𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕊𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕡

12- Courtship with Carrow

"I don't care what you say anymore this is my life
Go ahead with your own life leave me alone"

Andromeda often liked to picture what she could've been doing if her life was different. As of right now, her favorite scene to picture was sunbathing on a beach with Henri. The sky would be a bright, light blue with almost no clouds in the sky, and the waves of the ocean would roll into shore. The water would be just the right temperature, and when they were done swimming, they'd visit the local ice cream parlor.

The grey wallpaper reminded Meda that her fantasy world was too far away to reach. She brushed the fallen curls from her eyes and rested her head on her hand at the table she sat at. Sirius and Regulus sat at her sides, snickering at some joke that Meda must've missed while she was surveying the room.

Bellatrix and Rodolphus's engagement party seemed to be a reflection of who they were as people. Andromeda liked to think that her sisters weren't like the rest of her family, but Bellatrix kept proving this wishful thinking wrong. The party wasn't much of a party—Andromeda was reminded of the Hufflepuff common room party and she had to fight back a smile—it was really more of a waste of time.

After all, Andromeda could be on a beach with Henri right now.

"Meda," Sirius said, grabbing her attention as he hid his laugh behind a hand. "What do you think is stuck up his arse?"

Andromeda bit her lip to stop the laugh that threatened to bubble out of her mouth at the crude remark. It was aimed at one of the many pureblood men standing next to Orion and Cygnus. Regulus giggled before slapping a hand over his own mouth, causing Sirius to laugh quite loudly.

Almost like Sirius's laugh called her over, Narcissa traveled over to their secluded table in the corner of the room. Sirius's laugh died on his lips and Andromeda felt Regulus shift in his seat. If Narcissa wasn't her younger sister, Meda most likely would've been affected the same as they were since Narcissa modeled everything every pureblood woman wanted to be in the best and worst way possible. Yet, Meda wasn't phased by the way her sister carried herself, or by the glimmer in her eye, because they weren't always there, and Meda knew what Cissy was like without them.

"Cousins," Cissy greeted them formally, Meda pinched Sirius to stop him from rolling his eyes. "What a lovely party, don't you think?"

Andromeda constantly tried to save the two boys from unnecessary conversation, so she jumped to respond before Sirius could say something he would regret and Regulus could stutter.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less," Meda smiled in that practiced way she perfected in her mirror. "I saw you speaking with the Malfoys. How are they doing?"

"Well, you know how Mother gets when the Malfoys are around," Narcissa started.

It was true, Andromeda knew exactly what her Mother was like when they came around. Druella always made herself disappear from thin air when Abraxas and Sylvia brought Lucius to pureblood parties. Ever since Meda could remember it had been that way, and when they were forced to interact, Abraxas wore a sad smile on his face. Andromeda didn't care enough to snoop, but something was off when it came to that.

Narcissa went on and on about things that Andromeda didn't particularly care about—and she could tell she wasn't the only one in this boat for Sirius and Regulus looked as if they were going to fall asleep at the table—for a dreadful amount of time. Moments like these came around where Meda wished she could come up with a scapegoat without being perceived as brash.