CHAPTER 2
The Smoothest Transition

Andromeda distinctly remembered one afternoon spent on a deckchair in Sandbanks Beach, basking in the sun alongside her sisters and Sophie Gamp. She remembered the feel of the burning sun on her skin, the scent of seaside air tickling her nostrils, the taste of fresh lime soda on her tongue, and the sound of Sophie's drawling voice as she asked, nose stuck in The Daily Prophet, 'Did you know Professor Dumbledore would be the one replacing Dippet as Headmaster?'

'No,' Andromeda remembered answering. 'But it doesn't really come as a surprise, now, does it?'

'I'd rather it was Slughorn,' Bellatrix had said. 'Dumbledore is one dodgy old sod.'

'Dumbledore? What do you mean?' had asked Narcissa while brushing her long, shiny blond hair.

'I mean, he always looks like he has something in the back of his mind, but all he does is stare with those creepy eyes of his… Not to mention he is clearly biased against Slytherin.'

Andromeda had nodded at that.

'Now that I think about it,' Narcissa had said pensively, 'I don't think father likes him either. I heard him talk with Abraxas Malfoy and the Mulcibers one day –'

'You mean you were eavesdropping…'

'– and they were saying how they hoped he wouldn't be the one to succeed to Dippet.'

'Ironically…'

'Oh, sod off, Andy!'

Andromeda had sniggered amusedly while taking a sip of her tasty lime soda.

Folding the Daily Prophet on her knees, Sophie had turned towards Bellatrix to ask, 'Well, what do you think will change now that Dumbledore is Headmaster?'

Bellatrix had shrugged 'I can't say for certain, now, can I?'

'Nothing will change,' had sighed Andromeda, wriggling deeper into her deckchair. 'Dumbledore has been teaching at Hogwarts and holding the title of Deputy Headmaster for decades. Dippet probably doesn't know half as much as Dumbledore does about what goes on at Hogwarts. It will be as smooth and uneventful a transition as any…'

Well, she had been wrong.

With Dumbledore's new position came drastic changes in personnel: Filius Flitwick had been hired as Charms Master and made Head of the Charms Department despite it being known that he had goblin ancestry. Apollyon Pringle, the Caretaker, had been sacked to be replaced by Argus Filch, a suspected squib. Ogg, the Gamekeeper and Master of the Keys, had retired to be replaced by Hagrid, his assistant for more than twenty years but most notably, a suspected half-giant. Cerridwen Nightingale, the matron, had also retired to also be replaced by her assistant, a certain Poppy Pomfresh – although the latter had nothing reproachful about her, if only that her promotion had happened amidst the other shocking ones.

It was not long before half the Hogwarts Board of Governors – amongst whom sat Andromeda's father – entered the fray, passionately incriminating Dumbledore of using his newly acquired position at Hogwarts to enforce his personal agenda upon the students. "I refuse for my children to be taught by half-breeds!" professed an anonymous source in the Daily Prophet. "Besides, we all know goblins hate humans. How long before this new Charms professor attacks one of the students?". "The new gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, was expelled from Hogwarts twenty years ago. Bringing him back as assistant gamekeeper was a mistake. Having him take the position officially is a testament to the crumbling standards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," affirmed another. "Albus Dumbledore continues to prove that his interests go against those of the magical community – that is to say, the only real and legitimate magical community: the human one," declared a third.

Sophie folded close her Daily Prophet and placed it carefully next to her plate on the Slytherin table. She released a long sigh that got lost in the hubbub of the Great Hall. 'This year starts promisingly,' she said.

Sitting opposite her, Bellatrix turned to Andromeda with a vengeful sneer. 'Nothing will change,' she squealed in poor imitation of her sister. 'It will be the smoooooothest transitiooooon…'

Andromeda rolled her eyes. 'Clearly, I was wrong.'

'That's what I'm saying.'

'I know. You can stop pointing it out, now.'

Bellatrix smirked. 'What if I don't want to?'

'I hate you.'

'Do you really think Hagrid is a half-giant?' Narcissa asked from the bench opposite Andromeda.

'Of course,' answered the eldest Black. 'Have you met a lot of humans as tall and hairy as this one? Look at him; he cannot even form proper words.'

Andromeda had heard enough of Hagrid talking to know that this was not exactly true. Although she did indeed find it difficult to believe that the newly appointed gamekeeper had normal human intelligence. First of all, one could not be smart to willingly dedicate their life to gardening, pet-keeping, and other forms of dirtying manual labour. The mere idea of leading such a life sent shivers up Andromeda's spine.

'At least he was not appointed Professor,' she muttered under her breath.

Bellatrix laughed out loud. So loud, in fact, that every head at the Slytherin table turned her way. 'The day this oaf becomes Professor at Hogwarts is the day a house-elf becomes Minister of Magic!' she exclaimed.

Andromeda hurriedly threw a glance at the staff table. A few teachers were looking their way but most seemed otherwise distracted. Andromeda allowed herself a small sigh of relief before turning back to her sister. 'Please do keep the mocking of staff members to a relatively low volume when in a room filled with said staff members, Bellatrix.'

Bellatrix stopped laughing. Her black eyes focused on Andromeda, and gradually seemed to stop reflecting the thousands of lights floating high above the Great Hall. 'Why,' she said. 'What can they do to me?'

Andromeda frowned. 'Detention might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, Bella,' she whispered back, 'but I still find it much too unpleasant to make the mocking of a half-breed worth it at all. Don't you agree?'

Bellatrix raised her eyebrows and made to think. 'I'm not sure I do,' she said, and Andromeda was about to scold her further when she continued, 'but lucky for you, I'm a little tired this evening.'

Sophie chuckled as she gulped down her pumpkin juice. 'I hear a nine-hour-long train ride will do that to you.'

'The train,' Bellatrix groaned. 'Another stupid muggle invention that some daft Minister for Magic forced witches and wizards to comply to. I say we should be allowed to reach Hogwarts through magic. It would be much simpler and more sanitary.'

Narcissa looked up from the food she had been nibbling preciously. 'What's unsanitary about the Hogwarts Express?' she asked.

Bellatrix pinched her nose. 'The mud,' she sniggered.

Sophie snorted behind her fork and along with Bellatrix, the two lost themselves in an uncontrollable fit of giggles that made Narcissa frown and Andromeda roll her eyes.

'I don't get it,' blurted Narcissa sullenly. She was about to complain when her face lit up and a long "Oooooooooooh", escaped her lips. She smiled and chuckled discreetly behind her hand.

'It is funny,' she said.

Andromeda could not help the grin that tucked at her lips.

oooOOOooo

When Andromeda, Bellatrix, Narcissa and Sophie came back from the Great Hall, the Slytherin Common Room was filled to the brim with older students passionately promulgating their point of views on the new Headmaster. Some even got into heated arguments about whether or not half-breeds and squibs should be allowed positions at Hogwarts. The loudest of them all was Valentine Pyrites, a seventh year.

'Have you seen the little goblin chap? He's so small I'm not even sure he can hold his wand! And Dumbledore thinks that thing is going to teach us Charms?' Valentine was saying. 'Well I bloody don't! Goblins have no place teaching at Hogwarts! It's humiliating!' A few students voiced their approval, others contented themselves with nods of agreement. 'Besides, goblin magic is completely different from wizard magic. So what can he teach us? It's all bollocks, I'm telling you!'

More vivid nods of approval.

From the entrance door, Andromeda sighed. Late night Common Room politics gave her headaches. She swirled towards her dormitory, throwing out a lazy, 'I'm going to bed.'

Bellatrix grabbed her arm before she could even take a step. 'Don't you want to hear what he has to say?' she asked.

Andromeda gazed at her sister, ill at ease. Bellatrix's eyes were so black they did not reflect the fleeting green hue of the Common Room. Instead, they looked focused and determined. Andromeda could almost see the whirlwind of thoughts and ideas stirring inside her brain. Gently, she slipped free of her grip.

'Not really, no,' she answered carefully. 'But you stay if you want to.'

Bellatrix loomed closer. 'You should care more about these things, Andy. They affect you more than you seem to realise.'

Andromeda clenched her jaws and straightened her back. 'I know what affects me, Bella, but Valentine is not exactly the kind of reference I feel bound to listen to.'

Bellatrix raised her chin and while her skin looked very pale against the Common Room's green light, the shadows on her face became more pronounced and she reminded Andromeda of a skull. 'Valentine Pyrites? No. But he is only repeating the words of his father.'

'So what? The Pyrites family is not even close to being Sacred Twenty-Eight.'

Silence followed her statement, and while Bellatrix glared at her, Andromeda started looking around the Common Room. 'Where's Sophie?' she asked a moment later. The girl usually stuck to Bellatrix like a shadow, but Andromeda did not remember seeing her since they had left the Great Hall.

'In the owlery,' replied her sister.

'At his hour? Why?'

'She and Theo Travers slept together at Liantris's party. I think they're dating now. She said she had to send him a letter.'

'I knew it!'

'Don't change the subject,' snapped Bellatrix, regaining her glare. 'You should feel more concerned about all of this!'

'This?'

'Dumbledore and the half-breeds and all that,' groaned Bellatrix, frustrated.

Andromeda rolled her eyes. 'Well of course I am not particularly thrilled at the idea of being taught by a goblin, Bella, but don't expect me to go and throw a wobbler about it!' A dark look glistened in Bellatrix's eyes and she inhaled, mustering her words for a retort which Andromeda cut short. 'Oh, please, Bella! Flitwick is going to teach us whether we want it or not and Hagrid has already been working as Assistant Gamekeeper for decades! So unless you plan on overthrowing Dumbledore from the inside, there is absolutely no point in fussing over the matter. And I don't have the energy for it.'

Bellatrix crossed her arms over her chest and put her weight on one hip. 'Maybe I could overthrow Dumbledore from the inside…' she said thoughtfully.

Andromeda passed an agitated hand in her hair. 'Then leave me out of it until you've succeeded.'

Bellatrix paused for a second, and then cackled amusedly. 'Spoken like a true Slytherin…'. As quickly as she had shed it, she regained a serious expression. 'I should start planning now. Valentine will certainly want to be part of it…'

Andromeda gulped uneasily and passed a hand in her hair once more. 'Bellatrix,' she called softly. 'Let's think about this tomorrow. We only just got back, we're all tired from the train ride and full from the feast… We can't think straight in those conditions, can we?'

Bellatrix eyed Andromeda silently for what felt like a very long time, and Andromeda was forcing herself not to fidget nervously under her gaze. Thankfully, she had become an expert at moulding her face into a disinterested expression. Finally, Bellatrix shrugged and looked away.

'Fine,' she said. She turned around towards Valentine – and Andromeda seized the opportunity to release an unnoticed sigh of relief.

'I think I'm going to have a talk with him,' Bellatrix said.

Andromeda raised her eyebrows. 'Why?'

'Because I want to,' replied Bellatrix, leaving Andromeda behind to head towards her classmate.

Andromeda let out a long sigh. She felt drained and uneasy. She hated arguing with Bellatrix, particularly when the two did not reach a point of agreement. Because the reality was that Andromeda did not mind all the changes that Dumbledore had brought to Hogwarts with the intensity that she felt she should. The Hogwarts Board of Directors, the anonymous witnesses in the Daily Prophet, Valentine and even Bella… All were so riled up with the situation that Andromeda almost wondered whether she was missing something.

'Won't it be hard for Sophie? Dating an older boy when she's still at Hogwarts.'

Andromeda jumped back and nearly hit the back of her head against the Common Room's wall. With a hand on her heart she turned around and looked down at the source of her agitation: Narcissa.

'You startled me!'

Narcissa looked perfectly unaffected. 'I didn't mean to,' she said simply, throwing her luxurious golden hair behind her shoulder with an elegant flick of the hand.

Andromeda squinted down at her sister. 'Were you eavesdropping on us?'

Narcissa frowned and crossed her arms, seething. 'I was not eavesdropping,' she said. 'I was standing right here from the beginning but you two were too busy fighting to pay me any attention!'

Andromeda raised her eyebrows and for half a second, remained taken aback. Slowly she leaned backwards. 'Sorry. I didn't mean to exclude you.'

Narcissa huffed and looked away. 'Yes… You never mean to.'

Andromeda bit her lip. 'I mean it, Cissy. Don't get angry.'

Narcissa threw her a dark glare. 'I get angry if I want to!' she hissed. 'Besides, you still haven't answered my question.'

Andromeda passed a hand in her hair. 'Sophie's a big girl, Cissy. I'm sure she – they will find a way to make it work somehow.'

Narcissa gazed pensively across the Common Room. 'Don't you think that maybe she's only interested in him because he's Sacred Twenty-Eight? She needs to regain her family's fortune, after all, and a good marriage would certainly help.'

Andromeda felt a shiver up her spine. 'Sophie wouldn't marry someone just for their money,' she said. 'Besides, we're too young to think about marriage yet.'

Inwardly, however, she wondered whether Narcissa could be right. It was almost scary how perceptive her little sister could be. Andromeda wished she was not: life was always brightest in the eyes of the ignorant.

Narcissa shrugged and yawned loudly before clapping her hand over her mouth, remembering her manners. Andromeda smiled softly and pulled her into her arms, caressing gently her sister's golden curls. Narcissa relaxed in the embrace.

'Let's go to sleep, Cissy.'

The girls did not immediately break away from each other but they did find themselves in their respective dormitories by the time the Common Room had cleared out.

Rolled up under the covers of her bed, Andromeda found it hard to fall asleep. She was bothered by the virulent reaction to the changes in Hogwarts personnel. She was bothered by Sophie's situation and the length to which she could go to escape it. She was bothered because it seemed like Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange both were pushing people to start acting on their anger, and she feared that this would result in blood being spilled. She was bothered because she did not want to imagine that blood was what her sister wanted.

Oh well, she thought to herself. Maybe I worry too much…