Lucky for her, social gatherings were not few and far between. In fact, it there were far more gatherings than usual. Of course, the purebloods all had much more to talk about, and she didn't mean her wedding.
"Did you hear about that Auror who went missing? AnAauror?" One of the lady's beside her gasped.
"It's not like the others either," Another fawned. "He wasn't a mudblood, or even a half-blood. He was pure."
"Didn't make him any less of a blood traitor," Her own mother spat. "Did you here what he did too Adrian Nott? Just because he decided to teach those muggle pigs a lesson…"
"Can we really afford to be divided though?" The first lady said. "There are already too few of us as it is. And if the rumors are true about what's happening to those who are disappearing…"
Andromeda did her best too tune them out as she scanned the crowd for Rabastan. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in their conversation. She was. Very much so. But finding out what was going on with Bellatrix was her top priority. All of these problems would still be here once she figured this out.
Finally, she spotted him, lurking in the far corner, looking as uncomfortable with the choice of conversation as she felt. She couldn't blame him. There had been other disappearances, of course, but they had all been muggles or muggleborns, and none of them had been ministry officials. Everyone believe the elusive Lord Voldemort was behind it, and if he was going after the ministry, then he was even more of an extremist than they all feared. To be honest, Andromeda wasn't sure she believed this Lord Voldemort was a real person. Of course, his very name sent a chill down her spine, but no one had ever seen him or knew who he was. What if he was just a symbol, a way of uniting the purebloods together and giving them someone to blame for their own heinous acts?
On another occasions she might have shared some of this with Rabastan, but she had a whole lifetime to talk with him about this matter; she wanted to resolve things with Bella now. She sidled up to him as subtly as she could, trying not to drawn attention to herself. He stiffened when he realized it was her standing next to him, but he followed her lead and didn't so much as glance in her direction.
"Library?" she whispered.
He tensed, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She would have thought he'd jump at the chance to meet with her. After a moment he nodded, and she relaxed.
They took different routes, just so no one would suspect they were heading somewhere together. She beat him, giving her just enough time to take a few calming breaths before someone cleared their throat behind her. She whirled around, and there was Rabastan.
Despite everything they had been through and every lie she had told him, her heart lifted at the mere sight of him. Though she would never love him the way she loved Ted, A part of her wondered what would have happened if Ted had never come into picture. Things would have simpler, and she still would have learned to love Rabastan, in her own time. But dwelling on that was no use.
"It's good to see you," she said, smiling. She wanted to embrace him, but after a couple months of little physical contact, she found herself hesitating.
"You as well," he smiled. It looked like his usual smile, but there was something off about it. And he didn't open his arms or step closer to her, like he was expecting an embrace. Almost subconsciously, she folded her arms across her chest, mirroring his stance. The joy she had felt at seeing him had turned into something stiff, and awkward. But it was to be expected, she supposed, things would be better after the wedding. Until then, she could focus on getting what she needed from him.
Thank you for meeting me," she blurted out, "I just… I really needed someone to talk too."
She saw his eyes darken in concern, and his whole body seem to open up. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," She smiled when he visibly relaxed. "It's not me, it's… Bellatrix."
And just like that, he seemed to stiffen. That surprised her. As far as she was aware he'd never had anything against her sister. They had been in the same year at Hogwarts and had been part of the same crowd. They'd never been close, but they were always friendly with each other. Certainly more friendly than Bella had ever been with Rodolphus. Where Bellatrix was concerned, friendly was one step below a declaration of love.
He didn't say anything though, so she decided to continue. "There's something going on. She's been less vocal than usual. She's hardly ever home, and when she is, she seems… distant." Of course, She and Bella had been distant for years now, but she'd always had a place for Narcissa and her parents. And she always had some comment about the state of blood purity in their society. Now she hardly spoke or interacted with anyone.
"She's just discovering her life outside of Hogwarts. It's a difficult transition, going from being a child, to being an adult." He tried to smile, but once again it fell flat.
Clearly, he wasn't just talking about Bellatrix. Is that why he was acting so strangely around her? It couldn't be easy, having all this new found freedom, but being unable to use it with their upcoming nuptials.
Still, she shook her head. It made sense for him, but Bella had always known who she was and what she wanted. "There's something else too. A few weeks ago, while we were being fitted for our dresses. I felt like she was hiding something… on her arm."
There was no missing it this time. Rabastan's whole body went rigid. He even glanced toward the door, like he was looking for an escape.
That wasn't the reaction she expected at all. She expected him to be look confused, but he didn't look confused. He looked afraid.
"It wasn't the first time, either." She continued, watching him. "A few months ago she was going to show me something on her arm but we were interrupted. And both times she looked, so afraid." Kind of like you do right now. She wanted to add, but didn't.
"She was going to show you?" he asked, incredulous. She also felt herself flinch at the way he said you. But there was something else. He almost sounded like he knew what Bella had been about to show her.
He seem to realize his mistake at the same time she did, and once again his eyes flitted toward the door. Andromeda couldn't believe this. Talking with Rabastan was supposed to give her answers, not more questions.
"Do you know what's on my sister's arm?" Andromeda asked.
"No," Rabastan said coolly, but even as he said it his hands moved to his own arm, to the exact spot where she'd seen the tattoo Bella's arm.
"Rabastan," she said slowly, not taking her eyes off him as she watched his reaction. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," he said, too quickly.
Andromeda had dealt with a lot over the last few months, but she was not dealing with this. "Why are you lying to me?"
Her outburst made him flinch, and she didn't miss the look of guilt that flashed over his eyes. But a second later it was gone as he shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."
She lifted her chin, ironically reminded herself of Bellatrix. "Try me."
But Rabastan's eyes remained dark and cold. "No."
She almost wanted to shake him, but she kept her cool as she said, "Why not?"
Rabastan remained silent. He wouldn't even do her the honor of looking her in the eye.
"Fine." She stalked forward. "I'll ask Bella herself then."
She had meant it as a bluff, and it worked. Rabastan's hand snaked around her arm as she walked passed.
"Don't talk about this to anyone," he seethed, "Andromeda, not if you know what's good for you."
She was trying to keep that determined look on her face, but his grip was like iron and was starting to hurt.
"Are you threatening me?" she spat.
His dark eyes went wide. "No!" He seemed to realize himself and relinquished his grip on her arm. He no longer looked cold and menacing. His gaze was pleading as he said, "I'm just trying to keep you safe."
She felt a lump rise in her throat. She remembered that voice. His voice that was soft and gentle. And she believed him. But keep her safe from what?
"And you?" She breathed. They were standing next to each other now. "Are you safe?"
He swallowed, and looked away. That was a resounding no, but it brought her no closer to the truth.
"Promise me," he whispered, turning back to her. "Promise me you'll drop this."
All she could do was stare at him. His tenderness may have returned, but he looked nothing like the Rabastan she remembered. She had been too angry and confused before to notice, but he looked… thinner. His eyes were sunken and tired. And he looked broken, like a shell of his former self.
"What happened to you, Rabastan?" Her own voice cracked just a little.
He didn't even bother denying that something had happened. He just sighed, and then said,
"The world is changing, Andromeda. If we want to survive we are going to have to change with it."
She wanted to say something, anything. Ask him what he meant by that, force him to tell her what was happening to him, and to her sister. But she couldn't make the words come, and then he was gone, and she was left alone with her thoughts.