or perhaps she was waiting…but I couldn't imagine for what. A lifetime of weathering Bella's moods had taught me not to let my guard down.

Our parents left the same afternoon she arrived home. While most parents probably would have had a list of warnings and rules attached to leaving their teen daughters home alone for two weeks, our parents merely told us to behave, and we knew exactly what they meant. As it was getting dark Narcissa left to see Lucius before he went off to Ireland for a few days on business, her sulk from the party forgotten as soon as she's gotten his owl. That left Bella and I alone, and though it was cold she dragged me to sit outside on the balcony, threw a sloppy warming charm around it, and popped a bottle of champagne.

"France really was lovely. Not just Paris, the countryside and the South…you'd really quite like it Andy, you like that history of magic stuff…"

"I don't want to learn the sort of things you do Bella, you know that…"

"You shouldn't worry about those sorts of labels Andy. That's just trying to limit what you're really capable of."

"I know what I'm capable of."

"Then why do you care what the Ministry defines as right or wrong magic?"

"How many times are we going to have this conversation Bella? I'm not you. I'm tired of everyone expecting me to be."

"I don't expect you to be me…that's the thing, no one knows what to expect from you. Mother and Father have no idea what you want and they're running out of patience, and Cissy's mystified enough to think you're running around with that mudblood boy again."

I looked at her quickly, but she wasn't looking at me, and her tone was light.

"I told her you were finished with that," she added. I knew Narcissa hadn't spoken to her alone since she'd gotten home, so Bella would know nothing of the conversation we'd had at the party. That didn't mean she wouldn't find out. For one insane moment I wondered if it would be better coming from me, but she seemed in such a good mood I hated to start anything, so I let the remark pass.

The total lack of supervision only made it easier for me to get away from the house, and the next evening I met Ted, who insisted on dragging me into London to see the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. While I claimed to really not understand the point of the tradition, I had to admit that muggles did Christmas every bit as well as the wizarding world, with all their lights and decorations.

We walked among the muggles while Ted explained the finer points of Christmas to me.

"The best part is really the presents. And of course, it's a great racket for parents, because they can say Santa will only bring you presents if you're good. So you can tell your children if they behave they'll get loads of Christmas presents, but if they don't behave…" he trailed off ominously, so I supplied what seemed like the obvious answer.

"He kills them?"

"Andy!" he glanced around to make sure none of the muggle children running about had heard me. "No! Jesus, what kind of bloodthirsty mythical figures do you have?" He shook his head and draped his arm around me, as though I might be cold. "Christmas is next week-end. You should…you should come."

"Come where?"

He cleared his throat a little nervously. "Well, you should come over. To my house. I mean, my parents would really like to meet you, and we'll have all sorts of family over…they probably think it's about time they met someone from this mysterious school I go to."

"I…well…really? You want me to?"

"Of course I do. Besides, my cousin Chris is always making fun of me because he says I go to some poncy sissy school…it'll totally shut him up if I have a gorgeous girlfriend."

"Won't they think it's weird if I don't know anything about Christmas…or…you know, muggle things?"

"You can fake it for a few hours. It might even be fun."

"I'll see if I can get away. I'm sure I can…"

I could have apparated home, but I had agreed to meet Marlene in Diagon Alley and so he walked with me back to the Leaky Cauldron, and Marlene did not look happy when we arrived.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked softly.

"I don't know, but I suspect it involves my cousin and some fantastically stupid thing he's done."

"Right, that sounds like a situation that, as a male, I'd rather avoid," he said. "I'll owl you…good luck with her."

He kissed me briefly and left. I turned back to where Marlene was sitting at a table picking at the label on her bottle, but a woman stepped into my path. Tall, forbidding, dressed in layers of black lace, Mrs. Lestrange stopped me with her trademark glare. It took me a moment to realize why she looked so enraged, then I realized she had seen Ted kiss me.

"Well, well, well, Andromeda Black. Your parents will hear about this."

"Ma'am," I began, not sure what to say, but desperate to stop her. She just sniffed and turned away, walked out of the pub, and apparated.

The next night we were expected at a party at Grimmauld Place, and I was fairly certainly the Lestranges would be there. Of course my parents wouldn't, but that didn't mean Mrs. Lestrange wouldn't gossip to every other person there that she had seen Andromeda Black kissing a mudblood boy. She was not a woman known for discretion, even Bella had commented on what a gossip she was.

I tried to play sick, but Bella wasn't having any of it, claiming that everyone was going to be there and if we didn't show up Aunt Walburga would tell Mother and Father, and she would have to deal with their scolding when Narcissa and I were back at school. She had answers for all my reasons as to why I didn't want to go, and so finally I couldn't argue her down anymore, I would have to go. I hoped that some huge scandal had occurred in the last day that would distract Mrs. Lestrange from me. The pureblood world was full of its own little scandals- affairs and secrets and betrayals- surely there was something more interesting than me. I told myself it was just arrogance to think my relationship was that big a deal to anyone else.

With all of my dragging my feet, the party was in full swing by the time we arrived slightly late. I was almost immediately accosted by Marius. I'm sure my Mother had arranged with Aunt Walburga and all of her other friends that we be thrown together at every possible event. I wouldn't have minded normally, he was likeable enough, but the knowledge that he was intended to be my fiancé made me uncomfortable around him through no fault of his own. I did dance with him, and we managed to maintain a pleasant enough conversation throughout, and I started to feel a little more relaxed. Nobody was staring at me and whispering, and I was annoyed with myself for thinking the details of my personal life held much interest to adults with serious matters on their minds.

I finally escaped by claiming a sudden need to talk to Hadrian, who looked rather like he'd like to escape a conversation with Serena Pritchard anyway, but I had gotten no more than a few steps before a voice stopped me.

"Andromeda?"

The chill in Bella's voice was unmistakable, and without even looking at her I knew someone had told her. I turned, and raised an eyebrow slightly, as though vaguely asking what she wanted, but there was no missing the spark in her eyes and the coiled tension in her posture.

"Can I speak to you for a moment? In private?"

I shrugged, and followed her away from the ballroom, into one of the darkened rooms down the hall, a guest bedroom where moonlight was pouring through the windows. She didn't even bother to close the door entirely before she whirled on me.

"Mrs. Lestrange had an interesting bit of news to tell. About seeing you in Diagon Alley. With that mudblood."

"He actually has a name," I said vaguely, feeling rather detached suddenly, not nearly as frightened as I should have been.

"Andromeda-"

"Oh for Merlin's sake Bella, does it even occur to you that it's possible Regine Lestrange might have gotten it wrong? You said yourself she'd do anything to have a good bit of gossip. Since when do you believe everything she says?"

She hesitated, watching me closely, trying to see if I was lying. I realize now she was probably trying to get into my head…she was never as skilled at Legilimency as she'd have liked, she didn't have the tight concentration needed. She bit her lip suspiciously, anger still flashing in her eyes.

"You haven't been seeing him?" she asked, voice low.

"She has," said a voice from the doorway, and not Narcissa's as I expected. I turned and found Regulus, hands in his pockets, standing in the doorway casually. His face was hard and set and so cold that for a moment I barely recognized him. "She has seen that boy. I saw them together at Hogwarts. I saw him kiss her, and it didn't look like the first time."

There no longer seemed any point to denying it, she might doubt Mrs. Lestrange but she wouldn't doubt Regulus. I turned back to her and nearly recoiled at the look in her eyes.

"Whore," she spat, and I caught her wrist an inch from my cheek.

"Don't touch me," I hissed, as she jerked her wrist out of my grip, stumbling back. Only then did she seem to remember she was a witch and I saw the polished flash of her wand. That seemed to spur Regulus to finally move.

"Bella, don't-" he said, taking a step into the room.

"Don't touch you?" she repeated, ignoring him. "You let a filthy mudblood touch you. You must have enjoyed this. Always the clever one, fooling everyone, playing the perfect daughter, the perfect student, while all along you've been sneaking around with him. Do the two of you laugh about how you're putting one over on everybody?"

"It's not like that-"

"No? What is it like Andy? Demeaning yourself with him? Tell us what that's like."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"It's disgusting! You're a blood-traitor, and my sister is not a blood-traitor-"

She raised her wand slightly, and Narcissa, who I hadn't even noticed come into the room, said tremulously "Bella no!"

She moved suddenly, pushing me against the wall, pinning my hand that held my wand.

"He can't have you! You're mine and he can't have you," she said savagely, the tip of her wand against my throat. Narcissa screamed, and then for a second the world froze. I could feel my pulse beating in the hollow of my throat where the tip of her wand was pressed.

"Do it then," I whispered, a challenge. But only inches away, it wasn't the blind rage I expected in her eyes. For a long time the only sound in the room was her quickened breathing, then just as suddenly she let go of me, and her wand clattered to the polished floor.

"I hate you," she whispered.

I left. I don't remember how I got out of the house, I must have passed through the ballroom but if anyone spoke to me I didn't hear them, and as soon as I was out of the confines of the house, feeling the blast of icy winter air, I apparated.

"Andy?" Ted opened the door, surprised, pleased, sounding perfectly normal in a world that had just totally fallen apart. "You must be freezing, are…what's wrong?"

"I…I left. I can't go back…"