𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕊𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕡

13- Lifelines

"I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind"

Andromeda had never been the naive type. At a young age her hopes and dreams had been crushed by the heel of her mother's shoe. Lessons stuck with her that would crush the possibility of her being able to hope in things that seemed improbable.

The first time she could remember being both disappointed and the disappointment, she was five. On a cold December night, Andromeda was left alone to her own devices in her bedroom for there had been a business meeting of some sort in their house. Meda shivers now at the thought of what they could have been doing at said meeting.

Little Andromeda thought the stars winked at her, causing her fascination with them, even at such a young age. She recalled their names, which she had learned not too long ago at the time, and gazed up at them as if they could read her mind. She treated them like the friends she didn't have when she was little, frightened and delighted by the concept all in one.

The memory gets hazy after she wishes upon a shooting star. Meda isn't sure what her little mind thought she needed to wish for at the time, but she knows what she's wishing for now as she watches a shooting star flit across the sky.

Sinking down to the floor with her back against the wall, either guilt or tears cloud her eyes. She doesn't care which one it is, however, since the world will be cruel to her either way.

...

The mirror in front of her showed a pale, unrecognizable girl with fear in her eyes. Normally, the steel grey would be closed off and guarded, but Andromeda was having trouble concealing her emotions today, which made her feel a bit like Narcissa.

Her mind had been reeling after another long day of pretending to be someone she wasn't, something that was proving harder to do everyday. She blamed this on her mother, since she was the one who set up the courtship.

Druella hadn't been joking when she told Meda about setting up a courtship with Alexander Carrow. The plan had been put into action a week after Bellatrix's engagement party. Andromeda was sent on a date at a pureblood wizard's cafe with Alexander for two hours.

It was the worst two hours of her life.

When she sat across from him, she imagined dumping another bucket of water over his head and telling Ted and Jack about it later. Of course, Meda couldn't contain her laugh and let Alexander think what he had said about the goblins in Gringotts was awfully funny. Meda was sure whatever he said was just awful.

The dreadful date had led her to a breakdown in her bedroom. She would've smashed her glass windows if she didn't have the level of self control she had. So, instead of acting rash, she wished on a star and cried. A lot.

That might explain why her eyes are so dull. Perhaps,  she cried all the magic out of them. Meda shook the thoughts crowding her brain to focus on her reflection in the mirror.

She wouldn't allow herself to dwell on the events that had taken place yesterday for one reason. Meda had to get ready for the day in front of her. It would not be acceptable to walk into Bellatrix's wedding any less than perfect, which meant many things had to be done before her sister got married.

Of course, getting ready to walk into the church meant preparing herself physically and mentally. Giving herself a run down of the day, Andromeda was tempted to write a letter to Henri and visit her house.